Will Smith

R.I.P (July 1973-November 2013)

Will was born on July 3, 1973 in West Philadelphia. When he was five, he was abandoned by his father Lou, leaving his mother Viola to raise him in poverty. At 17, a local bully named Omar assaulted Will after he accidentally bounced a basketball on him. Because of the many dangers of living in a ghetto, Viola placed her son in the hands of his aunt and uncle Vivian and Philip Banks in the wealthy surburb of Bel-Air, California. At arrival in the Bel-Air mansion, his rude attitude and slang shocks his uncle, while his aunt tries to stay neutral. Uncle Philip doesn't appreciate his influence over his sheltered daughter Ashley. Nonetheless, the whole family soon becomes fond of Will. Carlton (Smith's cousin) is introduced, whom gets made fun of all the time by Will because of his short size and preppy nature. They compete over many things, like impressing women in "Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect" or basketball. Their relations together are at first tight, especially during a flashback of Will's first day at school, where his cousin attempts to get him fired because of his jealousy over Will. Later, Will gets homesick so to cheer him up, his aunt Vivian invite a friend over, Ice Tray. The street-smart teenager still has trouble to adopt the family's traditions, such as their strange way of celebrating Christmas. Also, Smith has trouble bonding with the Banks, except for Ashley. In "Knowledge is Power", Will blackmails his cousin Hilary after hearing she dropped out of school without telling her parents. Will becomes friends with Jazz, whom he met in "Bang the Drum, Ashley ". Will apparently spends most of his time hanging out with him and his other friends from Compton. The season ends with Hilary getting fond of Jazz (who has a crush on Hilary ) after he defends her from mean insults.

Season 2 begins with Will revealing to the Banks that he plans on marrying his girlfriends Catherine. However, after an earthquake jams the basement door they were in, Will finds out in horror that his girlfriend used fake nails, a wig and other accessories to look nice. Smith is disgusted and they decide to break up. Later, Ashley confides to Will that a girl keeps bullying her at school. After that, when Will asks for $200 for the homecoming party, Philip says that he'll accept despite the large sum, because he thinks of Will as his own son. Will thinks about what his uncle said and realizes that he's turning soft, becoming more and more like Carlton, so he gets a job as a waiter to earn the money like a man. The competition between Carlton and his cousin doesn't stop, especially after Will shows great intelligence b beating Carlton in his PSAT scores. This season shows Will's gambling skills, as he rakes in $1000 in a charity casino, but also his greed, when he wants to keep the money after being told that he was supposed to donate it for charity. At the season's end, Carlton bonds more with Will when they both get into trouble for pawning Vivian's bracelet for money. Having lost all $400, they decide to attend a job as stripteasers, but get caught by Vivian.