Will Smith
Smith in 2019
Born	Willard Carroll Smith II (1968-09-25) September 25, 1968 (age 56) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	The Fresh Prince
Occupations	Actor rapper film producer
Years active	1985–present^[1]
Works	Filmography discography
Spouses	Sheree Zampino (m. 1992; div. 1995) Jada Pinkett (m. 1997; sep. 2016)
Children	3, including Jaden and Willow
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop rap^[2]
Labels	Interscope Columbia RCA Jive
Formerly of	DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
Website	willsmith.com
Musical artist
Signature

Willard Carroll Smith II^[3] (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of 2025, his films have grossed over $9.5 billion globally,^[4] making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.^[5]^[6]

Smith first gained recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums which contained five Billboard Hot 100-top 20 singles—"Parents Just Don't Understand", "A Nightmare on My Street", "Summertime", "Ring My Bell", and "Boom! Shake the Room"—from 1985 to 1994. He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which spawned the U.S. number-one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West". He has won four Grammy Awards for his recording career.^[7]

Smith began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1993 and 1994. He achieved wider fame as a leading man with the film franchises Bad Boys (1995–2024) and Men in Black (1997–2012), where he respectively portrayed Mike Lowrey and Agent J. After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), he received Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayals of Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). He also starred in commercially successful films such as I, Robot (2004), Shark Tale (2004), Hitch (2005), I Am Legend (2007), Hancock (2008), Seven Pounds (2008), Suicide Squad (2016), and Aladdin (2019).^[8]

For his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical sports drama King Richard (2021), Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor.^[9] At the 2022 ceremony, shortly before winning, Smith slapped and shouted at presenter Chris Rock after Rock made an unscripted joke referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.^[10] The event earned substantial media coverage and criticism, with Smith ultimately resigning from the Academy along with being banned from attending all their events for ten years.^[11]

Early life

[edit]

Willard Carroll Smith II was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, to Caroline (née Bright), a school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith Sr.,^[12]^[13] a U.S. Air Force veteran^[14] and refrigeration engineer. His mother graduated from Carnegie Mellon University.^[15]

He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood^[16] and was raised Baptist.^[17] He has an elder sister named Pamela and two younger siblings, twins Harry and Ellen.^[16] He attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia,^[18] and Overbrook High School.^[19] His parents separated when he was 13^[20] and divorced around the year 2000.^[21]

Smith began rapping at age 12. When his grandmother found a notebook of his lyrics, which he described as containing "all [his] little curse words", she wrote him a note on a page in the book: "Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves. Please show the world that you're as smart as we think you are". Smith said that this influenced his decision not to use profanity in his music.^[22]

Career

[edit]

1985–1992: DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

[edit]

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer.^[23] Townes and Smith were introduced to each other by chance in 1985, as Townes was performing at a house party only a few doors down from Smith's residence, and he was missing his hype man. Smith decided to fill in. They both felt strong chemistry, and Townes was upset when his hype man finally made it to the party.^[24]

Soon after, the two decided to collaborate. Smith enlisted a friend, Ready Rock C, to join as the beatboxer of the group, making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Word Records released their first single in 1986 when A&R man Paul Oakenfold introduced them to Champion Records with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble", a tale of funny misadventures that landed Smith and his former DJ and rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) in trouble.^[25]^[26] The song sampled the theme song of "I Dream of Jeannie". Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling raps and capable, though profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school.^[27]

Based on this success, the duo were brought to the attention of Jive Records and Russell Simmons. The duo's first album, Rock the House, which was first released on Word Up in 1986 debuted on Jive in March 1987. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Smith and Townes are still friends and claim that they never split up, having made songs under Smith's solo performer credit.^[28]

Smith spent money freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes.^[23] The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income.^[29] Smith was struggling financially in 1990 when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.^[23] The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world", studying box office successes' common characteristics.^[20] In 1989, Smith was arrested in relation to an alleged assault on his record promoter, William Hendricks; the charges were later dismissed.^[30]

1993–1997: Solo music and film breakthrough

[edit]

Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence. The latter film was commercially successful, grossing $141.4 million worldwide.^[31] However, critical reception was generally mixed.^[32] In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest-grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw.^[33]

In the summer of 1997, he starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the hit Men in Black, playing Agent J. The film was released on July 2 by Columbia Pictures and grossed over $589.3 million worldwide against a $90 million budget, becoming the year's third highest-grossing film, with an estimated 54,616,700 tickets sold in the U.S.^[34] It received positive reviews, with critics praising its humor and Jones's and Smith's performances.

During the summer of 1997, Smith also began his solo music career with the release of "Men in Black", the theme song for the film, which topped singles charts in several regions across the world, including the UK.^[35] "Men in Black" (and second single "Just Cruisin' ") was later included on Smith's debut solo album Big Willie Style, which reached the top ten of the U.S. Billboard 200 and was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[36]^[37] The third single from the album, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It", became Smith's first Billboard Hot 100 number one when it was released in 1998.^[38]

1998–2007: Leading man status

[edit]

In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.^[23] The following year, he turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith said that he has no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved,^[39] although in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West, he said that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better".^[40]

Smith's second album was again supported by the release of a film theme song as the lead single: "Wild Wild West", featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the RIAA.^[37]^[38] The album, Willennium, reached number five on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.^[36]^[37] "Will 2K", the second single from the album, reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[38] Before the end of 1999, a video album was released featuring Smith's seven music videos released to date,^[41] which reached number 25 on the UK Music Video Chart.^[42] The same year, he was also featured on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star Tatyana Ali's single "Boy You Knock Me Out", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK R&B Singles Chart.^[35]^[43]

Smith portrayed heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic Ali. For his performance, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.^[44]^[45] In 2002, following a four-year musical hiatus, Smith returned with his third album Born to Reign, which reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.^[36]^[37] The album's lead single was the theme song from Smith's film Men in Black II, called "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)", which reached number three on the UK Singles Chart.^[35] Later in the year, Smith's first compilation album Greatest Hits was released, featuring songs from his three solo albums and those produced with DJ Jazzy Jeff.^[46]

2003 saw Smith return for Bad Boys II, the sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys; the film follows detectives Burnett and Lowrey investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami. Despite receiving generally negative reviews, the film was a box-office success, grossing $270 million worldwide.^[31] In the following year, he starred in the science fiction film I, Robot and the animated film Shark Tale; both films were box office successes despite mixed reviews. Smith's latest album Lost and Found was released in 2005, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200.^[36] Lead single "Switch" reached the top ten of both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.^[35]^[38] In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span.^[47] Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness. In the film, Smith portrays Chris Gardner. Smith first became interested in making a film about Gardner after seeing him on 20/20 and connected with him during production. The film, along with Smith's performance, received praise.^[48]^[49]

On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the theater in front of many fans.^[50] Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released on December 14, 2007. Alongside marginally positive reviews,^[51] its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique".^[52] A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood".^[53] On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.^[54]

2008–2022: Career fluctuations and King Richard

[edit]

In 2008, Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would be starring as Taharqa.^[55] Smith later starred in the superhero film Hancock,^[56] which grossed $227,946,274 in the United States and Canada and had a worldwide total of $624,386,746.^[57] On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album.^[58]

Smith again reprised his role as Agent J with Men in Black 3, which opened on May 25, 2012, his first major starring role in four years.^[59]^[60] After the release of the film, Smith was content with ending his work with the franchise, saying, "I think three is enough for me. Three of anything is enough for me. We'll look at it and we'll consider it, but it feels like that it might be time to let someone else do that".^[61] Men in Black 3, released ten years after Men in Black II (2002), grossed over $624 million worldwide.^[62]^[63] Unadjusted for inflation, it is the highest-grossing film in the series.^[64] In 2013, Smith starred in After Earth with his son Jaden. The film was a disappointment at the domestic box office and was panned critically.^[65] Calling the film "the most painful failure in my career", Smith ended up taking a year and a half break as a result.^[66]

Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus, released on February 27, 2015.^[67] He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Smith was set to star in the sci-fi thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name scripted by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp, but he left the project to work on the Ridley Scott-produced sports drama Concussion.^[68]^[69]

In Concussion, Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute, the first to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Smith reported he had doubts about the film early in the production, saying, "some of my happiest memories are of watching my son catch and throw a football. I didn't want to be the guy who did a movie saying football could be dangerous". These views subsided when he met Omalu, whose words about American ideals resonated with Smith.^[70] Smith's performance was praised for being "sensitive [and] understated".^[71]

In 2016, Smith played Deadshot in the supervillain team-up action film Suicide Squad.^[72] Smith's participation in the film meant choosing it over a role in Independence Day: Resurgence, which he said would be like "clinging and clawing backwards".^[73] While Suicide Squad was a massive financial success, earning over $700 million at the box office, the film received negative reviews from critics. Christopher Orr, film critic from The Atlantic wrote that "the latest offering from the DC Comics superhero universe may be the most disastrous yet".^[74] Later that year, Smith starred in director David Frankel's drama Collateral Beauty, playing a New York advertising executive who succumbs to a deep depression after a personal tragedy.^[75] Weeks after signing Smith onto the film, his father was diagnosed with cancer, from which he died in 2016.^[76] As part of his role required him to read about religion and the afterlife, he was brought closer to the elder Smith, calling the experience "a beautiful way to prepare for a movie and an even more majestic way to say goodbye to my father".^[77] The film marked the lowest box office opening of Will Smith's career.^[78] The film also received near universal negative reviews from film critics.^[79] Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney criticized Smith's performance writing as "the least interesting component in a madly overqualified cast".^[80]

His film Bright was distributed via Netflix on December 22, 2017. An urban fantasy, it was the most expensive film for Netflix to date. Smith collaborated with his director from Suicide Squad, David Ayer.^[81] This would also be another critical disappointment for Smith, with critics panning the film. Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times criticized the film and Smith's performance writing, "By the time Will Smith barks [the line, "Dude, you can't go through elf town!"] with 100 percent urgency and sincerity in the mindboggling mess that is "Bright," it's clear we are watching a truly terrible, mountainous pile of genre-blending garbage".^[82]

Also in 2017, Smith released the song "Get Lit" a collaboration between him and his former group mate Jazzy Jeff,^[83]^[84] and launched his own YouTube channel, which as of July 2019^[update] has over 6 million subscribers and 294 million total views.^[85] Smith performed the official song "Live It Up" alongside American singer Nicky Jam and Kosovar singer Era Istrefi at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, Russia.^[86] That September, Smith appeared, alongside Bad Bunny, on the Marc Anthony song "Está Rico".^[87]

Smith portrayed the Genie (originally voiced by Robin Williams) in the live-action adaptation of Disney's Aladdin, directed by Guy Ritchie. He also participated in the soundtracks by recording singles: "Arabian Nights (2019)", "Friend Like Me", and "Prince Ali".^[88] The film was released on May 24, 2019.^[89] Aladdin grossed over $1 billion worldwide to become Smith's highest-grossing film, surpassing Independence Day.^[90] Smith was also featured on rapper Logic's song "Don't Be Afraid To Be Different" (2019), from his fifth studio album Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.^[91]

Smith appeared as an assassin who faces off against a younger clone of himself in Ang Lee's Gemini Man, released on October 11, 2019.^[92] The film was a box office bomb and received negative reviews from critics. Variety's Peter DeBruge called the film "a high-concept misfire" and wrote: "In practice, it's been a nearly impossible project to get made, passing through the hands of countless actors and falling through multiple times because the technology wasn't there yet. At least, that's been the excuse, although judging by the finished product, it was the script that never lived up to the promise of its premise".^[93]

Later that year, Smith had his second starring role in an animated film, in Spies in Disguise, opposite Tom Holland. Smith voiced Lance Sterling, a spy who teams up with the nerdy inventor who creates his gadgets (Holland).^[94] In 2020, he reteamed with Martin Lawrence for the third film in their franchise, Bad Boys for Life. In 2019, Smith and Keisuke Honda led a $46 million investment round in esports organization Gen.G.^[95] In June 2020, it was announced that Smith would star in Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua, in which he portrays Peter, a runaway slave, who outsmarts hunters and the Louisiana swamp on a journey to the Union Army.^[96]

Smith's memoir Will, which was written with Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, was published on November 9, 2021, and promoted with a tour.^[97]^[98] The book is a journey of self-knowledge recalling childhood traumas, his relationship with his father, and his experiences with ayahuasca.^[99]^[100] In the same year, he and his Westbrook Studios company signed a deal with National Geographic.^[101]

Smith portrayed Richard Williams, father and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in the 2021 film King Richard. For his performance, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor,^[102] Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.^[103]

On February 7, 2022, National Geographic announced that Smith would star in a series titled Pole to Pole, which will stream on Disney+. The series follows Smith and his film crew as they go on a 26,000-mile (42,000 km) trek from the South Pole to the North Pole, crossing all of Earth's biomes and spending time in communities along the way.^[104] Part of the filming took place during an expedition in the Ecuadorian Amazon which helped discover the northern green anaconda.^[105]

2022 Oscars incident

[edit]

During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, Smith walked onstage and slapped presenter and comedian Chris Rock who had made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head^[106] with a reference to the main protagonist in the film G.I. Jane. Smith then returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, twice saying "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!"^[107]^[108]^[109] Pinkett Smith had been diagnosed with alopecia areata in 2018 and would later shave her head due to the condition.^[110]^[111] The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) said that Smith was asked to leave the ceremony but he refused.^[112] Later in the night, Smith was named Best Actor for King Richard and apologized to the Academy and the other nominees, but not to Rock, in his acceptance speech.^[113]^[114]^[115] The live audience gave Smith two standing ovations. Smith remained at the ceremony until its conclusion and participated in the celebrations later that evening.^[116] Following public backlash, Smith issued a formal apology via a public Instagram post.^[117]^[118] ABC, AMPAS, and the Screen Actors Guild condemned Smith following the incident, prompting an investigation by the Academy's Board of Governors.^[119] Rock declined to press charges against Smith, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.^[120] On April 1, 2022, Smith tendered his resignation from the Academy, writing in part:

I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate.

The AMPAS President David Rubin accepted the resignation in an official statement but said they would continue their investigation.^[121] Smith's resignation means he is no longer able to vote on Oscar nominations as a member of the Academy.^[122] Commentators have speculated that Smith's resignation from the Academy and other related fallout from the slap would damage his "family brand".^[123]

On April 8, 2022, the Academy announced its decision to ban Smith from future Oscars galas and associated events for 10 years.^[124] Several film projects that Smith had been involved in were put on hold as a result of the controversy.^[125] In a statement to CNN, Smith stated: "I accept and respect the Academy's decision".^[126]^[127] Smith offered an on camera apology on July 29, saying he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions.^[128]

As a result of the incident, Netflix cancelled production on an action film that was set to star Smith titled Fast and Loose.^[129]^[130] In December 2022, Emancipation was released to mixed reviews and was a commercial failure. Producer Todd Black partially attributed the failure to Smith's involvement following the Oscar incident.^[131]

2023–present: Bad Boys: Ride or Die and return to music

[edit]

In 2023, it was announced that Smith would co-star in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment in the Bad Boys film series.^[132] The film includes a comedic moment inspired by the Oscars incident.^[133] Smith is set to co-star with Michael B. Jordan in a sequel to I Am Legend.^[134]^[135] The film is in active development.^[135] Additionally, Smith is attached to star in the science fiction films Brilliance and Resistor.^[136]^[137] Smith was attached to star in crime thriller Sugar Bandits, but exited the project in September 2024 due to scheduling conflicts with another undisclosed project; he will remain involved as a producer.^[138]^[139]

In September 2023, it was reported by VIBE magazine that Joyner Lucas and Will Smith would be working together on a joint album.^[140] On May 19, Smith confirmed new music coming in 2024 in an interview with ET^[141] and that it is the most personal music he had ever done,^[142] with Teddy Swims confirming he recorded music with Will for the upcoming project.^[143]

On June 27, 2024, Smith announced on his Instagram that his first solo single in nearly 20 years was coming out the following day, "You Can Make It", saying "Through some of my darkest moments, music has always been there for me - to lift me and help me grow. It's my humble wish that it can do the same for you and bring you all the joy and light you deserve".^[144] The song released at midnight that evening, featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir. On July 24, 2024, it was announced that Smith had signed a new distribution deal with SLANG, a newly formed independent label.^[145] On July 26, 2024, Smith released another single "Work of Art", featuring his son Jaden and Russ.^[146]^[147] On December 12, Smith released another single, "TANTRUM", with Joyner Lucas.

In 2025, Smith announced his fifth studio album, Based on a True Story, which was released on March 28, 2025. The album consists of 14 tracks, including five previously released singles and nine new songs.^[148]^[149]

On March 23, 2025, Smith performed at the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League final at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.^[150]

Personal life

[edit]

Relationships and family

[edit]

During the late-1980s, Smith confirmed he briefly dated Sandra Denton, better known as Pepa of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa.^[151]

Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. Their son Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III was born on November 11, 1992.^[152] The two divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He also acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special.^[153]

Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett on December 31, 1997.^[154] They met when Pinkett auditioned for a role as Smith's character's girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The pair produce films through their joint production company Overbrook Entertainment and Westbrook Inc.^[155]^[156] Together they have two children: Jaden Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth; and Willow Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend.

Smith and his wife Jada have expressed unconventional practices in their marriage, jokingly calling their commitment "bad marriage for life".^[157] Both he and Pinkett Smith have admitted to having extramarital relationships and believing in the freedom to pursue them. Smith has said he wanted a polyamorous relationship with actress Halle Berry and ballerina Misty Copeland but ultimately abandoned the idea after therapy.^[158] In October 2023, Pinkett Smith stated that she and Smith had been separated since 2016, though they have no intention to divorce.^[159]

In 2018, Smith celebrated his 50th birthday by performing a bungee jump from a helicopter in the Grand Canyon.^[160] Smith was insured by Lloyd's of London for $200 million for the jump, which raised money for the charity Global Citizen.^[161]

Religious and political views

[edit]

Smith was raised in a Baptist household and attended a Baptist church and Catholic school. In a 2013 interview, he said he did not identify as religious.^[162]^[163] In 2015, Smith said in an interview with The Christian Post that his Christian faith, which was instilled in him by his grandmother, helped him to accurately portray Bennet Omalu in Concussion, saying: "She was my spiritual teacher, she was that grandmother at the church, the one having the kids doing the Easter presentations and putting on the Christmas plays and her kids and grandkids had to be first. She was the most spiritually certain person that I had ever met in my entire life. Even to the point that when she was dying she was happy, like she was really excited about going to heaven".^[164] In 2018, Smith performed the Hindu rite of abhisheka of Shiva at Haridwar, India. He also performed an arti of the holy river Ganga. He has said that he feels a deep connection to Hindu spirituality and Indian astrology.^[165] Smith and his family also met and spent time with the Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, stating that he enjoyed the heartfelt conversations between them.^[166]

Smith donated $4,600 to the 2008 presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama.^[167] On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, to celebrate Obama's winning of the prize.^[168] In 2012, Smith said he supported legalizing same-sex marriage.^[169] In 2021, Smith announced that production of his upcoming film, Emancipation, was being pulled from the U.S. state of Georgia because of the recent passage of the Election Integrity Act of 2021, which critics viewed as a restrictive voting law, negatively impacting non-white voters. Smith and director Antoine Fuqua released a joint statement: "We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access".^[170]^[171]

Public image and legacy

[edit]

Smith has often been noted for achieving groundbreaking success throughout his musical career, and with his work as an actor in television and film. He has been cited as one of the "greatest actors" of his generation by several publications.^[172]^[173] Forbes referred to him as the "biggest movie star of the post-9/11 era".^[174] His transition from music to acting has influenced multiple rappers to also become actors, with him being cited as a pioneer for the rappers crossing over into acting by Complex.^[175]^[176] In 2006, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world;^[177] in 2008, Esquire named him one of the 75 most influential people of the 21st century.^[178]

Music

His work as a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince made them the first rap act to win a Grammy Award, and the first to win an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video, when the song "Parents Just Don't Understand" won in the inaugural rap categories at both award show ceremonies.^[10]^[179]^[180] XXL has referred to him as "one of the most important rappers of all time".^[181] As of 2013, his debut solo album Big Willie Style (1997) is among the best-selling rap albums of all time.^[182]

Television

Smith launched his acting career by starring in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; the show's success is considered to be a watershed moment for Hip-Hop and Black television,^[183]^[184] with many publications referring to it as one of the "Greatest Sitcoms of All Time".^[185]^[186] Professor Andrew Horton said, "Smith's genre of comedy, popularized on the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air translated well into commercial box-office appeal. The Fresh Prince watered down and capitalized upon the then growing popularity of Hip Hop and almost anticipated its dominance on the American scene".^[187]

Moreover, author Willie Tolliver noted, "What The Fresh Prince did accomplish was to put Smith and his character Will into an environment of affluence and possibility, thus changing the terms of his own Black identity. This social and cultural mobility is central to Smith's racial significance, and this will become evident again and again; he moves the image of the Black male into unaccustomed spaces just as Smith himself was in the process of conquering Hollywood".^[188]

Film

After starring in his debut film Where the Day Takes You (1992), Smith quickly became one of Hollywood's most successful and bankable stars.^[189] He currently holds the record for the most consecutive $100-million-plus hits at the U.S. box office, with eight.^[190] Smith starred as Daryl Ward in the film Bright (2017), which broke the record at the time for the most-viewed Netflix film ever for its first week,^[191] and became the first major Hollywood film to skip theatrical release over streaming platform for simultaneous viewing by more than 100 million people worldwide.^[192]

Smith's roles as Agent J in Men in Black 3, Richard Williams in King Richard, and Daryl Ward in Bright are among the highest-paid film roles of all time, with him reportedly earning $100 million for Men in Black 3.^[193]^[194] His film Emancipation (2022) was sold to Apple Studios for $120 million in June 2020, which made it the largest film festival acquisition deal in film history.^[195] In 2022, Smith became the fifth black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, after Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Forest Whitaker.^[102]

Acting credits and accolades

[edit]

Smith has received multiple awards throughout his career, including an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, the prolific father and coach to championship tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, in the biopic King Richard (2021)—a role that also won him a Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award in the same category; he also received a producer nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Prior to this award, he had been nominated several times for the Academy Award (2; for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness), the Golden Globe Award (5; for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness and Concussion), and the Screen Actors Guild Award (once for The Pursuit of Happyness). In 2005, he received the honorary César Award; that same year, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical for Fela!; and in 2021, he was nominated as a producer of Cobra Kai for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Aside from acting and behind-the-scenes work on screen and stage, Smith has made ventures into hip hop with the release of several songs, four of which won him Grammy Awards—one for Best Rap Performance (for "Parents Just Don't Understand"), one for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (for "Summertime"), and two for Best Rap Solo Performance (for "Men in Black" and "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"); the former two of which he won as a member of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. His Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award nominations make him one of few black actors to be nominated for all four major entertainment awards in the U.S.

On March 26, 2025, Smith attended a ceremony where his name was added to red stripes at the bottom of street signs along a block of 59th Street in west Philadelphia. ^[196]

Discography

[edit]

Big Willie Style (1997)
Willennium (1999)
Born to Reign (2002)
Lost and Found (2005)
Based on a True Story (2025)^[197]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

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^ "Will Smith Touched by God on Set of 'Concussion'". The Christian Post. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
^ Kumar, Yogesh (October 11, 2018). "In Haridwar, Will Smith performed 'Rudra Abhishek' to nullify ill-effects of Saturn". The Times of India. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
^ "I have been following Sadhguru for a while: Will Smith". The Indian Express. October 20, 2020. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
^ "Will Smith's Federal Campaign Contribution Report". newsmeat.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
^ "The Nobel Peace Prize Concert". nobelpeaceprize.org. Archived from the original on June 26, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
^ "Will Smith supports gay marriage". Sky News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
^ Sperling, Nicole (April 12, 2021). "Will Smith's production pulls out of Georgia, citing the state's voting law". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021.
^ Lisa Respers France (April 12, 2021). "Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua pull 'Emancipation' production from Georgia". CNN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
^ Bonner, Mehera (March 27, 2022). "Get Acquainted With Will Smith's Full Oscars History". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ Brown, Preezy (March 26, 2022). "Hollywood Shuffle: Will Smith's 10 Most Iconic Movie Roles". Vibe. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ Mendelson, Scott. "How Will Smith's Assault On Chris Rock Could Hurt His Movie Career". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
^ "A Definitive List of Rappers as Actors". Complex. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
^ Yaniz, Robert Jr (November 21, 2016). "5 Best Rappers Turned Actors". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
^ Schickel, Richard (May 8, 2006). "The 2006 TIME 100 – TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ "The 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century". Esquire. September 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ Fields, Kiah (February 22, 2016). "Best Hip Hop Moments of #BHM: Will Smith Wins First Rap Grammy". The Source. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ Steiner, B. J. (September 6, 2013). "Today In Hip-Hop: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Win The First VMA For Rap". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ High, Kemet (September 24, 2020). "Why Will Smith's G.O.A.T. Status Isn't Up for Debate". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
^ "The 50 Best Selling Rap Albums of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "The story behind Will Smith's iconic 'hug' scene in 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
^ Uschan, Michael V. (March 13, 2009). Will Smith. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-4205-0201-5. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^ Becoats, Kellen (February 10, 2022). "Sitcom or Not, 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Knew How to Pull Off Drama". The Ringer. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
^ "Fresh Prince GOAT". GQ Australia. August 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
^ Horton, Andrew; Rapf, Joanna E. (December 14, 2015). A Companion to Film Comedy. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-16955-0. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^ Tolliver, Willie (January 6, 2022). Deconstructing Will Smith: Race, Masculinity and Global Stardom. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7569-5. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
^ Obenson, Tambay (March 13, 2022). "Will Smith's 14 Best Movies Ranked". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "Every Box Office Record Held By Will Smith". ScreenRant. June 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 3, 2018). "Netflix Firms 'Bright' Sequel With Will Smith". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "Netflix makes history with Will Smith-starrer Bright". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "Jack Sparrow to The Joker: 19 top-paid movie roles in Hollywood". South China Morning Post. March 29, 2021. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ Clark, Travis (August 19, 2021). "25 highest paid movie roles of all time for actors: list". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "Will Smith Once Earned $100 Million for *ONE* Movie and Now His Net Worth Is Astronomical". Yahoo! News. October 26, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
^ "West Philadelphia street renamed "Will Smith Way" in honor of the city's original Fresh Prince - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. March 26, 2025.
^ Mitchell, Gail (January 30, 2025). "Will Smith Returns With 'Based on a True Story' Album: 'I'm on Fire About This Next Creative Phase'". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

Further reading

[edit]

Iannucci, Lisa M. (2009). Will Smith: A Biography. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-37610-8.
Smith, Will; Manson, Mark (2021). Will. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-984-87792-5. Memoir.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Will Smith.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Will Smith.

Will Smith at IMDb
Will Smith discography at MusicBrainz

v t e Will Smith
Accolades Discography Filmography
Studio albums	Big Willie Style Willennium Born to Reign Lost and Found Based on a True Story
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits
Singles	"Men in Black" "Just Cruisin'" "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" "Just the Two of Us" "Miami" "Wild Wild West" "Will 2K" "Freakin' It" "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" "Switch" "Party Starter" "Will (Remix)" "You Can Make It"
Featured singles	"Boy You Knock Me Out" "Live It Up" "Está Rico"
Other songs	"Friend Like Me" "Prince Ali"
Film screenplay only	After Earth (2013, also produced)
Films produced only	Saving Face (2004) Hitch (2005) ATL (2006) The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Hancock (2008) The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Lakeview Terrace (2008) Seven Pounds (2008) The Karate Kid (2010) This Means War (2012) Annie (2014) Bad Boys for Life (2020) King Richard (2021) Emancipation (2022) Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
Family	Jada Pinkett Smith Jaden Smith Willow Smith
Related	DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Westbrook Overbrook Entertainment Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) Agent J Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident
Category

Awards for Will Smith

v t e Academy Award for Best Actor
1928–1950	Emil Jannings (1928) Warner Baxter (1929) George Arliss (1930) Lionel Barrymore (1931) Fredric March / Wallace Beery (1932) Charles Laughton (1933) Clark Gable (1934) Victor McLaglen (1935) Paul Muni (1936) Spencer Tracy (1937) Spencer Tracy (1938) Robert Donat (1939) James Stewart (1940) Gary Cooper (1941) James Cagney (1942) Paul Lukas (1943) Bing Crosby (1944) Ray Milland (1945) Fredric March (1946) Ronald Colman (1947) Laurence Olivier (1948) Broderick Crawford (1949) José Ferrer (1950)
1951–1975	Humphrey Bogart (1951) Gary Cooper (1952) William Holden (1953) Marlon Brando (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) Yul Brynner (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) David Niven (1958) Charlton Heston (1959) Burt Lancaster (1960) Maximilian Schell (1961) Gregory Peck (1962) Sidney Poitier (1963) Rex Harrison (1964) Lee Marvin (1965) Paul Scofield (1966) Rod Steiger (1967) Cliff Robertson (1968) John Wayne (1969) George C. Scott¹ (1970) Gene Hackman (1971) Marlon Brando¹ (1972) Jack Lemmon (1973) Art Carney (1974) Jack Nicholson (1975)
1976–2000	Peter Finch (1976) Richard Dreyfuss (1977) Jon Voight (1978) Dustin Hoffman (1979) Robert De Niro (1980) Henry Fonda (1981) Ben Kingsley (1982) Robert Duvall (1983) F. Murray Abraham (1984) William Hurt (1985) Paul Newman (1986) Michael Douglas (1987) Dustin Hoffman (1988) Daniel Day-Lewis (1989) Jeremy Irons (1990) Anthony Hopkins (1991) Al Pacino (1992) Tom Hanks (1993) Tom Hanks (1994) Nicolas Cage (1995) Geoffrey Rush (1996) Jack Nicholson (1997) Roberto Benigni (1998) Kevin Spacey (1999) Russell Crowe (2000)
2001–present	Denzel Washington (2001) Adrien Brody (2002) Sean Penn (2003) Jamie Foxx (2004) Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) Daniel Day-Lewis (2007) Sean Penn (2008) Jeff Bridges (2009) Colin Firth (2010) Jean Dujardin (2011) Daniel Day-Lewis (2012) Matthew McConaughey (2013) Eddie Redmayne (2014) Leonardo DiCaprio (2015) Casey Affleck (2016) Gary Oldman (2017) Rami Malek (2018) Joaquin Phoenix (2019) Anthony Hopkins (2020) Will Smith (2021) Brendan Fraser (2022) Cillian Murphy (2023) Adrien Brody (2024)
¹ refused award that year

AARP Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actor

Tom Wilkinson (2001)
Jack Nicholson (2002)
Bill Murray (2003)
Liam Neeson (2004)
Jeff Daniels (2005)
Donald Sutherland (2006)
Chris Cooper (2007)
Frank Langella (2008)
Jeff Bridges (2009)
Colin Firth (2010)
Oliver Litondo (2011)
Denzel Washington (2012)
Bruce Dern (2013)
Steve Carell (2014)
Bryan Cranston (2015)
Denzel Washington (2016)
Gary Oldman (2017)
Viggo Mortensen (2018)
Adam Sandler (2019)
Anthony Hopkins (2020)
Will Smith (2021)
Brendan Fraser (2022)
Colman Domingo (2023)
Adrien Brody (2024)

American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist

Jim Croce (1974)
John Denver (1975)
John Denver (1976)
Elton John (1977)
Barry Manilow (1978)
Barry Manilow (1979)
Barry Manilow (1980)
Kenny Rogers (1981)
Kenny Rogers (1982)
John Mellencamp / Rick Springfield (1983)
Michael Jackson (1984)
Lionel Richie (1985)
Bruce Springsteen (1986)
Lionel Richie (1987)
Paul Simon (1988)
George Michael (1989)
Bobby Brown (1990)
Phil Collins (1991)
Michael Bolton (1992)
Michael Bolton (1993)
Eric Clapton (1994)
Michael Bolton (1995)
Michael Jackson (1996)
Eric Clapton (1997)
Babyface (1998)
Eric Clapton (1999)
Will Smith (2000)
Kid Rock (2001)
Lenny Kravitz (2002)
Eminem (2003)
Kid Rock (2003)
Usher (2004)
Will Smith (2005)
Sean Paul (2006)
Justin Timberlake (2007)
Chris Brown (2008)
Michael Jackson (2009)
Justin Bieber (2010)
Bruno Mars (2011)
Justin Bieber (2012)
Justin Timberlake (2013)
Sam Smith (2014)
Ed Sheeran (2015)
Justin Bieber (2016)
Bruno Mars (2017)
Post Malone (2018)
Khalid (2019)
Justin Bieber (2020)
Ed Sheeran (2021)
Harry Styles (2022)

American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist

Stevie Wonder (1974)
Stevie Wonder (1975)
Barry White (1976)
Stevie Wonder (1977)
Stevie Wonder (1978)
Teddy Pendergrass / Lou Rawls (1979)
Michael Jackson (1980)
Michael Jackson (1981)
Stevie Wonder (1982)
Lionel Richie (1983)
Michael Jackson (1984)
Lionel Richie (1985)
Stevie Wonder (1986)
Lionel Richie (1987)
Luther Vandross (1988)
George Michael (1989)
Luther Vandross (1990)
MC Hammer (1991)
Luther Vandross (1992)
Bobby Brown (1993)
Luther Vandross (1994)
Babyface (1995)
Luther Vandross (1996)
Keith Sweat (1997)
Babyface (1998)
Will Smith (1999)
R. Kelly (2000)
Brian McKnight (2001)
Luther Vandross (2002)
Eminem (2003)
Luther Vandross (2003)
Usher (2004)
R. Kelly (2005)
Jamie Foxx (2006)
Akon (2007)
Chris Brown (2008)
Michael Jackson (2009)
Usher (2010)
Usher (2011)
Usher (2012)
Justin Timberlake (2013)
John Legend (2014)
The Weeknd (2015)
Chris Brown (2016)
Bruno Mars (2017)
Khalid (2018)
Bruno Mars (2019)
The Weeknd (2020)
The Weeknd (2021)
Chris Brown (2022)

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role

1952–1967

British	Ralph Richardson (1952) John Gielgud (1953) Kenneth More (1954) Laurence Olivier (1955) Peter Finch (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) Trevor Howard (1958) Peter Sellers (1959) Peter Finch (1960) Peter Finch (1961) Peter O'Toole (1962) Dirk Bogarde (1963) Richard Attenborough (1964) Dirk Bogarde (1965) Richard Burton (1966) Paul Scofield (1967)
Foreign	Marlon Brando (1952) Marlon Brando (1953) Marlon Brando (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) François Périer (1956) Henry Fonda (1957) Sidney Poitier (1958) Jack Lemmon (1959) Jack Lemmon (1960) Paul Newman (1961) Burt Lancaster (1962) Marcello Mastroianni (1963) Marcello Mastroianni (1964) Lee Marvin (1965) Rod Steiger (1966) Rod Steiger (1967)

1968–present

Spencer Tracy (1968)
Dustin Hoffman (1969)
Robert Redford (1970)
Peter Finch (1971)
Gene Hackman (1972)
Walter Matthau (1973)
Jack Nicholson (1974)
Al Pacino (1975)
Jack Nicholson (1976)
Peter Finch (1977)
Richard Dreyfuss (1978)
Jack Lemmon (1979)
John Hurt (1980)
Burt Lancaster (1981)
Ben Kingsley (1982)
Michael Caine / Dustin Hoffman (1983)
Haing S. Ngor (1984)
William Hurt (1985)
Bob Hoskins (1986)
Sean Connery (1987)
John Cleese (1988)
Daniel Day-Lewis (1989)
Philippe Noiret (1990)
Anthony Hopkins (1991)
Robert Downey Jr. (1992)
Anthony Hopkins (1993)
Hugh Grant (1994)
Nigel Hawthorne (1995)
Geoffrey Rush (1996)
Robert Carlyle (1997)
Roberto Benigni (1998)
Kevin Spacey (1999)
Jamie Bell (2000)
Russell Crowe (2001)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2002)
Bill Murray (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2004)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005)
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2007)
Mickey Rourke (2008)
Colin Firth (2009)
Colin Firth (2010)
Jean Dujardin (2011)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2012)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (2013)
Eddie Redmayne (2014)
Leonardo DiCaprio (2015)
Casey Affleck (2016)
Gary Oldman (2017)
Rami Malek (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix (2019)
Anthony Hopkins (2020)
Will Smith (2021)
Austin Butler (2022)
Cillian Murphy (2023)
Adrien Brody (2024)

BET Award for Best Actor

Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor

Denzel Washington (2000)
Denzel Washington (2001)
Denzel Washington (2002)
Derek Luke (2003)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (2004)
Jamie Foxx / Bernie Mac (2005)
Terrence Howard (2006)
Forest Whitaker (2007)
Dev Patel (2008)
No Award (2009)
Morgan Freeman (2010)
Anthony Mackie (2011)
John Boyega (2012)
Denzel Washington (2013)
Chiwetel Ejiofor (2014)
David Oyelowo (2015)
Michael B. Jordan (2016)
Denzel Washington (2017)
Daniel Kaluuya (2018)
Chadwick Boseman (2019)
Eddie Murphy (2020)
Chadwick Boseman (2021)
Will Smith (2022)
Jeremy Pope (2023)

Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor

Kevin Bacon (1995)
Geoffrey Rush (1996)
Jack Nicholson (1997)
Ian McKellen (1998)
Russell Crowe (1999)
Russell Crowe (2000)
Russell Crowe (2001)
Daniel Day-Lewis / Jack Nicholson (2002)
Sean Penn (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2004)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005)
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2007)
Sean Penn (2008)
Jeff Bridges (2009)
Colin Firth (2010)
George Clooney (2011)
Daniel Day-Lewis (2012)
Matthew McConaughey (2013)
Michael Keaton (2014)
Leonardo DiCaprio (2015)
Casey Affleck (2016)
Gary Oldman (2017)
Christian Bale (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix (2019)
Chadwick Boseman (2020)
Will Smith (2021)
Brendan Fraser (2022)
Paul Giamatti (2023)
Adrien Brody (2024)

v t e Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
1943–1975	Paul Lukas (1943) Alexander Knox (1944) Ray Milland (1945) Gregory Peck (1946) Ronald Colman (1947) Laurence Olivier (1948) Broderick Crawford (1949) José Ferrer (1950) Fredric March (1951) Gary Cooper (1952) Spencer Tracy (1953) Marlon Brando (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) Kirk Douglas (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) David Niven (1958) Anthony Franciosa (1959) Burt Lancaster (1960) Maximilian Schell (1961) Gregory Peck (1962) Sidney Poitier (1963) Peter O'Toole (1964) Omar Sharif (1965) Paul Scofield (1966) Rod Steiger (1967) Peter O'Toole (1968) John Wayne (1969) George C. Scott (1970) Gene Hackman (1971) Marlon Brando (1972) Al Pacino (1973) Jack Nicholson (1974) Jack Nicholson (1975)
1976–2000	Peter Finch (1976) Richard Burton (1977) Jon Voight (1978) Dustin Hoffman (1979) Robert De Niro (1980) Henry Fonda (1981) Ben Kingsley (1982) Robert Duvall / Tom Courtenay (1983) F. Murray Abraham (1984) Jon Voight (1985) Bob Hoskins (1986) Michael Douglas (1987) Dustin Hoffman (1988) Tom Cruise (1989) Jeremy Irons (1990) Nick Nolte (1991) Al Pacino (1992) Tom Hanks (1993) Tom Hanks (1994) Nicolas Cage (1995) Geoffrey Rush (1996) Peter Fonda (1997) Jim Carrey (1998) Denzel Washington (1999) Tom Hanks (2000)
2001–present	Russell Crowe (2001) Jack Nicholson (2002) Sean Penn (2003) Leonardo DiCaprio (2004) Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) Daniel Day-Lewis (2007) Mickey Rourke (2008) Jeff Bridges (2009) Colin Firth (2010) George Clooney (2011) Daniel Day-Lewis (2012) Matthew McConaughey (2013) Eddie Redmayne (2014) Leonardo DiCaprio (2015) Casey Affleck (2016) Gary Oldman (2017) Rami Malek (2018) Joaquin Phoenix (2019) Chadwick Boseman (2020) Will Smith (2021) Austin Butler (2022) Cillian Murphy (2023) Adrien Brody (2024)

v t e Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor
1980s	John Adames – Gloria / Laurence Olivier – The Jazz Singer (1980) Steve Forrest – Mommie Dearest (1981) Ed McMahon – Butterfly (1982) Jim Nabors – Stroker Ace (1983) Brooke Shields (with a mustache) – Sahara (1984) Rob Lowe – St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Jerome Benton – Under the Cherry Moon (1986) David Mendenhall – Over the Top (1987) Dan Aykroyd – Caddyshack II (1988) Christopher Atkins – Listen to Me (1989)
1990s	Donald Trump – Ghosts Can't Do It (1990) Dan Aykroyd – Nothing but Trouble (1991) Tom Selleck – Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) Woody Harrelson – Indecent Proposal (1993) O. J. Simpson – Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult (1994) Dennis Hopper – Waterworld (1995) Marlon Brando – The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) Dennis Rodman – Double Team (1997) Joe Eszterhas – An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998) Ahmed Best – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
2000s	Barry Pepper – Battlefield Earth (2000) Charlton Heston – Cats & Dogs, Planet of the Apes, and Town & Country (2001) Hayden Christensen – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) Sylvester Stallone – Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) Donald Rumsfeld – Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Hayden Christensen – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) M. Night Shyamalan – Lady in the Water (2006) Eddie Murphy – Norbit (2007) Pierce Brosnan – Mamma Mia! (2008) Billy Ray Cyrus – Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
2010s	Jackson Rathbone – The Last Airbender and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) Al Pacino – Jack and Jill (2011) Taylor Lautner – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) Will Smith – After Earth (2013) Kelsey Grammer – The Expendables 3, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, Think Like a Man Too, and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) Eddie Redmayne – Jupiter Ascending (2015) Jesse Eisenberg – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Mel Gibson – Daddy's Home 2 (2017) John C. Reilly – Holmes & Watson (2018) James Corden – Cats (2019)
2020s	Rudy Giuliani – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020/21) Jared Leto – House of Gucci (2021) Tom Hanks – Elvis (2022) Sylvester Stallone – Expend4bles (2023) Jon Voight – Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land, and Strangers (2024)

v t e Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song
1980s	"The Man with Bogart's Face" – Music by George Duning; Lyrics by Andrew Fenady (1980) "Baby Talk" – Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Dave Frishberg (1981) "Pumpin' and Blowin'" – Music and Lyrics by Terry Britten, B. A. Robertson, and Sue Shifrin (1982) "The Way You Do It" – Music and Lyrics by Jeff Harrington and Jeff Pennig (1983) "Drinkenstein" – Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton (1984) "Peace in Our Life" – Music by Frank Stallone, Peter Schless, and Jerry Goldsmith; Lyrics by Frank Stallone (1985) "Love or Money" – Music and Lyrics by Prince and the Revolution (1986) "I Want Your Sex" – Music and Lyrics by George Michael (1987) "Jack Fresh" – Music and Lyrics by Full Force (1988) "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" – Music and Lyrics by Bruce Dickinson (1989)
1990s	"He's Comin' Back (The Devil)" – Music and Lyrics by Chris LeVrar (1990) "Addams Groove" – Music by MC Hammer; Lyrics Felton C. Pilate II (1991) "High Times, Hard Times" – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Jack Feldman (1992) "Addams Family Whoomp!" – Music and Lyrics by Ralph Sall, Steve Gibson, and Cecil Glenn (1993) "Marry the Mole" – Music by Barry Manilow; Lyrics by Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman (1994) "Walk into the Wind" – Music by David Stewart; Lyrics by Terry Hall (1995) "(Pussy Pussy Pussy) Whose Kitty Cat Are You?" – Music and Lyrics by Marvin Montgomery (1996) The entire song score from The Postman – Music and Lyrics by Jeffrey Barr, Glenn Burke, John Coinman, Joe Flood, Blair Forward, Maria Machado, and Jono Manson (1997) "I Wanna Be Mike Ovitz!" – Music and Lyrics by Joe Eszterhas and Gary G-Wiz (1998) "Wild Wild West" – Music and Lyrics by Stevie Wonder, Kool Moe Dee, and Will Smith (1999)
2000s	No Award (2000) No Award (2001) "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" – Music and Lyrics by Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, and Dido (2002)

v t e Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo
1990s	Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt – Interview with the Vampire / Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone – The Specialist (1994) Any combination of two people (or two body parts) – Showgirls (1995) Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds – Striptease (1996) Dennis Rodman and Jean-Claude Van Damme – Double Team (1997) Leonardo DiCaprio and Leonardo DiCaprio (as twins) – The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) Kevin Kline and Will Smith – Wild Wild West (1999)
2000s	John Travolta and anyone sharing the screen with him – Battlefield Earth (2000) Tom Green and any animal he abuses – Freddy Got Fingered (2001) Adriano Giannini and Madonna – Swept Away (2002) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez – Gigli (2003) George W. Bush and either Condoleezza Rice or his pet goat – Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman – Bewitched (2005) Shawn Wayans and either Kerry Washington or Marlon Wayans – Little Man (2006) Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan (as twins) – I Know Who Killed Me (2007) Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore – The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper – All About Steve (2009)
2010s	The entire cast of Sex and the City 2 (2010) Adam Sandler and either Katie Holmes, Al Pacino or Adam Sandler – Jack and Jill / The entire cast of Jack and Jill (2011) Mackenzie Foy and Taylor Lautner – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 / The entire cast of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) Jaden Smith and Will Smith on planet nepotism – After Earth (2013) Kirk Cameron and his ego – Saving Christmas (2014) Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson – Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Any two obnoxious Emojis – The Emoji Movie (2017) Donald Trump and "His Self Perpetuating Pettiness" – Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018) Any two half-feline/half-human hairballs – Cats (2019)
2020s	Rudy Giuliani and his pants zipper – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) LeBron James and any Warner cartoon character (or Time-Warner product) he dribbles on – Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) Tom Hanks and his latex-laden face (and ludicrous accent) – Elvis (2022) Pooh and Piglet (as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers) – Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga – Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Between 2010–2012, the category also included Worst Screen Ensemble.

v t e Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
1990s	"U Can't Touch This" – MC Hammer (1990) "Mama Said Knock You Out" – LL Cool J (1991) "Baby Got Back" – Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992) "Let Me Ride" – Dr. Dre (1993) "U.N.I.T.Y." – Queen Latifah (1994) "Gangsta's Paradise" – Coolio (1995) "Hey Lover" – LL Cool J (1996) "Men in Black" – Will Smith (1997) "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" – Will Smith (1998) "My Name Is" – Eminem (1999)
2000s	"The Real Slim Shady" – Eminem (2000) "Get Ur Freak On" – Missy Elliott (2001) "Scream a.k.a. Itchin'" – Missy Elliott / "Hot in Herre" – Nelly (2002) "Work It" – Missy Elliott / "Lose Yourself" – Eminem (2003) "99 Problems" – Jay-Z (2004) "Gold Digger" – Kanye West (2005) "What You Know" – T.I. (2006) "Stronger" – Kanye West (2007) "A Milli" – Lil Wayne (2008) "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" – Jay-Z (2009)
2010s	"Not Afraid" – Eminem (2010)

Honorary César

1976–2000

Ingrid Bergman (1976)
Diana Ross (1976)
Henri Langlois (1977)
Jacques Tati (1977)
Robert Dorfmann (1978)
René Goscinny (1978)
Marcel Carné (1979)
Charles Vanel (1979)
Walt Disney (1979)
Pierre Braunberger (1980)
Louis de Funès (1980)
Kirk Douglas (1980)
Marcel Pagnol (1981)
Alain Resnais (1981)
Georges Dancigers (1982)
Alexandre Mnouchkine (1982)
Jean Nény (1982)
Andrzej Wajda (1982)
Raimu (1983)
René Clément (1984)
Georges de Beauregard (1984)
Edwige Feuillère (1984)
Christian-Jaque (1985)
Danielle Darrieux (1985)
Christine Gouze-Rénal (1985)
Alain Poiré (1985)
Maurice Jarre (1986)
Bette Davis (1986)
Jean Delannoy (1986)
René Ferracci (1986)
Claude Lanzmann (1986)
Jean-Luc Godard (1987)
Serge Silberman (1988)
Bernard Blier (1989)
Paul Grimault (1989)
Gérard Philipe (1990)
Jean-Pierre Aumont (1991)
Sophia Loren (1991)
Michèle Morgan (1992)
Sylvester Stallone (1992)
Jean Marais (1993)
Marcello Mastroianni (1993)
Gérard Oury (1993)
Jean Carmet (1994)
Jeanne Moreau (1995)
Gregory Peck (1995)
Steven Spielberg (1995)
Lauren Bacall (1996)
Henri Verneuil (1996)
Charles Aznavour (1997)
Andie MacDowell (1997)
Michael Douglas (1998)
Clint Eastwood (1998)
Jean-Luc Godard (1998)
Pedro Almodóvar (1999)
Johnny Depp (1999)
Jean Rochefort (1999)
Josiane Balasko (2000)
Georges Cravenne (2000)
Jean-Pierre Léaud (2000)
Martin Scorsese (2000)

2001–present

Darry Cowl (2001)
Charlotte Rampling (2001)
Agnès Varda (2001)
Anouk Aimée (2002)
Jeremy Irons (2002)
Claude Rich (2002)
Bernadette Lafont (2003)
Spike Lee (2003)
Meryl Streep (2003)
Micheline Presle (2004)
Jacques Dutronc (2005)
Will Smith (2005)
Hugh Grant (2006)
Pierre Richard (2006)
Marlène Jobert (2007)
Jude Law (2007)
Jeanne Moreau (2008)
Roberto Benigni (2008)
Romy Schneider (2008)
Dustin Hoffman (2009)
Harrison Ford (2010)
Quentin Tarantino (2011)
Kate Winslet (2012)
Kevin Costner (2013)
Scarlett Johansson (2014)
Sean Penn (2015)
Michael Douglas (2016)
George Clooney (2017)
Penélope Cruz (2018)
Robert Redford (2019)
Cate Blanchett (2022)
David Fincher (2023)
Agnès Jaoui (2024)
Christopher Nolan (2024)
Julia Roberts (2025)
Costa-Gavras (2025)

Maltin Modern Master Award

Award

Michael Douglas (1995)
Jodie Foster (1997)
Anthony Hopkins (2000)
Diane Keaton (2001)
Peter Jackson (2004)
George Clooney (2006)
Will Smith (2007)
Cate Blanchett (2008)
Clint Eastwood (2009)
James Cameron (2010)
Christopher Nolan (2011)
Christopher Plummer (2012)
Ben Affleck (2013)
Bruce Dern (2014)
Michael Keaton (2015)
Johnny Depp (2016)
Denzel Washington (2017)
Gary Oldman (2018)
Glenn Close (2019)
Brad Pitt (2020)
Bill Murray (2021)
Nicole Kidman (2022)
Javier Bardem (2022)
Jamie Lee Curtis (2023)
Robert Downey Jr. (2024)
Angelina Jolie (2025)

Festival editions

2024
2025

Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Male TV Star

Michael J. Fox (1988)
ALF (1989)
Kirk Cameron (1990)
Will Smith (1991)
Bill Cosby (1992)
Tim Allen (1994–1997)
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (1998)
Kel Mitchell (1999)
Kenan Thompson (2000)
Carson Daly (2001)
Nick Cannon (2002)
Frankie Muniz (2003–2004)
Romeo (2005)
Drake Bell (2006–2008)
Dylan Sprouse (2009–2011)
Jake Short (2012)
Ross Lynch (2013–2016)
Jim Parsons (2016)
Jace Norman (2017–2021)
Joshua Bassett (2022–2023)
Tom Hiddleston (2022)
Finn Wolfhard (2023)
Iain Armitage (2024)
Walker Scobell (2024)

Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor

Eddie Murphy (1988)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (1989, 1991–1992)
Michael J. Fox (1990)
Robin Williams (1994)
Jim Carrey (1995–1997, 2001, 2004)
Will Smith (1998, 2006, 2009)
Adam Sandler (1999–2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2014)
Chris Tucker (2002)
Johnny Depp (2008, 2011, 2013)
Taylor Lautner (2010)
Ben Stiller (2015)
Will Ferrell (2016)
Chris Hemsworth (2017)
Dwayne Johnson (2018, 2020, 2023)
Noah Centineo (2019)
Robert Downey Jr. (2021)
Tom Holland (2022)
Timothée Chalamet (2024)

v t e Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Song
1980s	"La Bamba" – Los Lobos (1988) "Kokomo" – The Beach Boys (1989)
1990s	"Hangin' Tough" – New Kids on the Block (1990) "Ice Ice Baby" – Vanilla Ice (1991) "Jump" – Kris Kross (1992) No Award (1993) "Whoomp! (There It Is)" – Tag Team (1994) "Creep" – TLC (1995) "Gangsta's Paradise" – Coolio (1996) "Killing Me Softly" – Fugees (1997) "MMMBop" – Hanson (1998) "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" – Backstreet Boys (1999)
2000s	"Wild Wild West" – Will Smith (2000) "Who Let the Dogs Out" – Baha Men (2001) "Get the Party Started" – P!nk (2002) "Sk8er Boi" – Avril Lavigne (2003) "Hey Ya!" – Outkast (2004) "Burn" – Usher (2005) "Wake Me Up When September Ends" – Green Day (2006) "Irreplaceable" – Beyoncé (2007) "Girlfriend" – Avril Lavigne (2008) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" – Beyoncé (2009)
2010s	"You Belong with Me" – Taylor Swift (2010) "Baby" – Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris (2011) "Party Rock Anthem" – LMFAO (2012) "What Makes You Beautiful" – One Direction (2013) "Story of My Life" – One Direction (2014) "Bang Bang" – Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj (2015) "Hello" – Adele (2016) "Work from Home" – Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla $ign (2017) "Shape of You" – Ed Sheeran (2018) "Thank U, Next" – Ariana Grande (2019)
2020s	"Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2020) "Dynamite" – BTS (2021) "Happier Than Ever" – Billie Eilish (2022) "As It Was" – Harry Styles (2023) "What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish (2024)

v t e MTV Europe Music Award for Best Hip Hop
Will Smith (1997) Beastie Boys (1998) Eminem (1999-2003, 2010-2011, 2013, 2017, 2024) D12 (2004) Snoop Dogg (2005) Kanye West (2006) Nicki Minaj (2012-2015, 2018-2019, 2021-2023) Drake (2016) Cardi B (2020)

v t e MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male
Bryan Adams (1994) Michael Jackson (1995) George Michael (1996) Jon Bon Jovi (1997) Robbie Williams (1998) Will Smith (1999) Ricky Martin (2000) Robbie Williams (2011) Eminem (2002) Justin Timberlake (2003) Usher (2004) Robbie Williams (2005) Justin Timberlake (2006) Eminem (2009) Justin Bieber (2010-2015) Shawn Mendes (2016)

v t e MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Fight
General (1996–2019, 2023–present)	Adam Sandler vs. Bob Barker – Happy Gilmore (1996) Fairuza Balk vs. Robin Tunney – The Craft (1997) Will Smith vs. Cockroach – Men in Black (1998) Ben Stiller vs. Puffy the Dog – There's Something About Mary (1999) Keanu Reeves vs. Laurence Fishburne – The Matrix (2000) Zhang Ziyi vs. Entire bar – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001) Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker vs. Hong Kong gang – Rush Hour 2 (2002) Yoda vs. Christopher Lee – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2003) Uma Thurman vs. Chiaki Kuriyama – Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2004) Uma Thurman vs. Daryl Hannah – Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2005) Angelina Jolie vs. Brad Pitt – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2006) Gerard Butler vs. Robert Maillet – 300 (2007) Sean Faris vs. Cam Gigandet – Never Back Down (2008) Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet – Twilight (2009) Beyoncé Knowles vs. Ali Larter – Obsessed (2010) Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuel – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2011) Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig – The Hunger Games (2012) Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner vs. Tom Hiddleston – The Avengers (2013) Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly vs. Orcs – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2014) Dylan O'Brien vs. Will Poulter – The Maze Runner (2015) Ryan Reynolds vs. Ed Skrein – Deadpool (2016) Gal Gadot vs. German soldiers – Wonder Woman (2018) Brie Larson vs. Gemma Chan – Captain Marvel (2019) No Award (2020) Courteney Cox vs. Ghostface – Scream VI (2023)
Scripted (2021–2022)	Elizabeth Olsen vs. Kathryn Hahn – WandaVision (2021) Sydney Sweeney vs. Alexa Demie – Euphoria (2022)
Unscripted (2021–2022)	Kourtney Kardashian vs. Kim Kardashian – Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2021) Bosco vs. Lady Camden – RuPaul's Drag Race (2022)

v t e MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss
1990s	Anna Chlumsky & Macaulay Culkin in My Girl (1992) Christian Slater & Marisa Tomei in Untamed Heart (1993) Demi Moore & Woody Harrelson in Indecent Proposal (1994) Jim Carrey & Lauren Holly in Dumb and Dumber (1995) Natasha Henstridge & Anthony Guidera in Species (1996) Will Smith & Vivica A. Fox in Independence Day (1997) Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore in The Wedding Singer (1998) Gwyneth Paltrow & Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1999)
2000s	Sarah Michelle Gellar & Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions (2000) Julia Stiles & Sean Patrick Thomas in Save the Last Dance (2001) Jason Biggs & Seann William Scott in American Pie 2 (2002) Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man (2003) Owen Wilson, Carmen Electra & Amy Smart in Starsky & Hutch (2004) Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams in The Notebook (2005) Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain (2006) Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2007) Briana Evigan & Robert Hoffman in Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight (2009)
2010s	Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2010) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2011) Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2012) Jennifer Lawrence & Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook (2013) Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston & Will Poulter in We're the Millers (2014) Ansel Elgort & Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars (2015) Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine in Pitch Perfect 2 (2016) Ashton Sanders & Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight (2017) Nick Robinson & Keiynan Lonsdale in Love, Simon (2018) Noah Centineo & Lana Condor in To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2019)
2020s	No award (2020) Chase Stokes & Madelyn Cline in Outer Banks (2021) Poopies & the Snake in Jackass Forever (2022) Madison Bailey & Rudy Pankow in Outer Banks (2023)

v t e MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Musical Moment
Best Song from a Movie (1992–1999, 2009, 2012)	Bryan Adams (1992) Whitney Houston (1993) Michael Jackson (1994) Stone Temple Pilots (1995) Brandy (1996) Bush (1997) Will Smith (1998) Aerosmith (1999) Miley Cyrus (2009) LMFAO (2012)
Best Musical Sequence (2000–2002, 2005, 2014)	Terrence and Philip (2000) Piper Perabo (2001) Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor (2002) Jon Heder (2005) Backstreet Boys, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Craig Robinson (2014)
Best Musical Moment (2013, 2017–present)	Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, and Hana Mae Lee (2013) Ensemble of Grease Live! (2017) Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown (2018) Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (2019) No Award (2020) Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Owen Joyner and Jeremy Shada (2021) Beabadoobee (2022) Sofia Carson (2023)

v t e MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Performance in a Movie
Best Male Performance (1992–2005, 2008–2016)	Arnold Schwarzenegger (1992) Denzel Washington (1993) Tom Hanks (1994) Brad Pitt (1995) Jim Carrey (1996) Tom Cruise (1997) Leonardo DiCaprio (1998) Jim Carrey (1999) Keanu Reeves (2000) Tom Cruise (2001) Will Smith (2002) Eminem (2003) Johnny Depp (2004) Leonardo DiCaprio (2005) Will Smith (2008) Zac Efron (2009) Robert Pattinson (2010) Robert Pattinson (2011) Josh Hutcherson (2012) Bradley Cooper (2013) Josh Hutcherson (2014) Bradley Cooper (2015) Leonardo DiCaprio (2016)
Best Female Performance (1992–2005, 2008–2016)	Linda Hamilton (1992) Sharon Stone (1993) Janet Jackson (1994) Sandra Bullock (1995) Alicia Silverstone (1996) Claire Danes (1997) Neve Campbell (1998) Cameron Diaz (1999) Sarah Michelle Gellar (2000) Julia Roberts (2001) Nicole Kidman (2002) Kirsten Dunst (2003) Uma Thurman (2004) Lindsay Lohan (2005) Elliot Page (2008) Kristen Stewart (2009) Kristen Stewart (2010) Kristen Stewart (2011) Jennifer Lawrence (2012) Jennifer Lawrence (2013) Jennifer Lawrence (2014) Shailene Woodley (2015) Charlize Theron (2016)
Best Performance (2006–2007, 2017–present)	Jake Gyllenhaal (2006) Johnny Depp (2007) Emma Watson (2017) Chadwick Boseman (2018) Lady Gaga (2019) No Award (2020) Chadwick Boseman (2021) Tom Holland (2022) Tom Cruise (2023)

v t e MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video
1980s	DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1989)
1990s	MC Hammer – "U Can't Touch This" (1990) LL Cool J – "Mama Said Knock You Out" (1991) Arrested Development – "Tennessee" (1992) Arrested Development – "People Everyday" (1993) Snoop Doggy Dogg – "Doggy Dogg World" (1994) Dr. Dre – "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" (1995) Coolio featuring L.V. – "Gangsta's Paradise" (1996) The Notorious B.I.G. – "Hypnotize" (1997) Will Smith – "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" (1998) Jay-Z featuring Ja Rule and Amil – "Can I Get A..." (1999)
2000s	Dr. Dre featuring Eminem – "Forgot About Dre" (2000) Nelly – "Ride wit Me" (2001) Eminem – "Without Me" (2002) 50 Cent – "In da Club" (2003) Jay-Z – "99 Problems" (2004) Ludacris – "Number One Spot" (2005) Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone – "Ridin'" (2006)

NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year

Dionne Warwick (1985)
Patti LaBelle (1986)
Dionne Warwick (1987)
Lionel Richie (1988)
Eddie Murphy (1989)
Oprah Winfrey (1990)
Patti LaBelle (1991)
Michael Jackson (1992)
Whitney Houston (1993)
Quincy Jones (1995)
Denzel Washington (1996)
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (1997)
Will Smith (1998)
Halle Berry (1999)
Steve Harvey (2000)
Beyoncé (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2012)
Kevin Hart (2013)
Taraji P. Henson (2014)
Michael B. Jordan (2015)
Dwayne Johnson (2016)
Ava DuVernay (2017)
Beyoncé (2018)
Lizzo (2019)
D-Nice (2020)
Jennifer Hudson (2021)
Angela Bassett (2022)
Usher (2023)
Keke Palmer (2024)

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Raymond St. Jacques (1969)
Jim Brown (1970)
Donald Sutherland (1971)
Billy Dee Williams (1972)
No Award (1973)
Bernie Casey (1974)
James Earl Jones (1975)
Bill Cosby (1976)
Billy Dee Williams (1977)
Paul Winfield (1978)
Michael Jackson (1979)
LeVar Burton (1980)
Richard Pryor (1981)
Louis Gossett Jr. (1982)
Eddie Murphy (1983)
Prince (1984)
Adolph Caesar (1985)
Gregory Hines (1986)
Danny Glover (1987)
Denzel Washington (1988)
Morgan Freeman (1989)
No Award (1990)
Wesley Snipes (1991)
Denzel Washington (1992)
Denzel Washington (1993)
No Award (1994)
Denzel Washington (1995)
Denzel Washington (1996)
Djimon Hounsou (1997)
Danny Glover (1998)
Denzel Washington (1999)
Denzel Washington (2000)
Denzel Washington (2001)
Denzel Washington (2002)
Cuba Gooding Jr. (2003)
Jamie Foxx (2004)
Samuel L. Jackson (2005)
Forest Whitaker (2006)
Denzel Washington (2007)
Will Smith (2008)
Morgan Freeman (2009)
Denzel Washington (2010)
Laz Alonso (2011)
Denzel Washington (2012)
Forest Whitaker (2013)
David Oyelowo (2014)
Michael B. Jordan (2015)
Denzel Washington (2016)
Daniel Kaluuya (2017)
Chadwick Boseman (2018)
Michael B. Jordan (2019)
Chadwick Boseman (2020)
Will Smith (2021)
Will Smith (2022)
Colman Domingo (2023)
Martin Lawrence (2024)

v t e NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children
1990s	Her Stories: African American Folktales, Fairy Tales and True Tales – Virginia Hamilton (1995) No Award (1996) No Award (1997) Let My People Go: Bible Stories Told by a Freeman of Color – Patricia McKissack and Fredrick L. McKissack Jr. (1998) No Award If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks – Faith Ringgold (1999)
2000s	Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children – Sandra Pinkney (2000) Just the Two of Us – Will Smith (2001) Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales – Nelson Mandela (2002) My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – Christine King Farris (2003) The 1963 Civil Rights March – Sabrina Crewe (2004) Girls Hold Up This World – Jada Pinkett Smith (2005) Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom – Carole Boston Weatherford (2006) Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson – Sue Stauffacher (2007) Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope – Nikki Grimes (2008) Our Children Can Soar – Michelle Cook (2009)
2010s	My Brother Charlie – Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete (2010) You Can Be a Friend – Tony and Lauren Dungy (2011) What Color is My World – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Raymond Obstfeld (2012) Nelson Mandela – Kadir Nelson (2013) Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Happily Ever After – Rachel Renée Russell (2014) Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America – Carole Boston Weatherford (2015) Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas – Gwendolyn Hooks (2016) Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History – Vashti Harrison (2017) Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race – Margot Lee Shetterly (2018) Sulwe – Lupita Nyong'o (2019)
2020s	She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm – Katheryn Russell-Brown (2020) Stacey’s Extraordinary Words – Stacey Abrams (2021) Stacey’s Remarkable Books – Stacey Abrams (2022) Crowned: Magical Folk and Fairy Tales from the Diaspora – Kahran Bethencourt (2023) You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Lil TJ Book – Taraji P. Henson and Paul Kellam (2024)

v t e NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video
1990s	"Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole (1991) "Black or White" – Michael Jackson (1992) "I'm Every Woman" – Whitney Houston (1993) No Award (1994) "Waterfalls" – TLC (1995) "I Believe I Can Fly" – R. Kelly (1996) "Stomp" – God's Property (1997) "Just the Two of Us" – Will Smith (1998) "Wild Wild West" – Will Smith (1999)
2000s	"I Wish" – R. Kelly (2000) "You Rock My World" – Michael Jackson (2001) "Little Things" – India Arie (2002) "Dance with My Father" – Luther Vandross (2003) "If I Ain't Got You" – Alicia Keys (2004) "Unbreakable" – Alicia Keys (2005) "Be Without You" – Mary J. Blige (2006) "Like You'll Never See Me Again" – Alicia Keys (2007) "Yes We Can" – will.i.am (2008) "I Look to You" – Whitney Houston (2009)
2010s	"Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" – Alicia Keys (2010) "Where You At?" – Jennifer Hudson (2011) "Girl on Fire" – Alicia Keys (2012) "Q.U.E.E.N." – Janelle Monáe featuring Erykah Badu (2013) "You & I (Nobody in the World)" – John Legend (2014) "Shame" – Tyrese Gibson (2015) "Formation" – Beyoncé (2016) "That's What I Like" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Juice" – Lizzo (2019)
2020s	"Brown Skin Girl" – Beyoncé, Saint Jhn, and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter (2020) "Essence" – Wizkid featuring Tems (2021) "Lift Me Up" – Rihanna (2022) "Sensational" – Chris Brown featuring Davido & Lojay (2023) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar (2024)

v t e National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
1945–1975	Ray Milland (1945) Laurence Olivier (1946) Michael Redgrave (1947) Walter Huston (1948) Ralph Richardson (1949) Alec Guinness (1950) Richard Basehart (1951) Ralph Richardson (1952) James Mason (1953) Bing Crosby (1954) Ernest Borgnine (1955) Yul Brynner (1956) Alec Guinness (1957) Spencer Tracy (1958) Victor Sjöström (1959) Robert Mitchum (1960) Albert Finney (1961) Jason Robards (1962) Rex Harrison (1963) Anthony Quinn (1964) Lee Marvin (1965) Paul Scofield (1966) Peter Finch (1967) Cliff Robertson (1968) Peter O'Toole (1969) George C. Scott (1970) Gene Hackman (1971) Peter O'Toole (1972) Al Pacino / Robert Ryan (1973) Gene Hackman (1974) Jack Nicholson (1975)
1976–2000	David Carradine (1976) John Travolta (1977) Jon Voight / Laurence Olivier (1978) Peter Sellers (1979) Robert De Niro (1980) Henry Fonda (1981) Ben Kingsley (1982) Tom Conti (1983) Victor Banerjee (1984) William Hurt / Raul Julia (1985) Paul Newman (1986) Michael Douglas (1987) Gene Hackman (1988) Morgan Freeman (1989) Robert De Niro / Robin Williams (1990) Warren Beatty (1991) Jack Lemmon (1992) Anthony Hopkins (1993) Tom Hanks (1994) Nicolas Cage (1995) Tom Cruise (1996) Jack Nicholson (1997) Ian McKellen (1998) Russell Crowe (1999) Javier Bardem (2000)
2001–present	Billy Bob Thornton (2001) Campbell Scott (2002) Sean Penn (2003) Jamie Foxx (2004) Philip Seymour Hoffman (2005) Forest Whitaker (2006) George Clooney (2007) Clint Eastwood (2008) George Clooney / Morgan Freeman (2009) Jesse Eisenberg (2010) George Clooney (2011) Bradley Cooper (2012) Bruce Dern (2013) Michael Keaton / Oscar Isaac (2014) Matt Damon (2015) Casey Affleck (2016) Tom Hanks (2017) Viggo Mortensen (2018) Adam Sandler (2019) Riz Ahmed (2020) Will Smith (2021) Colin Farrell (2022) Paul Giamatti (2023) Daniel Craig (2024)

People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actor

John Wayne (1975)
John Wayne (1976)
John Wayne (1977)
John Wayne (1978)
Burt Reynolds (1979)
Burt Reynolds (1980)
Clint Eastwood (1981)
Burt Reynolds (1982)
Burt Reynolds (1983)
Clint Eastwood / Burt Reynolds (1984)
Clint Eastwood (1985)
Sylvester Stallone (1986)
Clint Eastwood (1987)
Michael Douglas (1988)
Tom Cruise (1990)
Mel Gibson (1991)
Kevin Costner (1993)
Tom Hanks (1996)
Mel Gibson (1997)
Harrison Ford (1998)
Tom Hanks (1999)
Harrison Ford (2000)
Mel Gibson (2001)
Tom Hanks (2002)
Mel Gibson (2003)
Mel Gibson (2004)
Johnny Depp (2005)
Johnny Depp (2006)
Johnny Depp (2007)
Johnny Depp (2008)
Will Smith (2009)
Johnny Depp (2010)
Johnny Depp (2011)
Johnny Depp (2012)
Robert Downey Jr. (2013)
Johnny Depp (2014)
Robert Downey Jr. (2015)
Channing Tatum (2016)
Ryan Reynolds (2017)
Chadwick Boseman (2018)
Robert Downey Jr. (2019)
Will Smith (2020)
Dwayne Johnson (2021)
Chris Hemsworth (2022)

v t e Razzie Redeemer Award
Ben Affleck (2014) Sylvester Stallone (2015) Mel Gibson (2016) "A Safe Hollywood-Haven" (2017) Melissa McCarthy (2018) Eddie Murphy (2019) No Award (2020/21) Will Smith (2021) Colin Farrell (2022) Fran Drescher (2023) Pamela Anderson (2024)

Saturn Award for Best Actor

James Caan / Don Johnson (1974/75)
David Bowie (1976)
George Burns (1977)
Warren Beatty (1978)
George Hamilton (1979)
Mark Hamill (1980)
Harrison Ford (1981)
William Shatner (1982)
Mark Hamill (1983)
Jeff Bridges (1984)
Michael J. Fox (1985)
Jeff Goldblum (1986)
Jack Nicholson (1987)
Tom Hanks (1988)
Jeff Daniels (1989/90)
Anthony Hopkins (1991)
Gary Oldman (1992)
Robert Downey Jr. (1993)
Martin Landau (1994)
George Clooney (1995)
Eddie Murphy (1996)
Pierce Brosnan (1997)
James Woods (1998)
Tim Allen (1999)
Hugh Jackman (2000)
Tom Cruise (2001)
Robin Williams (2002)
Elijah Wood (2003)
Tobey Maguire (2004)
Christian Bale (2005)
Brandon Routh (2006)
Will Smith (2007)
Robert Downey Jr. (2008)
Sam Worthington (2009)
Jeff Bridges (2010)
Michael Shannon (2011)
Matthew McConaughey (2012)
Robert Downey Jr. (2013)
Chris Pratt (2014)
Harrison Ford (2015)
Ryan Reynolds (2016)
Mark Hamill (2017)
Robert Downey Jr. (2018/19)
John David Washington (2019/20)
Tom Cruise (2021/22)
Harrison Ford (2022/23)
Nicolas Cage (2023/24)

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

v t e DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
DJ Jazzy Jeff The Fresh Prince
Studio albums	Rock the House (1987) He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) And in This Corner... (1989) Homebase (1991) Code Red (1993)
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits (1998)
Singles	"Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble" "A Nightmare on My Street" "Parents Just Don't Understand" "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" "Yo Home to Bel Air" "Summertime" "Ring My Bell" "The Things That U Do" "You Saw My Blinker" "Boom! Shake the Room" "I'm Looking for the One (To Be with Me)" "Lovely Daze"
Related articles	Discography Ready Rock C The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

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