A Look At Will Smith's Career in Pictures

Willard Carroll Smith Jr. was born on September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His mother was a school board administrator and father, a U.S. Air Force veteran. Upon graduating high school, he knew he wouldn't attend college in order to pursue his dream of becoming a rapper.

In 1985, Will Smith formed a hip-hop duo with Jeffrey Townes, 'DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince'. The two randomly met at a house party and their chemistry immediately clicked. By 1989, their group had already won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance.

Smith was king of the 90's. He's best known for his role in the comedic series, 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'. The sitcom is loosely based on his life, where even his music partner DJ Jazzy Jeff plays himself. The sitcom lasted for 6 seasons and was created and produced with the help of legendary Quincy Jones.

Smith started focusing on acting after the 'Fresh Prince'. In 1995, he starred alongside Martin Lawrence for the film, 'Bad Boys'. The film was an international success, grossing over $141 million worldwide.

After his action role in 'Bad Boys', Will Smith starred in the 1996 mega-hit, 'Independence Day'. The movie was the second highest-grossing film in history at the time, and additionally starred Jeff Goldblum and Vivica A. Fox. A sequel was released in 2016 twenty years after the original - 'Independence Day: Resurgence'.

One of our favorite Will Smith films is the 1997 classic, 'Men In Black'. He stars as "Agent J" alongside the serious Tommy Lee Jones. The film grossed nearly $600 million worldwide, with two other films created after the hit.

Yet, even with his well-received acting, Smith continued his love for music. In 1998, he won two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance for his songs "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and the "Men in Black" song. Multi-tasking at its finest!

In 1999, Will Smith famously turned down the role of "Neo" in 'The Matrix' for the movie 'Wild Wild West'. Salma Hayek and Kevin Kline also starred in the comedic western film. Smith has stated that he has no regrets about turning down the role, as he found Keanu Reeves to be the perfect fit for "Neo".

In 2001, Will Smith portrayed the incredible heavyweight boxer, "Muhammad Ali" in the biopic Ali. For his inspiring performance, he was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

Son and father duo, Jaden Smith and Will Smith both starred in the film, 'The Pursuit of Happyness', in 2006. Jaden actually played Will's son in the movie, and was so well-received that Will Smith was nominated yet again for an Academy Award for Best Actor.