Vita e carriera di Will Smith

Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also Will Smith known by the stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Primarily known for comedic and dramatic acting roles, Will Smith is the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe Award, and two Academy Award nominations. As of 2016, his films have grossed $7.5 billion at the global box office, and Smith holds several US and international box office records.

Smith first achieved recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles "Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room" between 1984 and 1994. Smith achieved international fame for his fictionalized self-portrayal on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996). He then starred in the action film Bad Boys (1995), and its sequels Bad Boys II (2017) and Bad Boys for Life (2020), and the sci-fi comedies Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), and Men in Black 3 (2012).

After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), Smith portrayed Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001), earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Smith then starred in a range of commercially successful films, including I, Robot, Shark Tale (both 2004), Hitch (2005), Hancock, and Seven Pounds (both 2008). He gained his second Academy Award nomination for portraying Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), and received critical praise for his performance as an isolated virologist in I Am Legend (2007).

Smith's portrayal of Bennet Omalu in Concussion (2015) was positively received, and he then portrayed Deadshot in the DC Extended Universe (DECU) superhero film Suicide Squad (2016) and Genie in the live-action Aladdin (2019). Smith's portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard (2021) was critically acclaimed, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.