Will Smith Net Worth: How Did the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' Make His Fortune?

Will Smith, a famous actor who is known for films such as "I am Legend," "Men in Black," and the series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," has had a steady career building his wealth and reputation.

The Black actor's estimated net worth comes to a whopping $350 million, and it's not just his financial status that is surprising. Smith owes the majority of his fortune to his acting career, with his films having grossed a total of $9.3 billion at the global box office.

Will Smith's Net Worth

A third of his total film gross, which is roughly $3.86 billion, comes from his top five highest-grossing films, which are "Aladdin" (2019) with $1.05 billion, "Independence Day" (1996) with $817.4 million, "Suicide Squad" (2016) with $746.8 million, "Hancock" (2008) with $629.4 million, and "Men in Black 3" (2012) with $624 million.

Aside from his popularity in the film industry, Smith makes it big on social media with more than 60 million followers on his Instagram page, @willsmith. In terms of real estate, Smith has owned at least nine homes around the world over the course of his marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith. The properties include a luxurious $42 million mansion located in Calabasas, California, a $13.5 million beach house in Hawaii, and a $2.5 million motorhome, as per Fox Business.

Due to his success as an actor, having an extensive catalog of films and series, he has long been one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. In "Pursuit of Happyness" (2006) where he played a father to a kid who was portrayed by his real-life son Jaden Smith, he earned a total of $71.4 million.

According to AS English, this amount dwarfed what he made in several of his movies, such as "Kich Richard" (2021) with $40 million and "Bright" (2017) with $27 million. But Smith's largest take comes from the highly popular "Men in Black 3" (2012) where he reportedly earned a whopping $100 million for reprising the role of Agent J for the second time.

Actor's Paychecks

Despite his vast wealth and fortune today, he was broke and out of money when filming the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which arguably saved his career. His condition led the IRS to take 70% of his paycheck for the first three seasons of the beloved series.

Smith's financial status during his younger years was a result of fans losing interest in his musical career. Furthermore, he neglected to pay his taxes during the time that he was earning a lot of money. The IRS said that the actor neglected to pay $2.8 million worth of taxes at the time.

Super producer Quincy Jones then approached Smith with an offer of starring in a television show that came with a hefty paycheck. While initially reluctant to agree, the IRS gave a not-so-subtle encouragement for him to sign on to the project so that he could pay for his debts. The actor later said that it was "terrible" to have that kind of success but still "quietly be broke," as per Celebrity Net Worth.

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