In late 2001, Smith headlined the long-awaited biopic Ali, turning in a transformative performance as the legendary boxer Cassius Clay, or Muhammad Ali. His impressive portrayal of the notoriously outspoken boxer earned him both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nod for Best Actor. Smith divorced his first wife, Sheree Zampino, in 1995, after three years. They have one son, Willard C. "Trey" Smith III. Smith's hit song "Just the Two of Us" is a tribute to Trey (when Smith won the 1998 MTV Music Video Award for "Best Male Video" for that song, he brought Trey up on stage to accept the award with him). Smith met the actress Jada Pinkett when she auditioned to play his girlfriend on "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" in 1990 (she was deemed too short for the role). They married at the Cloisters Mansion on New Year's Eve 1997. Their son, Jaden Christopher Syre, was born the following summer. Their daughter, Willow Camille Reign, was born in October 2000. Smith and his wife have reportedly co-written a romantic comedy; both are said to want to play the leads in that future production.