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Willard Christopher “Will” Smith, Jr. is an American actor, film producer, and rapper, who has a net worth of $350 million. Will Smith, the multi-talented entertainer, qualifies as an original "Renaissance man" due to his formidable success in a variety of areas of the entertainment industry. Smith became a millionaire before the age of 20.

Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 25, 1968, to Caroline, a school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith Sr., a United States Air Force veteran and refrigeration engineer. He was raised as a Baptist in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood. Before he graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to be a rapper. He considered attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT but never applied because he was already certain he wanted to rap. Smith began his career as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, alongside childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes on turntables and in the production booth.

The group won their first Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), but their most popular single was "Summertime" (1991), which won the group their second Grammy and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Around 1988 and 1989, Smith wasted his money and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed Smith with a $2.8 million tax debt, seized a large portion of his property, and garnished his wages. Smith was deeply in debt in 1990 when NBC signed him to a contract and built a comedy show around him, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show was a hit, and it marked the start of his acting career. Smith set the goal of becoming "the world's biggest movie star" after studying the characteristics of box office successes. Will was paid $500,000 in 1993 to star in "Six Degrees of Separation," for which he received critical acclaim.

His film career took off in 1995, when he earned $2 million for co-starring in the hit action comedy Bad Boys. Years later, he received $20 million for his role in the sequel. The actor earned $200 million in film salaries and bonuses over a 20-year period from 1993 to 2013. Will's largest confirmed payday took place in 2013, when he earned $20 million in upfront payment and $80 million in backend points from Men In Black 3 as a result of his 10% cut of the gross. Additionally, he reportedly owned 20% of the gross for Bad Boys 2, Hancock, and Pursuit of Happiness. His highest upfront payment was $28 million for I, Robot. He earned $20 million in 2018 as the star of Netflix's Bright. He is reportedly being paid $35 million by Netflix to reprise his role in Bright 2.

Smith has received four Golden Globe nominations and two Academy Award nominations. In 2008, Barbara Walters included Smith on her list of the "10 Most Fascinating People." Smith has one Image Award, two BET Awards, four MTV Movie Awards, and two People's Choice Awards among his accolades. Smith is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million in the United States box office.

Will has two children with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, whom he has been married to since 1997. Jaden Smith and Willow Smith, their children, are both actors and musicians. From his first wife, Sheree Ampino, he also has a son named Trey. In 2010, he took a sabbatical to focus on his children, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith, who were just starting out in their careers. Smith produced the remake of The Karate Kid, which Jaden starred in (the film grossed $360 million). Willow's hit song "Whip My Hair" was made possible thanks to Smith's assistance. The song's video has been viewed 11 million times.

Will and Jada invested $7.5 million in 1999 to purchase a stunning 100-acre property in the hills between Malibu and Calabasas, California. After falling in love with actor Gene Hackman's Santa Fe home, they decided to design the property in the same style. This house alone is likely to be worth $50 – $70 million today. They sold a 7-acre oceanfront Hawaiian property to Ekaterina Rybolovlev, the daughter of billionaire Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, for $20 million in 2011. The couple sold their seven-acre oceanfront compound on Kauai for $12 million in 2017. They also own a 9,000-square-foot home in Hidden Hills, California, and a 9,200 square-foot ski chalet in Park City, Utah. The Smiths own at least $100 million in real estate around the world.

Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Passionbuzz,Wealthy Genius, Forbes, Cosmopolitan 

This article was updated on April 12, 2021 by Vanessa Shumbanhete

Earnings & Financial Data

Date

Category

Description

Amount

2021

Project Earnings

Fast & Loose estimated salary from average fee he usually charges per movie

$20,000,000

2021

Earnings

Bright 2 agreed deal

$35,000,000

2021

Project Earnings

Bad Boys 4, assumed salary

$20,000,000

2021

Project Earnings

The Council, assumed salary from average fee he usually charges per movie

$20,000,000

2021

Earnings

King Richard, earnings given by Netflix agreed deal

$20,000,000

2020

Earnings

Estimated annual earnings of Will Smith's YouTube channel

$1,300,000

2020

Project Earnings

Life in a year, assumed salary from average fee he usually charges per movie

$20,000,000

2020

Project Earnings

Charm City, assumed salary from average fee he usually charges per movie

$20,000,000

2020

Earnings

Bad Boys, for life salary

$17,000,000

2019

Asset

Estimated value of Will Smith's website willsmith.com

$1,200

2019

YouTube Earnings

Estimated annual earnings of Will Smith's YouTube channel

$306,800

2019

Asset

Estimated purchase value of Will Smith's Maybach, Ford Taurus, Cadillac Escalade ESV and Lincoln Navigator

$415,230

2019

Asset

Purchase value of Will Smith's estate that was carefully designed to meet all of their wishes, including a private lake, sand and volleyball court with decoration that is inspired in the Moroccan, Spanish and Persian cultures

$20,000,000

2018

Salary

Salary from Netflix's fantasy cop movie Bright as Daryl Ward

$27,000,000

2018

Salary

Performance-based pay from the movie Men in Black 3 as Agent J

$100,000,000

2017

Others

Sales of the video Collateral Beauty as Howard

$3,230,000

2016

Others

Sales of the video Suicide Squad as Deadshot

$95,320,000

2016

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies Suicide Squad as Deadshot and Collateral Beauty as Howard

$835,380,000

2016

Salary

Salary from the movie Suicide Squad as Deadshot

$20,000,000

2015

Sale of Asset

Sale of Will Smith's 28-acre beauty on a bluff overlooking Kauai's North Store in an off-market deal to the heiress of Russian oligarch, Dmitry Rybolovlev, a billionaire fertilizer king

$20,000,000

2015

Others

Sales of the videos Focus as Nicky, Concussion as Dr. Bennet Omalu and Annie as the film's producer

$33,050,000

2014

Others

Sales of the videos Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as an ESPN Reporter and Winter's Tale as the Judge

$20,670,000

2014

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies Focus as Nicky and Concussion as Dr. Bennet Omalu, Winter's Tale as the Judge and Annie as the film's producer

$389,390,000

2013

Others

Sales of the video After Earth as Cypher Raige and the film's producer and storywriter

$15,900,000

2013

Asset

Investment of Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith in a Brooklyn-born beauty products start-up, which targets African-American women

$10,000,000

2013

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as an ESPN Reporter and After Earth as Cypher Raige and the film's producer and storywriter

$425,150,000

2012

Others

Sales of the videos Men in Black 3 as Agent J and This Means War as the film's producer

$75,000,000

2012

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies Men in Black 3 as Agent J and This Means War as the film's producer

$811,180,000

2012

Salary

Salary from the movie Men in Black 3 as Agent J

$20,000,000

2010

Others

Sales of the video The Karate Kid as the film's producer

$68,320,000

2010

Salary

Salary from the movie The Karate Kid as the film's producer

$5,500,000

2010

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie The Karate Kid as the film's producer

$359,130,000

2009

Royalties

Back-end payment for Producing The Karate Kid, ased on worldwide gross of $358,000,000 plus share of DVD and pay-TV revenue

$5,500,000

2009

Asset

Purchase value of Will Smith's 28-acre beauty on a bluff overlooking Kauai's North Store that has the attributes you'd expect out of any multi-million dollar tropical escape—pool house, swimming pool and screened-in veranda

$13,500,000

2009

Others

Sales of the video Seven Pounds as Ben

$28,860,000

2008

Others

Sales of the video Hancock as John Hancock

$101,150,000

2008

Salary

Salary from the movie Hancock as John Hancock

$20,000,000

2008

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies Hancock as John Hancock and Seven Pounds as Ben

$792,560,000

2008

Others

Sales of the video I Am Legend as Robert Neville

$145,500,000

2007

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie I Am Legend as Robert Neville

$585,530,000

2007

Others

Sales of the video The Pursuit of Happyness as Chris Gardner

$94,710,000

2006

Salary

Salary from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness as Chris Gardner

$20,000,000

2006

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness as Chris Gardner

$307,310,000

2005

Record Sales

First week record sales of the album Lost and Found (approximately 98 thousand copies sold)

$127,400

2005

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Hitch as Hitch

$368,100,000

2004

Record Sales

Estimated earnings from his album Lost and Found (certified gold by RIAA and silver by BPI)

$560,000

2004

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movies I, Robot as Del Spooner and Shark Tale as the voice of Oscar

$730,550,000

2004

Salary

Salary from the movie I, Robot as Del Spooner

$28,000,000

2003

Salary

Salary from the movie Bad Boys II as Detective Mike Lowrey

$20,000,000

2003

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Bad Boys II as Detective Mike Lowrey

$273,340,000

2002

Salary

Salary from the movie Men in Black II as Agent J

$20,000,000

2002

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Men in Black II as Agent J

$441,820,000

2002

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Born to Reign (approximately 237 thousand copies sold)

$308,100

2001

Salary

Salary from the movie Ali as Cassius Clay, Cassius X or Muhammad Ali

$20,000,000

2001

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Ali as Cassius Clay, Cassius X or Muhammad Ali

$87,710,000

2000

Salary

Salary from the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance as Bagger Vance

$10,000,000

2000

Record Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance as Bagger Vance

$39,460,000

1999

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Willenium (approximately 3.76 million copies sold)

$4,890,000

1999

Salary

Salary from the movie Wild Wild West as James West

$7,000,000

1999

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Wild Wild West as James West

$221,230,000

1998

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Enemy of the State as Robert Clayton Dean

$250,650,000

1998

Salary

Salary from the movie Enemy of the State as Robert Clayton Dean

$14,000,000

1997

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Big Willie Style (approximately 12,545,000 copies sold)

$16,310,000

1997

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Men in Black as Agent J

$589,390,000

1997

Salary

Salary from the movie Men in Black as Agent J

$5,000,000

1996

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Independence Day as Capt. Steven Hiller

$817,400,000

1996

Salary

Salary from the movie Independence Day as Capt. Steven Hiller

$5,000,000

1995

Salary

Salary from the movie Bad Boys as Detective Mike Lowrey

$2,000,000

1995

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Bad Boys as Detective Mike Lowrey

$141,410,000

1993

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Code Red with the hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (approximately 500 thousand copies sold)

$650,000

1993

Box Office Sales

Worldwide box office sales of the movie Made in America as Tea Cake Walters and box office sales of the movie Six Degrees of Separation as Paul

$104,940,000

1993

Salary

Salary from the movies Made in America as Tea Cake Walters and Six Degrees of Separation as Paul

$600,000

1992

Box Office Sales

Box office sales of the movie Where the Day Takes You as Manny

$390,150

1992

Salary

Salary from the movie Where the Day Takes You as Manny

$50,000

1991

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Homebase (approximately 1 million copies sold)

$1,300,000

1989

Record Sales

Record sales of the album And in This Corner... (approximately 500 thousand copies sold)

$650,000

1988

Record Sales

Record sales of the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (approximately 3 million copies sold)

$3,900,000

1987

Record Sales

Record sales of the album Rock the House (approximately 500 thousand copies sold)

$650,000