Who is Will Smith?
A: Will Smith is an American actor and rapper.
He began his career starring as a fictionalized version
of himself on what?
A: The NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996).
Noted for his work in film, television, and music,
Smith has received multiple accolades, including what?
A: An Academy Award and four Grammy Awards.
As of 2022, his films have grossed how much money?
A: Over $9.3 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
Smith first gained recognition as part of what?
A: A hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
With DJ Jazzy Jeff he released how many studio albums?
A: Five.
He made the US Billboard Hot 100 top 20 singles from
1984 to 1994 with what singles?
A: "Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street",
"Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room".
He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997),
Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which
contained what?
A: The US number one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West".
He has received how many Grammy Awards for his rap
performances?
A: Four.
Smith achieved wider fame as a leading man in films
such as what action films?
A: Bad Boys (1995), its sequels Bad Boys II (2003) 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), he received what?
A: An Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayal as Muhammad
Ali in Ali (2001), and as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happiness (2006).
He then starred in a range of commercially successful
films, including what?
A: I, Robot (2004), Shark Tale (2004), Hitch (2005), I Am Legend (2007),
Hancock (2008), Seven Pounds (2008), Suicide Squad (2016) and Aladdin
(2019).
For his portrayal of Richard Williams in the
biographical sports drama King Richard (2021), Smith won what?
A: The Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors
Guild Award for Best Actor.
At the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, shortly before
winning, Smith faced public backlash for doing what?
A: For slapping and shouting at Oscar presenter Chris Rock after Rock made a
joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith subsequently did what?
A: Resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending all Academy
functions, including the Oscars, for ten years.
When was Smith born?
A: On September 25, 1968.
Where was he born?
A: In Philadelphia.
Who were his parents?
A: Caroline Bright, a school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith
Sr., a US Air Force veteran and refrigeration engineer.
His mother graduated from where?
A: Carnegie Mellon University.
Where did he grow up?
A: In West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood and was raised Baptist.
He has an elder sister named what?
A: Pamela and two younger siblings, twins Harry and Ellen.
He attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a what?
A: A private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia.
Where did he attend high school?
A: Overbrook High School.
His parents separated when he was how old?
A: 13 and divorced around the year 2000.
Smith began rapping at what age?
A: At age 12.
When his grandmother found a notebook of his lyrics,
which he described as containing "all [his] little curse words", she wrote
him what note on a page in the book?
A: "Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like
this to express themselves. Please show the world that you're as smart as we
think you are".
Smith said that this influenced his decision do what?
A: To not to use profanity in his music.
