Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith in 2001.
Born	Jada Koren Pinkett
Other names	Jada Koren
Spouse	Will Smith (1997-Present)

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith (born September 18, 1971) is an American actress and hardrock/metal singer. She is married to actor/rapper Will Smith. Pinkett is also lead singer of heavy metal band Wicked Wisdom.

Early life

Pinkett Smith was born Jada Koren Pinkett in Baltimore, Maryland, the daughter of Adrienne Banfield, the head nurse of an inner-city clinic in Baltimore, and Robsol Pinkett, Jr., who runs a construction company. Her parents divorced after only a few months of marriage and her mother has since re-married twice; Her mother became pregnant with her while still in high school. Pinkett Smith majored in theatre at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she met classmate Tupac Shakur with whom she developed a close friendship. In the documentary Tupac: Resurrection, Shakur says, "Jada is my heart and soul. She will be my friend for my whole life." Also in this documentary, Pinkett Smith calls Shakur "one of my best friends. He was like a brother. It was beyond friendship for us. The type of relationship we had, you only get that once in a lifetime." The two remained close friends until Shakur's death in 1996. After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, Pinkett Smith then spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Pinkett Smith is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

Career

Pinkett Smith's big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of college freshman Lena James on the NBC television sitcom A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show. She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Society (1993). She did not gain widespread recognition, however, until her role opposite Eddie Murphy in the remake of The Nutty Professor (1996). The following year, she had a minor part in the opening scene to the horror film Scream 2. In 2001 she co-starred with her husband Will in the Academy Award-nominated film Ali as the first wife of Cassius Clay. In 2003, she starred as Niobe in the Matrix series (Will Smith was originally considered for the role of Neo). In 2004, Pinkett appeared in the film Collateral alongside Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. In 2007, she starred in the Mike Binder film, Reign Over Me, also starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle.

In addition to being in front of the camera, she has spent time behind it directing music videos. She has also created "Maja," a line of women's T-shirts and dresses that are mostly sold through small catalogs, and is a major investor in the black female-owned cosmetics business, Carol's Daughter.

Pinkett Smith is the vocalist for the metal band Wicked Wisdom, which released a self-titled debut album on February 21, 2006. The band also toured Ozzfest in the summer of 2005 as part of the second stage lineup. In 2006 the band played the Download Festival in Castle Donington, UK as one of the first bands on the Friday.

Personal life

Pinkett Smith married rapper/actor Will Smith on December 31, 1997, and together they had a son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (b. July 8, 1998); and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign Smith (b. October 31, 2000). The two met when Pinkett auditioned for Lisa Wilkes in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She is also a stepmother to Smith's son from a former marriage with Sheree Zampino, named Willard Christopher Smith III. Jada Pinkett Smith co-founded the Will and Jada Foundation with her husband Will Smith. The foundation gives money towards youth educational projects and helps deprived children from inner cities and their families. In December 2006, Jada donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts, in memory of her friend and late rapper Tupac Shakur.

Awards and nominations

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2005, Best Supporting Actress: Collateral (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best Actress: Bamboozled (Nominated)

• Image Awards
  • 2005, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Collateral (Nominated)
  • 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: The Matrix: Revolutions (Nominated)
  • 2002, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Ali (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Bamboozled (Nominated)
  • 1997, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Set It Off (Nominated)
  • 1997, Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series/Television Movie: If These Walls Could Talk (Nominated)

Filmography

• Menace II Society (1993)
• The Inkwell (1994)
• Jason's Lyric (1994)
• A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)
• Demon Knight (1995)
• The Nutty Professor (1996)
• Set It Off (1996)
• Princess Mononoke (1997) Toki - voice (English version)
• Scream 2 (1997)
• Woo (1998)
• Return to Paradise (1998)
• Bamboozled (2000)
• Welcome to Hollywood (2000)
• Kingdom Come (2001)
• Ali (2001)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• Enter The Matrix (2003)
• The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
• Collateral (2004)
• Madagascar (2005) (voice)
• "Ozzfest 10th Anniversary" (performance with Wicked Wisdom)
• (Set This) World Ablaze (2005) (cameo)
• Reign Over Me (2007)

Upcoming:

• The Women (2008)
• The Human Contract (2008)
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) (voice)

External links

• Jada Pinkett Smith at IMDb
• Jada Pinkett Smith's charity work
• Official Website of Jada Pinkett Smith