Age: 57
male
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor and rapper. Known for variety of roles, Smith has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award and four Grammy Awards. Smith began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996). He first gained recognition as part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom he released five studio albums and the US 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 1984 to 1994. He released the solo albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), and Lost and Found (2005), which contained the US number-one singles "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" and "Wild Wild West". He has received four Grammy Awards for his rap performances. Smith achieved wider fame as a leading man in films such as the action film Bad Boys (1995), its sequels Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys for Life (2020), and the sci-fi comedies Men in Black (1997), Men in Black II (2002), and Men in Black 3 (2012). After starring in the thrillers Independence Day (1996) and Enemy of the State (1998), he received Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his portrayal as Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001), and as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). He then starred in a range of commercially successful films, including I, Robot (2004), Shark Tale (2004), Hitch (2005), I Am Legend (2007), Hancock (2008), Seven Pounds (2008), Suicide Squad (2016) and Aladdin (2019). For his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical sports drama King Richard (2021), Smith won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.
York, called "Big Medicine" by the Native Americans, was an enslaved African American man who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their famous expedition to explore the western territories of the United States in the early 19th century. Despite being considered property at the time, York was a valuable member of the expedition, serving as a hunter, guide, and translator. He was one of the few members of the expedition to be well-regarded by both Lewis and Clark, who recognized his skills and bravery. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, took place from 1804 to 1806. Its goal was to explore the newly acquired western territories of the United States and find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. York was one of the few members of the expedition to complete the entire journey, which covered over 8,000 miles and took more than two years to complete. Despite his contributions to the expedition, York's role has often been downplayed or ignored in many historical accounts. Nevertheless, he remains an important figure in American history and is recognized for his bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity.
