From DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince to becoming the most powerful actor in Hollywood, FashionOne looks at the career of Will Smith.

Will Smith, born Willard Carroll Smith Junior on September 25th 1968 in West Philadelphia is now known as an actor, producer and rapper. It was the late eighties that saw Will Smith achieve fame as the Fresh Prince alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 1988 he was the first artist to be awarded a Grammy Award in a rap category. His music success then led onto a starring role in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran on NBC for nearly 6 years and is still show on re-runs to this day. In the mid nineties Smith moved from TV to film and starred in the huge blockbuster Independence Day. With other movies such as Men in Black, Bad Boys, Wild Wild West under his belt he started to cement his big screen credentials. Will met his now wife Jada Pinkett Smith on the set of Fresh Prince and quickly became friends. They eventually got together 5 years later and married in 1997. they have since had two children together, Jaden and Willow. Both of which have starred alongside him in recent films.

In April 2007 Newsweek Magazine named Will Smith as the most powerful actor in Hollywood and come 2014 Will’s films have grossed a whopping $6.6 billion dollars in global box office. This box office chart topping award winner has also received Best Actor Oscar nominations for his roles in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.