Will Smith Book: The Biography of Will Smith

University Press returns with another short and captivating biography of one of history’s most compelling figures, Will Smith.

Will Smith is one of the world’s most successful entertainers of all time. He was already a moderately famous American rapper when, in 1990, he began starring in the NBC television series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and from then on, his star power skyrocketed. He went on to star in a record-setting string of blockbuster movies, including Independence Day, Men in Black, Ali, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Newsweek called Smith “the most powerful actor in Hollywood,” and Forbes named him “the most bankable star in the world.”

Born to a school board administrator and a refrigeration engineer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 25, 1968, Willard Carroll Smith Jr. was raised Baptist, attended Catholic school, co-founded the hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, won four Grammy Awards, became the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, set a goal to become “the biggest movie star in the world,” got married, had kids, starred in countless movies, earned $100 million for one movie, was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and donated millions to charity.

This short book tells the intensely human story of a man who is changing the world in a way that no one else can – a story that you can read in about an hour.