Fresh Prince's original show decided to use Will Smith's real name because Smith already had name recognition from his music career, plus Smith and Carlton actor Alfonso Ribeiro realized they would be called by their characters' names for eternity if the show became a hit.
Smith. The television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which began in 1990, was loosely based on Smith's real-life persona. It ran on NBC for six successful seasons, ending at the star's request, and during its run Smith garnered two Golden Globe Award nominations and served as an executive…
While speaking with CBS Mornings about his Fresh Prince days, Smith revealed that when the show's executive producer, Quincy Jones, asked him if he could act, he lied and said yes. At the time, Smith's entertainment industry experience had been restricted to performing as a rapper alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff.
They briefly met in 1994 when Pinkett Smith auditioned for a role as Smith's character's girlfriend on the '90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Unfortunately, the five-foot actress didn't get the part because she was too short. Instead, the role went to Nia Long.
Like many scripted shows, Smith was quite a few years older than the teenage character he was playing. When the first episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered in September 1990, Smith was 22 years old. Banks was 23 years old when the first episode of Bel-Air aired in February 2022.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Will Smith's net worth is $350 million as of 2023. These earnings are thanks to an entertainment career spanning over three decades, from his work as a rapper to his many roles as an actor and producer behind the scenes.
Will Smith's character was actually supposed to brush off the whole thing, but Will's father actually had left him when he was younger and he just fell apart on the set and the hug at the end was from one actor to another, not one character to another.
Fan reaction and letters to Will Smith and NBC persuaded them to renew the show. It ran for two more seasons and ended when Joseph Marcell (Geoffrey the Butler) said he intended to quit his role and return to the UK, prompting the rest of the cast to quit their roles and end the series.
Contrary to what many people assumed, Hubert was not fired from the show. In fact, she turned down a new contract offer following the third season in the hopes of a renegotiation. "They offered me 10 weeks of work and they said you can't work anywhere else.
Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs together under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US.
He then dropped out of school by 19 and was later arrested for car theft. At some point, he met Vy, who he had a child with. However, Lou would only get to know Will for the first few years of his life, as he would be sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault and robbery of an old man who supposedly owed him money.
The two were locked in that epic embrace when Avery doled out even more encouragement. “While he's hugging me, he whispers in my ear, 'That's f---ing acting right there,” recalled Smith, who also revealed the motivation behind that performance. “I wanted him to want me. I wanted him to approve of me.”
Sheree Zampino was married to Will Smith for three years, and the two share one son, Trey Smith. Both went on to marry other people — Smith tied the knot with actress Jada Pinkett Smith in December 1997, while Zampino married former NFL player Terrell Fletcher in 2007 (although they divorced in 2014).
Avery, who played the Banks' towering and strict patriarch, was born in 1945 and thus was 45 when the first season was on the air. This falls in line with how old his character, a successful judge, was supposed to be as well.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum is the father of four kids, sharing three with his wife Angela and one with ex-wife Robin Stapler. Alfonso's daughter, Sienna, is the actor's eldest child, who he shares with Stapler.
Acting. When Smith branched out into television with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jazzy Jeff played a character named Jazz, Smith's best friend on the show. Jazzy Jeff was initially a recurring character in the first season, but became a regular shortly thereafter.
Lou then shows up in the final episode of season one, and it's revealed that he didn't actually abandon his family — he was serving time in prison and didn't want Will to see him behind bars.
