Willard Carol Smith II, popularly known as Will Smith, is an American rapper and actor. The globally popular actor also goes by his stage name, i.e., The Fresh Prince. Since his height is one of his most striking features about him, his fans have often wanted to know exactly how tall is Will Smith.
How tall is Will Smith
Will Smith height makes him stand out. Well, to satiate the curiosity of the masses, Will Smith height is roughly 1.87 meters which is a little over 6 feet.
The brouhaha over how tall is Will Smith has intrigued many of the actor’s followers to know about his son, Jaden Smith height or even his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith height.
Coming to think of it, such absurd curiosity is quite unaccounted for. However, most public figures tend to bear the brunt of their fame by having little to no privacy in their own lives.
Early Life and Parents
Smith was born in Baltimore on September 25, 1968. His father, Willard Carroll Smith, was a Refrigeration Engineer. Smith’s mother, Caroline Bright, was a School Administrator. His parents shared an abusive relationship and divorced in 1981. He was their oldest son and one of four children.
They eventually divorced in the year 2000. This is one facet of the actor’s life that has gained glaring public attention, apart from the topic of how tall is Will Smith. It came into the limelight when Smith spoke about the extent of abuse in his parents’ relationship in an interview.
He has been deeply candid about his parents’ equation on camera. In fact, he once mentioned that his siblings witnessed their father punching their mother on multiple occasions. He claims that, in large part, this one aspect of his life has shaped him into who he is.
Marriage and Children
Will smith married actress Sheree Zampino in 1992. They have a son together. However, the two divorced in 1997. Smith married actress and businesswoman Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997, and they have two children together.
He attended high school in Philadelphia but has yet to apply to college.
Will Smith: The Person
Will smith has frequently spoken about the frictional relationship that his parents shared. His father was abusive towards his mother. This continued for years while Smith and his siblings were growing up until the parents parted ways for good in 2000.
However, Smith has expressed in many of his interviews that while the world looks at him as the humorous, versatile actor who can do it all, he actually got into comedy as a coping mechanism.
As per Smith, growing up watching the abuse his father inflicted on his mother made him feel like comedy was the only thing that could help him survive the atrocities the young boy witnessed in his house.
Despite the ongoings of his home, Smith was a bright, intelligent student. In an interview, Smith once mentioned that his favorite subject in school was Mathematics. He was sharp enough to get accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, Smith felt he should rather pursue a profession where he could use his looks and charm better.
Smith tastes success as a rapper
Smith’s journey in the rap world began when he was 12 years old in the 1980s. He met the then-popular rapper Jeffrey Townes. Townes is also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff. Smith used to rap under his stage name, Fresh Prince. His album, “Rock The House,” was released in 1987 and was received very well by fans.
The Fresh Prince had already earned a million dollars from his rap performances even before he reached his twenties. In an interview in the 90s, he stated, “When you get a large sum of money that young, its real hard to control yourself…I mean I was out buying clothes, cars and that kind of stuff…”. Success followed Smith wherever he decided to venture. Hence, what one needs to wonder is not how tall is Will Smith literally but how tall is Will Smith figuratively.
Galore of The Grammy & Many Glories
It was in 1989 that Smith received his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance for the songs “Parents Just don’t Understand” and “I Think I can Beat Mike Tyson .”The popular rapper collaborated with close friend DJ Jazzy Jeff for the aforementioned songs. While Townes and Smith paired up only occasionally, they recorded many pieces as part of different record groups.
Smith became more noticeable by the 1990s. It was in 1997 that he released his first rap album named Big Willie Style. Some songs from the album that became particularly popular are: “Getting Jiggy With It” and “Just The Two Of Us .”After this, the rapper and singer released many albums that hit the top charts for months after their release. Some of these albums are: “Men in Black-The Album” in 1997 and “Wild Wild West” in 1999, to name a few.
Smith hit a rough patch
Despite success following him in every nook and corner, Smith started getting broke in the 1990s. He had splurged far too much money on designer apparel, a fleet of cars, and an ostentatious lifestyle.
However, he realized his stupidity once his pockets went dry. This was when he realized how foolish he had been because his cherished celeb friends also deserted him. He had also sunk himself in debt, and his creditors wouldn’t stop bothering him.
Smith once said, “Being famous and broke is a shitty combination. Because you are still famous and people recognize you. But they recognize you while you sit next to them on a bus.”
After this, it didn’t take him much longer to realize that his stardom as a rapper was gradually diminishing. Instead of getting disheartened, Smith showed the utmost resilience that an artist can exhibit.
He understood he could milk his looks and personality to redeem himself as an artist, a star, and a celebrity. Additionally, just before his rapping career took a hit, he started getting noticed for his stage presence. Putting two and two together, Smith started exploring his acting prowess.
Will Smith: The actor
At the beginning of the 1990s, Smith auditioned for small roles in “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World .”However, he could only succeed a little in this initial phase due to his nervousness. This was when he met Benny Medina, the head of Warner Brothers Records.
Medina and Smith decided that the narrative of an African-American boy moving to the rich and ostensible Los Angeles would form a funny sitcom. This was when they met producer, Quincy Jones.
In September 1990, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” was aired for the first time. The creators, Andy and Susan Borowitz, decided to air the Sitcom on NBC. Will appeared as the protagonist, and the show instantly gained recognition for its comic timing and Smith’s performance.
While Smith’s career graph might seem like a fairy tale, the ups came with many challenges. Smith said about his first time on the sets of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “I would memorize the entire script, then lipping everybody’s lines while they were talking.
While Smith felt his performance in the initial episodes was embarrassing, his acting skills improved tremendously by 1993. This is when “Six Degrees of Separation” was released, where the rapper-turned-actor essayed the role of a gay con artist.
An action hero is born!
After this, Smith starred in various movies, including “Bad Boys” in 1995, “Independence Day” in 1996, and “Enemy of the State” in 1998. “Bad Boys” was another milestone movie in Smith’s career as it was a massive box office hit. This is when Hollywood started to take the actor seriously and took notice of his contribution to the storyline.
Post Bad Boys, Independence Day was yet another blockbuster. It was an all-star ensemble cast. The film amassed over 100 million dollars right in its opening week. Smith carved an entire space for himself in Hollywood with multiple back-to-back hit action films.
In 1996, Smith exited his hit show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air after six successful seasons. Though the show enjoyed high TRPs and was translated into over 10 languages, Smith felt the need to end the show while it was still going well.
In 1997, Smith appeared in the super hit film “Men In Black,” where he partnered with Academy Award-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. The film broke most box office records and again established Will Smith as an indefatigable actor. The film brought in over 200 crores and remains an iconic action film.
Smith’s Philosophy on Success
Smith has been in the news throughout, but he made it to headlines in 2021 when he gave an interview to Jay Shetty, an author, and a life coach. When Shetty asked Smith about how the latter achieved such phenomenal success while keeping his loving heart intact, this is what Smith said:
“There was a real period in my life when I had to struggle with we can win or I can be nice. And different people pick different things for the type of material world climbing.”
Smith has also been heard saying that fear motivates and keeps him going. He also believes one can’t be scared to do anything. As long as fear resides within an individual, it will always keep success at bay.
Smith has also said that the first step towards success is to believe “One can do it .”The actor says that having plan B is always a waste as it distracts one from following plan A meticulously.
With such an outlook toward life, career, and success, it is not a surprise the rapper-turned-actor has always hit the jackpot in his career. Not just this, he has also meandered through failures with sheer determination and bravado.
Will Smith: Controversies
Arrest for assault in 1989
Smith was arrested in an assault case that took place in Philadelphia. As per reports, the star had gotten into an argument with William Hendricks, a record promoter. He was eventually acquitted, though he had to spend a night in a cell when the matter was reported.
Slapping a news reporter
Though Smith is most known for the slap he landed on Chris Rock, that was not his first time. The celeb figure had reportedly slapped a Ukrainian reporter at the premiere of Men in Black. The situation was so aggravated that Smith exclaimed that the reporter was lucky that he wasn’t sucker punched.
Rocky patches with Jada Pinkett
While you just wanted to know how tall is Will Smith, this piece of news might come as a shock to you. The duo has two children, they admitted to having an open marriage for some time in their matrimony. During this period, Smith apparently dated co-star Margot Robbie. On the other hand, Jada allegedly had involvement with August Alsina.
Slapping Chris Rock
The most notorious incident in Will Smith’s life was probably when he went up on the stage at the Oscars in 2022. On a fateful day, the world saw Smith slap Chris Rock without hesitation. Post this, the star received a 10-year Oscar ban as a penalty.
Final thoughts
Irrespective of How tall is Will Smith, it is evident that his life has been tough. All the weight he has to carry on his shoulders, makes life hard for who he is.
Thus, while he is successful, Smith has often made it to the news for his controversies. But, all said and done, Smith is an iconic rapper and action hero to Hollywood and will always be indebted for it. The star has earned both wealth and millions of fans and their love worldwide.
