Jada Pinkett Smith

September 18, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Jada Pinkett Smith was born on September 18, 1971. In addition to being a successful entrepreneur, a mother of three, and an inspiration to millions, she started her acting career in 1990 and gradually gained recognition for her outstanding performances in several well-known movies, including “Magic Mike XXL,” “Menace II Society,” and “The Matrix Revolution.” So let’s learn a little bit more about Smith as we celebrate her birthday.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith

Birth date:

September 18, 1971

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Virgo

Height:

5' 0"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$50 million

Background

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Her mother, Adrienne Banfield-Jones, was the Baltimore inner-city clinic’s head nurse, while her father, Robsol Pinkett Jr., owned a construction company. She was named after Jada Rowland, who was her mother’s favorite actress. After the separation of her parents, Smith was raised by her mother and grandmother. Her grandmother, Marion Martin Banfield, was a social worker. She was also the first one to notice Smith’s inclination toward performing arts and enrolled her in tap dance, ballet, and piano lessons.

Smith also attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. It was during her time at this school that she got acquainted with her classmate Tupac Shakur, and the two became good friends. She graduated in 1989 with a major in dance. After her graduation, Smith attended the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Smith began a career in acting in 1990 with an appearance in “True Colors.” Thereafter, in 1991, she bagged guest roles in various T.V. shows, such as “21 Jump Street,” “Doggie Howser, M.D.,” and “A Different World.” She garnered acclaim for her performances in “A Low Down Dirty Shame” and “Jason’s Lyric” in 1994. Moreover, she rose to prominence for her role as the human rebel ‘Niobe’ in the 2003 sequel to “The Matrix.” From 2014 onward, Smith found commercial success for her performances in “Gotham,” “Bad Moms,” and “Girls Trip.” In 2021, “Time” magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Career timeline

1993

Her First Feature Film

Smith appears in the film “Menace II Society” as ‘Ronnie.’

1996

Her Rise to Prominence

Smith stars in the remake of the film “The Nutty Professor” as well as the lead in “Set It Off.”

2008

An Actor Turned Director

She makes her directorial debut in “The Human Contract.”

2018

Her Talk Show

Smith hosts “Red Table Talk,” which focuses on various topics and features her daughter as well as her mother.

Why We Love Jada Pinkett Smith

She speaks her mind
Smith announced her boycott of the Academy Awards ceremony in 2016 after her husband, Will Smith, did not receive a 'Best Actor nomination' for his film "Concussion," and she added that there was an obvious lack of diversity in the nominations, with no African-American actors or actresses nominated that year. Furthermore, she openly said that African-American artists were only called to give away awards and entertain and that their achievements were hardly acknowledged.
Her philanthropy
Smith and her husband manage the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, which helps disadvantaged inner-city youngsters and families. She has also made personal donations to groups such as 'Capital K-9s,' and in 2006, she donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts. She also works to end human trafficking and produced the C.N.N. program "Children for Sale."
She is a powerful role model
All of her humanitarian activity centers around the empowerment of women, particularly women of color. Smith also served as the emcee for the 1997 Million Woman March in Philadelphia. She believes that women should be allowed to be unique and that when a woman makes decisions for herself, others should not impose rigid limitations on themselves or others.

5 Surprising Facts

She is also a musician
Smith established a rock band in 2002 named Wicked Wisdom.
She is an author
She wrote a children’s book in 2004 titled “Girls Hold Up The World,” honoring her daughter.
Her production company
Smith also owns a music company named 100% Women Productions.
Her entrepreneurial venture
The actor is the co-founder of Hey Humans, a sustainable personal care brand.
She met Will at an audition
She met her husband, Will Smith, during an audition for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”