Born September 25, 1968 in Pennsylvania (USA), his given name was Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. Later he would become known as the “Fresh Prince”, and today, Will Smith. It is an innocuous name, but one that has big box-office bucks behind it every time the man takes on a new role. His happy-go-lucky Fresh Prince days made many doubt Will Smith could make the transition from smart-mouthed teenager to serious actor. Those critics might not have been silenced by his first big hits that called on that same flip attitude but when they reached “The Pursuit of Happiness” and “Seven Pounds”, they were silenced. Will Smith, it seems, is the complete package as an actor.
Career Highlights
14 of the 19 Hollywood films in which Will Smith has acted have taken in (cumulatively) over $100, 000000. Four of them took in over $500,000,000 in worldwide box office receipts. With totals like that, you have to be doing something right. From his long-running TV hit, “Fresh Prince of Belair” to films like “Independence Day” and “Men in Black” (I & II), Will Smith has hit all the right notes in Hollywood. He is no mean musician either, and has made some impressive money in the music biz, too. Many say that it is pure talent mixed with more than a little cockiness and charisma.
Smith has won four Grammy Awards and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards. He did, however, take home the BET Award for Best Actor for the film “Men in Black II” and the MTV Movie Award for Best Performance for his work in “Ali”.
The Top Ten Movies (high grossing) of famous Hollywood actor, Will Smith:
- Independence Day – 1996 – $817,400,878
- Men in Black – 1997 – $587,790,539
- Hancock – 2008 – $624,346,274
- I Am Legend – 2007 -$585,055,701
- Men in Black II – 2002 – $441,818,803
- Shark Tale – 2004 – $367,192,000
- Hitch – 2005 – $366,784,257
- The Pursuit of Happyness – 2006 – $306,086,036
- Bad Boys II – 2003 – $272,940,870
- Wild Wild West, 1999 – $222,105,681
