Actor Will Smith, who was made famous by the movies, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Where the Day Takes You, Six Degrees of Separation, Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, and Enemy of the State, testified that his faith is what got him to where he is today.

In an interview with preacher and producer DeVon Franklin for his upcoming film, King Richard,

The actor says, "You can't get where I get if you don't love the Lord, you don't get to sit how I sit, move how I move if you don't love the Lord. You'd be seeing a whole lot of other repercussions."

Early Years

Born Willard Carrol Smith, Jr. on September 25, 1968, Smith grew up in a middle-income home. His father, William C. Smith, who owned a refrigeration company, and his mother, Caroline, a school board employee, saw that young Will get a good education. 

Although Baptists, Will was enrolled by his parents in a strict Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, then Overbrook High School.

In this interview with Franklin, Smith said that during these years, it was his grandmother who was his biggest influence when it came to his faith.

"You and I have talked about my relationship with my grandmother," Smith said, "So that concept of faith and that power of faith, I might be going a little too deep here, but there's a distinction. There's faith in God, and then there's knowledge of God."

West Philadelphia was quite a diverse community where Muslims co-existed with Orthodox Jews. It was in his environment that Smith learned how to deal with people. Gifted with charisma and wit, he was known for being able to get himself out of trouble. Hence, Will was nicknamed by peers and neighbors as "Prince."

From Singing to Acting

His singing career began at age 16 when he met and made friends with Jeff Townes. As DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince duo, they launched a successful rap career. 

This catapulted him to the big screen. As a star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for six seasons, Will established himself as a Hollywood star. Movie after movie followed. While The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air established him as a star, Bad Boys (1995) and Independence Day (1996) made him a Holywood A-lister.

Men In Black (1997) followed and Hitch (2005). In 2001, Smith got his Oscar nominations for the movies Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).

Respect for Other Faiths

The reality of Smith's faith in God is evident in how he relates with other people. Even among his friends in the industry, the actor is known for his amiable spirit with everyone, respecting their faith while remaining true to his.

Smith explains this by saying, "You don't have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don't have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don't have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise…I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions. And I respect all people and all paths."