| |
Actor/Rapper
Will Smith
Most people know Will Smith as the cocky kid from the TV show
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and as the star of movies like
"Independence Day" and "Men in Black." But did you know that
he started rapping at age 12? Or that after the success of
his first album, he went broke because he forgot to pay his
taxes?
Willard
Christopher Smith, Jr. was born in West Philadelphia, just
like his character on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." His father
owned a refrigerator company, and his mother was a school
administrator. He earned the nickname "Prince" from classmates
because he was so charming. At a party at age 16, he met Jeffrey
Townes, "DJ Jazzy Jeff," with whom he would partner with to
make hits—and history—with their clean, quirky
rap style. Reportedly, Will turned down a scholarship to MIT
to pursue his rapping career, but he has said this is untrue.
He is quoted as saying, "My mother, who worked for the School
Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions
officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed
black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had
no intention of going to college."
Instead
of college, he focused on his music career, and it paid off
in a big way. But, in 1990, after some bad financial decisions,
he was nearly broke. Then came the TV Show "The Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air," which refreshed his bank account and made him
an even bigger star.
Smith
went on to star in movies like "Bad Boys" and "I-Robot," and
he continues to make albums and chart singles.
In His Own Words
"If
I weren't a musician/actor, I'd be a computer engineer.
I was always good at math. I probably would have been the
guy who invented the remote control if I'd been around then."
"My
grandmother once told me, 'Don't let failure go to your
heart and don't let success go to your head.'"
Fun Facts:
-
Met wife Jada Pinkett Smith when she tried out for a role
as his girlfriend on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"—but
she didn’t get the part
-
Once held the Guinness World Record for most public appearances
in 12 hours while promoting the movie "Hitch"
-
His first job was working for his father’s company
-
Turned down the role of Neo in "The Matrix"
-
Holds the record for most Kids’ Choice Awards won
(6)
|
|
