Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr - Will Smith

Silver was good The history of pop icons attempting to make it in Hollywood is a long and often sad one. Cher was a big success, with Jon Bon Jovi looking good for the future, while the likes of David Bowie and Mick Jagger have made many a sorry attempt to cut it. The world of rap has a far better record of producing film stars. Tupac caused a major stir before his untimely death, LL Cool J's star is rising, as is Queen Latifah's. And then there's the biggest of them all - Will Smith, formerly known as The Fresh Prince, surely the most successful crossover star of the modern era.

Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr on October 25th, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Smith grew up amidst the middle-classes, his mother serving on the school board and his father owning a refrigeration company, installing and maintaining freezer cabinets in supermarkets. The second of four children (the younger Harry and Ellen are twins), Will was a bright child, constantly playing upon his natural charm, a habit which, at Philly's legendary Overbrook High School, earned him the nickname Prince (he'd also star at the city's Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School). His upbringing would see him experience many different social circles. The Smiths were a Baptist family, yet Will would attend a Catholic school. His neighbourhood was half populated by Orthodox Jews, and close by was a strongly Muslim area. School was 90% white, but 90% of Smith's playmates were black. He learned how to be liked by everyone.