Will Smith is one of the famous personalities of the world and has achieved all this with utter determination, hard work, and talent. He firmly believes that a successful person must have the right mindset, and also credits it for his success. Smith started at the early age of 12 and is now 52 years old, thus, ruling the entertainment industry for more than three decades.
Will Smith - Early Life
Will Smith was born on 25th September 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to father Willard Christopher Smith, a refrigeration engineer and US Air Force veteran, and mother Caroline Bright, a school board administrator. His parents got separated when he was 13 years old and officially divorced each other when he was 32, in 2000. It is also rumored that Will got a scholarship from the prestigious MIT after he scored high on SAT exam and due to his mother’s relation with MIT’s admission officer.
However, Will had a keen interest in rap & music and denied the offer. He chose the same as a career option and started raping music at the early age of 12. Smith established his name as instead of using the aggressive tone in his songs, he chose a comic element to put into them, which later became his trademark.
Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff
Will’s life took a big turn when he met Jeffery Townes, who was a small DJ then. He once threw a party near Smith’s house and needed a man, which is where Will saved him. After that, their friendship bond kept becoming strong and the duo started performing together. They made a group by the name, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, where both of them and Will’s other friend Clarence Holmes came together. The group became popular among teenagers and started producing music singles. Their first single, Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble was a hit.
Will Smith Success Story - First Break
The group was noticed by Jive Records and Russel Simmons which gave them the opportunity and their first album, Rock the House, was released in 1987. The duo rose to popularity when they released their rap song, Parents Just Don’t Understand, in 1988 and won a Grammy award. Will was a hit and became a popular & millionaire before turning 18.
The group’s second most popular album was released in 1991, Summertime, which rose to number 4 on the Billboard hotlist and also won the Grammy award.
Will Smith & Bankruptcy
After giving several rap song hits, becoming a millionaire before 18, and winning two Grammies, Will Smith couldn’t handle the fame & money. He admits that he spent too much money and even underpaid his taxes, and that’s when IRS had to intervene. The administration charged him with $2.3 million in taxes & penalties.
Will lost almost all his fortune and became bankrupt, which further affected his image in the market. In his words, he was “rich & broker”. Seeing no other to opt-out and the pressure to pay on his debts, Will decided to act on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” even after being not sure of the show and his acting skills.
Will Smith Success Story to Acting
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was an instant success and got Will back to the track. The success also invited a new branch for Smith’s career, acting, and in 1993, he made his way to Hollywood with Six Degrees of Separation, a comedy-drama.
His TV show ran for continuous six years from 1990 to 1996 and is a major contributor to Will’s success today. In 1995, Will acted in Bad Boys and the film did wonders at the box office by collecting more than $141M worldwide. Note that Bad Boys' budget was only $19M and with this super hit, Smith became a demanding property in the industry again.
Will Smith – Family
Smith was first married to his long-time girlfriend, Sheree Zampino, but both of them parted ways in 1995. They tied the knot in 1992 and even have a son, Trey Smith. After the divorce, Smith admits he was shattered and soon started dating actress, Jada Koren Pinkett, and married her in 1997. The duo has two kids, one son, Jaden Smith, and a daughter, Willow Smith.
The Smith family is extremely popular in the industry because of all of them being so talented; here’s some introduction to other family members:
- Jada Koren Pinkett : Jada is a successful businesswoman, singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. His marriage with Smith has been away from controversies of divorce & fights.
- Jaden Smith : Like his father, Jaden is extremely talented and is an actor, singer, rapper, and songwriter. He took the public by storm with his acting skills in his first movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, with his father Will. He also has started his clothing brand and is planning to launch a water brand too.
- Willow Smith : She is on the path to becoming legendary as same her father. She is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actress, dancer, and more.
- Trey Smith : Trey unlike his other family member decided to stay behind the scenes and away from fame. He has acted in some films and has worked with his father on some projects too.
