Willard Carroll Smith, Jr.

(Picture source)

I just published an article about the first black superhero in Avengers and it made me think of another great man for me, Will Smith, I love him, he's one of my favorite actors and I've known him since I'm a kid, it started with Prince de Bel Air, of course.

Willard Carroll Smith, Jr., says Will Smith is an American actor, rap singer and film producer, born September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He is one of the few artists to have had success in three different entertainment media in the United States and around the world: film, television and music. He quickly became famous by taking the title role of the television series The Prince of Bel-Air and has starred in several big Hollywood productions like Bad Boys, Independence Day and Men in Black.

He is one of the highest-paid Hollywood actors with $ 80 million earned in a year between 2007 and 2008 and the only actor to have shot in eight top-ranked American box office films in their first weekend of diffusion.

History

Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. was born in Philadelphia. His mother Caroline worked in a school and his father Willard Christopher Smith was a technician. He received a Baptist education. His parents separated when he was 13 years old. He has two sisters, Pamela, aged 4, Ellen and a brother, Harry, the latter two being twins and 3 years younger than him. From his childhood, Will Smith turns out to be an intelligent and charismatic child. He was able to charm by his speeches and so to avoid trouble, so that his high school teachers nicknamed him Prince Charming.

In 1982, at the age of 14, Will Smith was greatly influenced by Eddie Murphy and the new heroes of hip-hop.
At 16, he meets Jeffrey Townes at a party. They become close friends and start singing together, Jeff as DJ Jazzy Jeff and Smith as The Fresh Prince.

A brilliant student, Smith attended high school at the Julia Reynolds Master's Laboratory and Demonstration School, a reputed Philadelphia school.

Under the stage name The Fresh Prince, Will Smith and his friend Jeffrey Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) form the DJ duo Jeff Jazzy and The Fresh Prince. He is master of ceremonies, DJ Jazzy Jeff is disc jockey and producer. They are accompanied by Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C) for the beatbox.

In 1987, the band released their first Rock the House album containing the hit Girls Is not Nothing But Trouble. They continue their momentum by releasing He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper in 1988.

(Video source)]

It's a double album, a format commonly used in rock and roll, but innovative in the rap world of the time. This is their first big commercial success, the single Parents Just Do not Understand, from this album, will earn them a Grammy Award in the Best Rap Performance category.

The album is one of the first rap Long Plays in history to become a double platinum record.

(Video source)

Their comical and showy style contrasted with the rap of the time, much more serious and violent. The lack of vulgarity in the lyrics made their songs ideal for radio stations, and received approval from American parents, while reaching all audiences.

Will Smith begins to attract the attention of Hollywood and major American networks.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

(Video source)

Despite the popularity and wealth, Will Smith is looking for new challenges. The opportunities are not long in the person of Benny Medina, who had the idea to produce a sitcom based on his life. This idea is transformed in 1990 by the creation of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for NBC in which Smith takes the main role by embodying the Prince of Bel-Air. The series is the story of a teenager on the streets of Philadelphia who arrives at his uncle's home in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, in a wealthy family. The success is immediate, and the series continues until 1996.

On the musical front, the band DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince directed Summertime, from the album Homebase, which won a major success. In 1993, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince released their last record together, Code Red which was a commercial failure. He decided to put his career as a rapper aside to devote himself to cinema and his first child.

Subsequently, Smith tries to explore his acting abilities by playing in the movie Break Out, until being recognized by critics in 1993 for his role in Six Degrees of Separation, in which he plays the role of a bisexual where the actor refuses to kiss another actor as required by the script. He then follows the advice of his friend Denzel Washington and opposes the director Fred Schepisi. This one modifies the script reluctantly, which does not prevent the film from obtaining a good success in the rooms.

The same year, NBC decided to finish the series The Prince of Bel-Air at the end of the third season, but the reaction of the fans and the mass of mail received prompted the channel to review its position. Finally the series will be renewed for three more seasons.

Cinema

(Picture source)

In 1995, Will Smith was paid $ 5 million for Bad Boys with Martin Lawrence, a commercial success that opens doors to larger productions. After the end of the series The Prince of Bel-Air in 1996, he devoted himself to his film career with Roland Emmerich's Independence Day, where he plays Captain Steven Hiller, an alien fighter pilot, with a huge success this time (the film was at the time the second biggest commercial success in the history of cinema behind Jurassic Park). With 800 million box office receipts, it is to date the greatest success of Will Smith.

(Picture source)

The following year, he plays in Men in Black, where he replies to Tommy Lee Jones, then in State Enemy in 1998 and Wild Wild West in 1999. He also refuses to play in Matrix because he found the scenario too complicated for his taste and preferred to turn Wild Wild West alongside Kevin Kline. This feature film barely repays its budget and is mocked by critics. Later, this first failure will be regretted by the actor acknowledging having yielded to salary and ease.

On the sidelines of his acting career, Will Smith embarks on solo music in the late 1990s, most often with singles associated with his films. His most famous singles are Men in Black, Gettin 'Jiggy Wit It and Just the Two of Us, a message of affection to his first son, Willard "Trey" Smith III.

(Video source)

Overbrook Entertainment

It was between 1997 and 1999 that Will Smith and American producer James Lassiter founded Overbrook Entertainment as a film, television and music production company. In March 2007, Will Smith and his associate appeared on the cover of "Black Enterprise" magazine. They are ranked third in the list of the 50 most influential blacks in Hollywood (behind Oprah Winfrey and Richard Parsons, President and CEO of Time Warner).

Private life

On May 9, 1992 Will Smith married Sheree Zampino. Their son Willard Christopher "Trey" Smith was born on November 11, 1992. They divorced in 1995 after three years of marriage.

On December 31, 1997, Will Smith married Jada Pinkett, actress and American singer. They have a son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, born July 8, 1998, and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign Smith, born on October 31, 2000.

Movies

He did a lot, here are some of them :

• 1992: Break Out (Where the Day Takes You)
• 1993: Six Degrees of Separation
• 1995: Bad Boys
• 1996: Independence Day
• 1997: Men in Black
• 1999: Torrance Rises
• 1999: Enemy of the State
• 1999: Wild Wild West

• 2001: The Legend of Bagger Vance
• 2001: Ali
• 2002: Men in Black 2
• 2003: Bad Boys 2
• 2004: I, Robot
• 2005: Hitch, expert in seduction
• 2006: In search of happiness
• 2007: I am a legend

One of my favorite songs ; o)

Video source)

• 2008: Seven lives

• 2013: After Earth
• 2014: A winter love
• 2015: Focus
• 2015: Alone against all
• 2016: Suicide Squad
• 2016: Collateral Beauty
• 2017: Bright

(Text source)

(Text source)