
Biography
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor and rapper. Known for variety of roles, Smith has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and four Grammy Awards. Smith began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996). He first gained recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US 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 1984 to 1994. He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which contained the US number-one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West". He has received four Grammy Awards for his rap performances. Smith achieved wider fame as a leading man in films such as the action film Bad Boys (1995), its sequels Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys for Life (2020), and the sci-fi comedies Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), and Men in Black 3 (2012). After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), he received Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayal as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001), and as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). He then starred in a range of commercially successful films, including 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, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2022
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 2021
- Golden Raspberry Award — Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award · 2013
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture · 2009
- MTV Movie Award — Best Performance · 2008
Show all 31 awards →
- Saturn Award — Best Actor · 2007
- David Angell Humanitarian Award · 2006
- Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist · 2005
- MTV Movie Award — Best Performance · 2002
- Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist · 2000
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Music Video · 2000
- American Music Award — Favorite Soul/R&B Album · 1999
- American Music Award — Favorite Pop/Rock Album · 1999
- Golden Raspberry Award — Worst Original Song · 1999
- Grammy Award — Best Rap Solo Performance · 1999
- MTV Video Music Award — Best Male Video · 1999
- NAACP Image Award — Outstanding Music Video · 1999
- Grammy Award — Best Rap Solo Performance · 1998
- MTV Movie Award — Best Fight · 1998
- MTV Video Music Award — Best Rap Video · 1998
- MTV Video Music Award — Best Male Video · 1998
- MTV Movie Award — Best Kiss · 1997
- MTV Video Music Award — Best Video from a Film · 1997
- Grammy Award — Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group · 1992
- Grammy Award — Best Rap Performance · 1989
- World Music Awards
- Young Artist Awards
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2022 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 2022 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2007 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2002 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

Kids' Choice Awards

The Oprah Conversation

Life in a Year

Cobra Kai

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Emancipation

Charm City Kings

Bel-Air

One Strange Rock

Welcome to Earth

King Richard

Spies in Disguise

Seven Pounds

Top Gear

Lily Topples The World

The Secret Life of Bees

Quincy

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Saving Face

Collateral Beauty

I Am Legend

The Graham Norton Show

All of Us

Men in Black

Amend: The Fight for America

Bad Boys for Life

Aladdin

Hot Ones

Concussion

Free Angela and All Political Prisoners

Enemy of the State

Mad TV

Bigflo & Oli: Hip Hop Frenzy

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman

I, Robot

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

Dads

Focus

A Man's Story

ATL

Independence Day

Howard

James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction

Ali

Bad Boys

Pole to Pole with Will Smith

Bad Boys II

The Karate Kid