Will Smith Movies List

Born in Philadelphia in 1968, Will Smith has gone from rapper to sitcom star to one of the biggest movie stars of all time.

Will Smith got first big break in 1989 when he and his rap partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff, recorded the song "Parents Just Don'y Understand", which would later go on to be the first ever hip-hop song to win an Emmy Award for Best Rap Performance.

On the heels of the record's success, Smith was offered the lead role in the NBC sitcom "The Fresh prince of Bel-Air". Smith was an acting novice, and was so determined to do a good job that he memorized everyone's lines in the script. He was once quoted saying, "I was trying so hard. I would memorize the entire script, then I'd be lipping everybody's lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it's disgusting. My performances were horrible."

Things took a turn for the better as Smith began taking film roles during his stint on "The Fresh Prince". His role in "Six Degrees Of Separation" in 1993 brought him to the attention of critics, and his role in 1995's "Bad Boys" with Martin Lawrence launched his career as a movie star. When "Independence Day" opened to huge box office results the following year, Will Smith was on his way to super-stardom.

By 2008, Will Smith became the record holder for most consecutive $100 million grossing movies, and he now commands $20 million or more for each film role. According to Forbes magazine, Will Smith movies take in $10 for each dollar the actor is paid.

A Will Smith Movie List

Directed by Roland Emmerich, "Independence Day" was Will Smith's first true blockbuster and began a trend of July movie releases for the star, garnering him the nickname "Mr. July". The movie uses solid performances from talented character actors and impressive visual effects to tell the story of an invasion of the Earth by aliens. It's up to Smith's Air Force Captain to take the invaders on and lead humanity to victory.

Though a critical disaster, "I, Robot" was one more in a string of summer blockbusters for Will Smith. Based loosely on Isaac Asimov's novel of the same name, Smith plays a cop in the future who must solve a murder that may have been committed by one of the ubiquitous robots that serve humans in this futuristic tale.

"Bad Boys" was Will Smith's first commercially successful summer film. Smith co-stars with Martin Lawrence in the buddy-cop comedy, directed by blockbuster-maker Michael Bay. The movie spawned a sequel in 2003, which saw Smith's salary increase by 10 fold.

This drama from 2008 features Will Smith as an IRS agent with a haunting secret. In an effort to redeem himself, he sets out to change the lives of seven strangers. He believes his plan is fool-proof, but he didn't count on falling in love...

In 2006 Will Smith took on the challenge of telling the real-life story of Chris Gardner, a San Francisco salesman trying to raise a son on his own while breaking into the world of high finance without the advantage of higher education or any previous experience. His performance garnered Smith his second Academy Award nomination, and the film marked the beginning of a likely successful career for his son Jaden, who plays Garner's son in the movie.

In this fourth re-telling of Richard Matheson's novella of the same name, Will Smith plays an Army doctor who takes it upon himself to find a cure for a disease that has turned the residents of New York City into seemingly mindless vampiric killers. Alone except for his dog, Smith's character struggles to survive both the vampires and his own loneliness while searching for a cure. A chance encounter with another survivor gives him hope, but it doesn't last long. Note that there are two endings to this film, and the "alternate" original ending is more in keeping with the original novella but was changed before the film's release - I recommend watching the alternative ending, as it's much more satisfying...

In "Hancock" Will Smith plays a self-destructive, down-and-out, alcoholic superhero who is convinced to redeem himself by an overly ambitious PR man whose life he saves. Jason Bateman co-stars as the PR man trying to resurrect Hancock's reputation, and Charlize Theron plays his wife, who has a few secret of her own in this fun and action-packed tale. This was the most recent Will Smith movie to gross over $60 million during its opening weekend.

In "Hitch", Will Smith tries his hand at romantic comedy as a professional matchmaker who finds that his own dating advice doesn't work quite as well when he's the one pursuing the woman of his dreams. While attempting to coach his latest client, played by Kevin James, Hitch finds it challenging to follow his own advice while trying to woo a gossip columnist played by Eva Mendes.

In "The Legend of Bagger Vance" Will Smith co-stars as the inspirational caddy to Matt Damon's disillusioned World War I veteran and former champion golfer. Robert Redford directs this inspiring film about a golf pro who thinks he's lost his touch until he finds renewed spirit in the unlikely form of a caddy, played by Will Smith.

Director Barry Sonnenfeld teams up Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in this action-packed comedy about secret government agents who keep tabs on the alien visitors living in our midst. When an alien plot to destroy the world is uncovered, Smith and Jones are tasked with saving humanity from destruction in this fast and fun blockbuster.

In his first Academy Award nominated performance, Will Smith completely transforms himself into boxing legend Muhammad Ali. The film, directed by Michael Mann, follows the early life of Cassius Clay and his metamorphosis into the greatest boxer of all time. Co-star Jon Voight also earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Howard Cosell, and Jamie Foxx's role as Ali's coach launched him from a comedic TV star to a respected actor.

The place where it all started for Will Smith. Following his success as a rapper, Smith took on the sitcom and the career of a megastar was born. Smith played a character loosely based on himself for six seasons in this hit NBC show, and now all six seasons are available on DVD.

_{Photo courtesy of Paul Stanley / CC BY 2.0}