Will Smith was crowned the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before becoming a king in Hollywood and has since become one of the best bad boys on the big screen. Though his career started in music, his acting is what has taken him to the heights of popularity and prestige. Despite any struggles he may have endured or regrets he may have had, Will Smith is unlikely to have to denounce his throne anytime soon.

The second of four children, Willard Christopher Smith Jr. was born September 25^th 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his pursuit of a music career, Will Smith joined Jeff Townes and together they performed under the names DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, a nickname Smith had been branded with in his youth. In 1989, the duet staked their claim in music history by winning the first ever Grammy award for best rap performance.

Though he had achieved success in the music industry, Will Smith was looking for more. In 1990, he made his television debut with the pilot episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a comedy series based primarily on his real-life journey from Philadelphia to California. The series lasted six years but Will Smith didn’t wait for his television career to end before making the leap to the big screen. He landed his first movie role in 1993 in the film Six Degrees of Separation but it wasn’t until he co-starred along side Martin Lawrence in the 1995 film Bad Boys that his movie career was set. His Hollywood film career is now legendary.

Will Smith has achieved success in music, television, and film, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment in life is fatherhood, a fitting role since he is known for being a particularly kid-friendly lyricist. Smith has won the most Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards of any musician or actor to date.  

His respectable role model skills are best applied with his own three children. Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as Trey, was born during Smith’s first marriage to Sheree Zampino (Smith). Will Smith married his current wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, in 1997. Together they have two children Jaden Christopher Syre and Willow Camille Reign.

With his hit song Just the Two of Us and a picture book published by Scholastic Books, Will Smith highlights many of his philosophies regarding a father-son relationship. Will Smith stars in the drama The Pursuit of Hapyiness, slated for release in December 2006. He appears in the film as the father in a fictional father-son dynamic where his real-life son, Jaden will make his big screen debut alongside his father.

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