Willard C. Smith Jr. was born on September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Willard Jr. was the second of four children born to parents Caroline and Willard.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Will started training his musical abilities early, starting to rap at the age of 12. One of his teachers noticed Will's remarkable ability to charm his way out of trouble, and gave him the nickname "Prince". Will kept the nickname, and after meeting Jeff Townes at a party in 1981, they formed a hip-hop duo - Will Smith becoming "The Fresh Prince", and Jeff Townes becoming "DJ Jazzy Jeff". In 1988, "He's the DJ; I'm the Rapper" hit store shelves, and went on to win a Grammy and an American Music Award.
After meeting a Warner Bros. executive named Benny Medina, Will was cast as the star of a new sitcom about a teenager from Philadelphia sent to live with wealthy relatives in Bel Air, California. "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" first aired in 1990 and lasted for six years.
While attending Overbrook High School in Windfield, Pennsylvania, Will was eventually offered an MIT scholarship. With Will setting his sights on his acting career, he declined the scholarship.
With his music career still on the rise after winning another Grammy and American Music Award for the song Summertime from the album "Home Base", Will became busier by the year. He married Sheree Zampino in 1992, and shortly after had his first child - Willard C. "Trey" Smith III.
Will co-starred in "Six Degrees of Separation" in 1993, releasing his album "Code Red" the same year. Two years later, Will teamed up with Martin Lawrence for the 1995 blockbuster "Bad Boys". Will's marriage to Sheree Zampino ended that year.
Not showing any signs of slowing his big-screen career, Will starred in "Independence Day" in 1996 just as "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" left the airwaves.
In 1997, Will released his first album in four years entitled "Big Willie Style". By the mid 1990s, Will Smith had established himself as being both a solid actor and talented musician, and in 1997, he used both his talents to star in, and headline the soundtrack to the sci-fi/comedy "Men in Black". Will also married his current wife, Jada Pinkett, the same year. The "Men in Black" theme won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, and Will went on to co-star in "Enemy of the State" in 1998.
1998 also produced Will's second son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, born on July 8. The next year, Will won yet another Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance for the song "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It". The same year, Will released his latest album entitled "Willennium".
Will's latest feature film projects include "Ali"; the story of famed boxer Muhammed Ali, and Men in Black II.