Will Smith

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), best known as Will Smith, is an American actor and rapper who has found success in both of his artistic careers: he has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and has won Grammy Awards. In the late 1980s, he gained modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his fame skyrocketed when he starred in the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for more than five years (1990 – 1996) on NBC and has been in permanent syndication ever since. In the mid-90s, he moved from television to film and appeared in numerous movies that were huge box office hits. He also received a special award for his contribution to music in film at the 2007 Principal Awards Gala.

He is the only actor in history to have starred in eight consecutive films that each grossed more than 100 million dollars at the domestic box office, and also the only actor to have appeared in eight consecutive films that opened at number one. His biggest box office hits include Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, Men in Black III, I, Robot, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch, Seven Pounds and After Earth. He also received critical acclaim for his performances in Ali and Six Degrees of Separation. In 2013, he acquired the U.S. rights to the Spanish TV show El hormiguero, hosted by Pablo Motos.

Forbes considers him the most bankable star in the world, despite the box office and critical disappointment of his 2013 film, After Earth. Of the 20 narrative feature films in which he has acted worldwide, sixteen have grossed more than $100 million each, and five earned more than $500 million each in worldwide box office receipts. As of 2014, his films have earned $600 million at the global box office.