Will Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him. Smith's first major role was in the drama Six Degrees of Separation. He later did the action film Bad Boys in 1995. In 1996, Smith starred in Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time.
He later struck gold in 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the hit Men in Black. In 1998, Smith starred in Enemy of the State. He later turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix. He did it in favor of Wild Wild West. In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span. December 10, 2007, Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world-renowned Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
	Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend. Its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J. Will Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in two productions. They worked together in the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness. They have also starred in the science fiction film After Earth, which was released on May 31, 2013.