Learning Commons | Cardinal Cushing Library
Library Catalog - Books/Videos

Will Smith

Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of , his films have grossed over $9.5 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

Smith began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' (1990–1996), for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1993 and 1994. He first gained recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums which contained five ''Billboard'' Hot 100-top 20 singles—"Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room"—from 1985 to 1994. He released the solo albums ''Big Willie Style'' (1997), ''Willennium'' (1999), ''Born to Reign'' (2002), and ''Lost and Found'' (2005), which spawned the U.S. number-one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West" (featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee). He has won four Grammy Awards for his recording career.

Smith achieved wider fame as a leading man for the action film ''Bad Boys'' (1995), and the science fiction comedy ''Men in Black'' (1997); he later reprised both roles in several sequels. After starring in the thrillers ''Independence Day'' (1996) and ''Enemy of the State'' (1998), he received Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayals of Muhammad Ali in ''Ali'' (2001), and Chris Gardner in ''The Pursuit of Happyness'' (2006). He starred in the commercially successful films ''I, Robot'' (2004), ''Shark Tale'' (2004), ''Hitch'' (2005), ''I Am Legend'' (2007), ''Hancock'' (2008), ''Seven Pounds'' (2008), ''Suicide Squad'' (2016), and ''Aladdin'' (2019).

For his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical sports drama ''King Richard'' (2021), Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor. At the 2022 ceremony, shortly before winning, Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after Rock made an unscripted derogatory joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness, which was due to an autoimmune disease. The controversial event earned substantial media coverage and criticism, with Smith ultimately resigning from the Academy along with being banned from attending all their events for ten years. Provided by Wikipedia