Actor, rap musician. Born Willard Smith, on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second of four children. He started rapping at the age of 12, and he is reported to have given up a scholarship at the prestigious Masshusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in order to pursue his entertainment career. That was apparently a smart move, as by the age of 18, Smith was a millionaire. Smith formed the group DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince with his childhood friend Jeff Townes (his nickname, "Prince", supposedly came from his high school teachers commenting on his smooth manner and ability to talk his way out of difficult situations). Their Grammy-winning album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper featured the crossover hit "Parents Just Don't Understand." From 1990 to 1996, Smith starred in the popular sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, playing a teen who was born poor but goes to live with a rich Beverly Hills family. Early in his acting career, Smith surrounded himself with some of Hollywood’s best, including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, as well as Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones, whom he has called his mentor. He has said that he consults this notable group when confronted with tough career decisions. In terms of his own influence on other artists, Smith has been credited with paving the way for other musical artists-turned-sitcom stars, including Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, and Brandy. His first starring movie role was in 1993's Six Degrees of Separation, in which he played a young gay con man. In 1995, he teamed up with fellow sitcom star Martin Lawrence in the film Bad Boys, and in 1996, he played a fighter pilot in the blockbuster Independence Day. Smith scored another huge hit with his starring role in 1997's Men in Black, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones. That same year he released the successful solo album Big Willie Style. In 1998, Smith held his own opposite another acting heavyweight, Gene Hackman, in the hit action-drama Enemy of the State. His attempt to score another Fourth of July box office hit with Wild Wild West (1999) was a resounding disappointment, however; the film met with little critical or public acclaim.

Smith released another successful solo album, Willennium, in early 2000. He costarred, opposite Matt Damon, as a golf caddy instilled with mystical powers in The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), directed by Robert Redford.