Few actors in Hollywood have had the kind of successful career that Will Smith has enjoyed. He has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory and has won numerous awards for his work. But what makes Smith so unique is not just his talent as an actor, but also his success as a musician and producer.
Willard Carroll Smith II, popularly known as Will Smith, is an American actor, producer and rapper. From a young age, Smith showed an interest in both performing and making things happen. This led to him becoming one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. It’s no wonder then that Will Smith is one of the highest-paid actors in the world.
His work in these fields has earned him millions of dollars and made him a household name. This biography will explore the life and work of one of the most versatile entertainers in the business.
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Quick Facts:
| Full Name: | Willard Carroll Smith II |
| Celebrated Name: | Will Smith |
| Net Worth: | $350 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Sep 25, 1968 |
| Age: | 55 years old |
| Gender: | Male |
| Wife: | Jada Pinkett (married 1997) |
| First Wife: | Sheree Zampino (married 1992; divorced 1995) |
| Kids: | Trey, Willow and Jaden Smith |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Profession: | Actor, Film Producer, Record producer, Television producer, Rapper, Screenwriter |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
Will Smith Age, Parents, and Early Life
Will Smith is 55 years old, born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the second of four children born to Caroline (née Bright) and Willard Christopher Smith Sr. His mother, Caroline Bright, was a school board administrator who earned a degree from Carnegie Mellon and father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr., was a retired refrigeration engineer from the US Air Force.
He was brought up a Baptist and lived in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia. He has two younger siblings, the identical Harry and Ellen, as well as an older sister named Pamela. He went to Overbrook High School and a prestigious Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia called Our Lady of Lourdes. His parents split in the early 2000s after divorcing when he was 13 years old.
At the age of 12, Smith started rapping. When his grandmother discovered a notebook containing his songs, he claimed that it “She made a note for him in the book, saying: “Dear Willard, truly bright people do not have to use language like this to express themselves. Please demonstrate your intelligence to the world by proving us all wrong “. Smith claimed that this had an impact on his choice to refrain from using profanity in his music.
The well-known neighbourhood DJ Jeffrey Allen Townes, later known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, was one of his childhood pals. When Jeff needed a hype guy for performance down the street, they happened to cross paths. Smith seized the opportunity to be his hypeman, and the two bonded right away. They would ultimately get together to form the band DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
They were signed to a contract by Russell Simmons, who worked at Def Jam Records in 1986. In 1987, “Rock the House,” their debut album, was released. The album achieved gold status. “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper”, their second album was published in 1988. With more than three million copies sold, it was a huge success. The pair would jointly release five albums in all.
Will won the first ever Grammy in 1988 for the newly created Rap category.
Family: Will Smith Wife & Kids
Will Smith has been married twice. He married his first wife, Sheree Zampino, in 1992. They had one son together, Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III (31 years old; born, November 11, 1992), before getting divorced in 1995.
In 1997, he married actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The couple has two children together: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith and Willow Camille Reign Smith. Both kids work in show business.
He has some social media superstar status as well. Will has more than 45 million Instagram followers, 8 million YouTube subscribers, and 30 million TikTok followers as of this writing.
Will Smith Net Worth 2024
Will Smith has a net worth of $350 million. With hundreds of millions of dollars in movie fees alone, he is one of the highest-paid performers of the past twenty years. Will and his wife Jada have a sizable real estate portfolio that includes homes across the nation.
Will Smith’s annual income from his several projects averages at least $40 million and has occasionally reached $80 million. For instance, Will made $45 million from his numerous projects, largely film salaries, between June 2019 and June 2020.
Will Smith Movie Legend
Will was paid $500,000 to star in “Six Degrees of Separation” in 1993 while still on the high from his hit comedy, for which he garnered positive reviews.
When he co-starred in the popular action-comedy “Bad Boys” in 1995, his acting career really took off, earning him $2 million. He would receive $20 million for his role in the sequel years later.
Will Smith Largest Salary
Will earned $200 million in movie earnings and bonuses between 1993 and 2013. As of this writing, his film revenues easily exceed $300 million and may go much higher if some of his alleged backend deals are correct. Will’s biggest verified paycheck came in 2013 when he received a $20 million upfront salary and an additional $80 million in backend points from Men In Black 3 thanks to his 10% per cent of the gross. He was also said to own 20% of the profits from Bad Boys 2, Hancock, and Pursuit of Happiness. Though it is plausible that he had 20% of net profits rather than gross profits, which would be drastically different percentages. He would have earned $355million from those movies if he had gotten gross points.
Will received $25 million for I Am Legend in 2007.
His greatest advance payment was $28 million for I, Robot. He was paid $20 million to appear in Netflix’s Bright in 2018. Will was reportedly paid $35 million by Netflix to reprise his part in Bright 2.
Smith was paid $20 million up advance for the 2021 film “King Richard.” COVID compelled Warner Brothers to release the film on HBO Max without a big theatre run. Warner Brothers handed Smith a $40 million bonus to compensate for the millions he would have earned through movie ticket backend points. His overall remuneration for the picture came to $60 million.
Will Smith was paid $35 million upfront for the film “Emancipation.”
The following is a list of some of the movie roles that paid Will Smith:
- Bad Boys: $2 million
- Independence Day: $5 million
- Men In Black: $5 million
- Enemy of the State: $14 million
- Wild Wild West: $7 million
- The Legend of Bagger Vance: $10 million
- Ali: $20 million
- Men In Black 2: $20 million plus 10% of gross
- Bad Boys 2: $20 million + 20% of gross
- I, Robot: $28 million
- Shark Tale: $15 million
- Hitch:$20 million
- Pursuit of Happyness: $10 million + 20% of gross
- I Am Legend: $25 million
- Hancock: $20 million + 20% of gross
- Bright: $20 million
- Bright 2: $35 million
- King Richard: $60 million
- Emancipation: $35 million
Will Smith Music Career
Smith never stopped playing music; in fact, he made four solo albums, two of which have achieved platinum status, while also working on his films. Smith had many successful tracks, including “Men in Black” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” which helped him win back-to-back Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Will Smith Awards
Smith had two Academy Award nominations, once for Chris Gardner in “The Pursuit of Happyness” and once for Muhammad Ali in “Ali,” both times for his portrayals of real persons. Smith has won four MTV Movie Awards, two People’s Choice Awards, one Image Award, two BET Awards, and two others.
Will Smith Real Estate Investments
Approximately ten properties are owned by Will and Jada in the country. Here is a quick summary of their most notable properties, both current and past:
A beautiful 100-acre property in the hills between Malibu and Calabasas, California, cost Will and Jada $7.5 million to buy in 1999. They acquired other adjoining lots throughout the course of the following year in order to connect 150 acres of contiguous land. The 20,000 square-foot main houses, numerous guest houses, a private lake, a riding arena, equestrian trails, stables, tennis courts, and other amenities are all included in the property. A retractable skylight in the main living space, a meditation room, and the recording studio where Willow Smith cut her debut hit, “Whip My Hair,” are all features of the residence.
Outside of Jada and Will Smith’s home, there is a man-made lake, a pool modelled after a lagoon, tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, as well as other structures for relaxing in when you’re not out playing. After falling in love with actor Gene Hackman’s Santa Fe home, they decided to design the property in the same manner. For the project, which took years to begin due to environmental concerns and permission difficulties, they really recruited Santa Fe architect Hackman. They secretly listed the house in 2013 for $42 million but were unsuccessful in finding a buyer. Today, the value of this property alone is probably between $50 and $70 million.
Will and Jada sold their seven-acre seaside compound on Kauai for $12 million in 2017. They paid $10 million for the multi-family property in 2015. They sold a different coastal Hawaiian property on 7 acres to Ekaterina Rybolovlev, the daughter of billionaire Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, for $20 million in 2011.
They also own a 9,000-square-foot property in Hidden Hills, California, and a 9,200-square-foot ski chalet in Park City, Utah.
Will and Jada paid slightly more than $11 million for a 10,400-square-foot home in Hidden Hills, California, in September 2021.
The Smiths own at least $100 million in real estate around the world, according to public records.
More Facts:
- Was broke while filming “Fresh Prince”
- IRS took 70% of his paycheck for the first three seasons
- Eventually became the highest-paid actor in the world
- Has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from film salaries
- Earned $100 million from “MIB3” alone
- With wife Jada, owns $100 million worth of real estate
- Earned $60m for “King Richard”
- Earned $35 million for “Emancipation”
Will Smith Slap Chris Rock at Oscar 2022
Will Smith finally won the Academy Award for Best Actor after over 30 years as one of Hollywood’s most famous actors. The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air accepted the award at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in the biopic King Richard, which is also nominated for Best Picture.
However, the victory was overshadowed by an unexpected event earlier in the evening. Will Smith came to the stage and slapped Best Documentary presenter Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Following the altercation, the show was cut to quiet as Smith proceeded to yell against Rock.
Smith begged Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” as international broadcasts of the event were confirmed.
Rock previously hosted the Oscars, where he made a joke about Jada Pinkett-boycott, Smith’s implying that she wasn’t invited anyhow. Meanwhile, Pinkett-shaved Smith’s head is owing in part to her ongoing battle with Alopecia, a disorder that causes hair loss, about which she has previously talked publicly.
Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock
Will Smith has released a remorseful YouTube video in which he discusses an incomprehensible incident four months after cuffing Chris Rock on the Oscars stage over a throwaway remark about his wife.
Smith apologized — again — to Rock and Rock’s family, particularly the comedian’s younger brother, Tony Rock, who slammed Smith in a standup performance in April, one week after the slapping incident. “This is probably irreparable,” Smith says of his connection with Tony Rock.
In retrospect, Smith says, “There is no part of me that thinks that is the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith also apologized in an Instagram post on March 29, and two days later resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Smith discusses many issues that arose in the aftermath of the March 27 event, shortly after which he was named Best Actor for his portrayal in King Richard, a biopic about tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams in which he played their father, Richard Williams.
Will Smith was barred from all Academy functions for the next ten years after hitting Rock. For the time being, he remains one of Hollywood’s A-list performers and public celebrities. In addition to his Oscar for King Richard, Smith was nominated for roles in Ali in 2001 and The Pursuit of Happiness in 2006. He is also the founder of Overbrook Entertainment, which created King Richard as well as Netflix’s critically praised Cobra Kai series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Will Smith?
Will Smith is 55 years old.
How much is Will Smith worth?
Will Smith has a net worth of $350 million.
Is Will Smith a scientologist?
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith have long denied allegations that they are members of the Church of Scientologist.
Who is Will Smith daughter?
Willow Smith.
How many Oscars does Will Smith have?
Will Smith only has won one Oscar and this was in the Best Actor category for his performance as Richard Williams in the 2021 film King Richard.
What is Will Smith weight and height?
Will Smith height is 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) and weight is 86 kg.
Who is Will Smith first wife?
Sheree Zampino.
Is Will Smith gay?
No, Will Smith is not gay. He has been married to two women and has four children.