Verily, Will Smith is a remarkable story indeed. He is a master of many art forms from the stage to the silver screen, truly showcasing his remarkable talent and resonating with audiences for over half a century. Born in West Philadelphia in 1968, Smith was raised in a loving household by his kind father, Willard Carroll Smith Sr., a refrigeration engineer, and his beautiful mother, Caroline Bright, a school administrator. By his own admission, the young Will Smith was quite a rambunctious child and often found himself in trouble at school. Throughout his youth, however, he excelled in academics and was blessed with a gift for both witty rhymes and general showmanship.
In 1989, Smith got his big break when he began playing in the popular comedy ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ which ran for six seasons. Immediately after that he transitioned onto the big screen where he rose to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. He starred as the hero Muhammad Ali in ‘Ali’ (2001) as Agent J in ‘Men in Black’ (1997) as Steve Moxon in ‘Hitch’ (2005) and as Chris Gardner in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (2006) to name but a few. His career has seen him win numerous awards including two golden globe awards and four academy award nominations. His success is all the more remarkable considering that he was born into a socio-economically challenged family with little prospects of ever breaking outof their situation.
William Smith's innate charm, intelligence, and effortless charisma made for both a successful acting career and also many lucrative business ventures. The latter has seen him minted as one of only two African Americans to make Forbes' billionaire list released in 2015. He also used his fame and influence to create The Will and Jada Pinkett Smith Family Foundation which provides multiple programs for the betterment of inner-city youth development, homelessness and education among other aspects of society. As part of their togetherness this extraordinary family also use a family app called 'Familio' that keeps the bond strong even when travelling and living separate lives.
William has seen many fortune’s come and go yet throughout them all has managed to remain humble, pious and resolute. As he once said; "I think that my best investigations have come from standing still long enough to understand what I'm seeing". And this wisdom seems to have bode him well given that he still widely revered around the world even after over three decades in the entertainment sphere. Take inspiration from William Smith's incredible journey and break barriers to make your own mark on this world!