Family and early life

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Jada Koren Pinkett was named after her mother's favorite soap-opera actress, Jada Rowland. Pinkett Smith is of African American, West Indian (from Jamaica and Barbados), Creole, and Portuguese-Jewish ancestry. Her parents are Adrienne Banfield-Jones, the head nurse of an inner-city clinic in Baltimore, and Robsol Pinkett, Jr., who ran a construction company. Banfield-Jones became pregnant in high school; the couple married but divorced after several months. Banfield-Jones raised Pinkett with the help of her own mother, Marion Martin Banfield, a social worker. Banfield noticed her granddaughter's passion for the performing arts and enrolled her in piano, tap dance, and ballet lessons. She has a younger brother, actor/writer Caleeb Pinkett.

Pinkett Smith has remained close to her mother and said, "A mother and daughter's relationship is usually the most honest, and we are so close." She also added: " understood what I wanted and never stood in my way." She participated as the maid of honor in Banfield-Jones' 1998 wedding to telecommunications executive Paul Jones. Pinkett Smith has shown great admiration for her grandmother, saying, "My grandmother was a doer who wanted to create a better community and add beauty to the world."

Pinkett Smith attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, where she met and became lifelong friends with classmate Tupac Shakur. She majored in dance and theatre and graduated in 1989. She continued her education at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and became fully invested in pursuing her acting career. She ultimately moved to Los Angeles, California, where she quickly found success in show business.

Acting career

She began her acting career in 1990, when she starred in an episode of True Colors. She then appeared in a television pilot for a supernatural drama titled Moe's World that was never aired. She received guest roles in television shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991) and 21 Jump Street (1991). She earned a role on comedian Bill Cosby's NBC television sitcom A Different World in 1991, as college freshman Lena James.

In 1994, Pinkett Smith acted with Keenen Ivory Wayans in the action and comedy film A Low Down Dirty Shame. She described her character, Peaches, as "raw" with "major attitude", and her acting garnered positive reviews. The New York Times noted, "Ms. Pinkett, whose performance is as sassy and sizzling as a Salt-n-Pepa recording, walks away with the movie."

1996-2000

Following a role in Demon Knight (1995), Pinkett Smith co-starred with actor and comedian Eddie Murphy in the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor. The film opened in 2,000 theaters and earned $25 million in its first weekend.

Next, Pinkett Smith had a role in Set It Off (1996), a crime drama about four women who rob banks to escape from poverty. With Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise, her acting in the film was noted in the San Francisco Chronicle where they named her as "the one to watch".

In 1997, Pinkett Smith had a cameo role in Scream 2 as Maureen Evans, a college student who is brutally murdered in front of hundreds of cinemagoers. The film made over $100 million at the US box office. In 2000, Pinkett Smith was cast in Spike Lee's film Bamboozled (2000), as Sloan Hopkins, a personal assistant to the main character portrayed by Damon Wayans. Although the film met with mediocre reviews, it won the Freedom of Expression Award by the National Board of Review.

2001-present

Perhaps her best-known role to date is the part of human rebel Niobe in the films The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and video game Enter The Matrix (2003) sequels to 1999's The Matrix. The character was eventually written, specifically, with Pinkett Smith in mind. Directly after she filmed her scenes for Ali, Pinkett Smith flew to Australia to work on the Matrix sequels. The sequels earned over $91 million and $48 million during opening weekends, respectively.

In 2008, Pinkett Smith portrayed Alex Fisher, a lesbian author, in The Women. Pinkett Smith's directorial debut was The Human Contract; she also wrote and acted in the movie. Starring Paz Vega and Idris Elba, it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. In January 2009, she started working on the TNT medical drama Hawthorne, in which she was executive producer and a starring cast member. In September 2011, the show was cancelled by TNT, after three seasons. In spring 2012, Pinkett Smith launched a web series entitled Red Table Talks, with the first episode featuring her daughter and her mother, in order to encourage dialogue within families. Beginning in 2014, she starred in the first season of the Fox's crime drama Gotham as the notorious gangster Fish Mooney.

Musical career

I listened to all kinds of metal as a kid. Metallica, Guns N' Roses. I would always look at Axl Rose and say, "Why aren't there any chicks out there doing this now?" I always wanted an opportunity to get out there and rock out.

—Pinkett Smith on why she created Wicked Wisdom

Under the stage name Jada Koren, Pinkett Smith formed the metal band Wicked Wisdom in 2002. The band consists of Pinkett Smith performing lead vocals, Pocket Honore (guitar, vocals), Cameron "Wirm" Graves (guitar, keyboard, vocals), and Rio (bass, vocals). The band is managed by James Lassiter and Miguel Melendez of Overbrook Entertainment, a company co-founded by Pinkett Smith's husband Will Smith.

The band's self-titled debut album was released on February 21, 2006, by Pinkett Smith's production company 100% Womon and Suburban Noize Records. Will Smith served as the project's executive producer. The album made it to Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart, and peaked at number 44 during the week of March 11, 2006. AllMusic reviewer Alex Henderson said of the album, " shows herself to be an expressive, commanding singer" and that " shows considerable promise". The band promoted the album in 2006, touring with heavy metal band Sevendust.

Onyx Hotel Tour

Wicked Wisdom landed a slot on Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel Tour in 2004, one of the year's highest-profile tours. The band opened for Spears for eight dates in April and May 2004, during the European leg of the tour.

Ozzfest 2005

In 2005, Sharon Osbourne went to see Wicked Wisdom perform at a small nightclub in Los Angeles. She said, "I was blown away. When you see and hear Jada with her band it's apparent that she has nothing but love and respect for this genre of music". In May 2005 organizers announced Wicked Wisdom would perform on the second stage of 2005's Ozzfest. Fans of the festival were outraged, claiming the band did not have the credibility to perform at the music festival. Aware of the questions about the band's addition to Ozzfest, Pinkett Smith said, "I'm not here asking for any favors. You've got to show and prove. And not every audience is going to go for it." Wicked Wisdom's guitarist Pocket Honore said while early dates of the tour were rocky, "once word got out that we weren't a joke, people started coming out and by the sixth or seventh gig we were on fire". Pinkett Smith agreed, saying, "After seven dates within the Ozzfest tour, the whole attitude of it started to turn around once the word of mouth started getting out."

Personal life

Jada met Will Smith in 1994 on the set of Smith's television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, when she auditioned for the role of his character's girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes. She was considered too short and the role went to actress Nia Long. Jada and Will became friends, and began dating in 1995. On December 31, 1997, about 100 guests attended their wedding at The Cloisters, near her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Regarding her marriage, Jada said that they are "private people" and told one interviewer, "I will throw my career away before I let it break up our marriage. I made it clear to Will. I'd throw it away completely".

Jada and Will have two children, Jaden (b. 1998), and Willow (b. 2000). She is also the stepmother of Trey Smith, Will's son from a previous marriage.

Will commented in 2008 on their parenting styles: "We're not strict but we definitely believe it's a very important component for rearing children. It creates safety for them. They understand that they need guidance." Jaden and Willow are attending public school once again. The family resides in a 27,000 square foot (2,500 m2) home, on 100 acres (40 ha), in Malibu.

Business ventures

After opening her music company 100% Womon Productions, Pinkett Smith created her own fashion label, Maja, in 1994. The clothing line features women's T-shirts and dresses embellished with the slogan "Sister Power", sold primarily through small catalogs.

In 2003, Pinkett Smith and Smith helped to create the television series All of Us, which originally aired on UPN. Pinkett Smith published her first children's book, Girls Hold Up This World, in 2004. "I wrote the book for Willow and for her friends and for all the little girls in the world who need affirmation about being female in this pretty much masculine world. I really tried to capture different sides of femininity. I want girls in the world to feel powerful, to know they have the power to change the world in any way they wish."

In 2005, Pinkett Smith became one of many celebrities to invest a combined total of $10 million in Carol's Daughter, a line of beauty products created by Lisa Price. She became a spokesperson for the beauty line, and said, "To be a part of another African American woman's dream was just priceless to me."

She also is a shareholder the Philadelphia 76ers with her husband Will Smith and other partners.

Charity work and politics

Together with Smith, Pinkett Smith has created the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland, a charity which focuses on youth in urban inner cities and family support. Her aunt, Karen Banfield Evans, is the foundation's executive director. The charity was awarded the David Angell Humanitarian Award by The American Screenwriters Association (ASA) in 2006. The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation has provided grants to non-profit organizations such as YouthBuild, and Pinkett Smith has made personal donations to organizations such as Capital K-9s.

In December 2006, she donated $1 million to the Baltimore School for the Arts in memory of her friend Tupac.

When Pinkett Smith's aunt, Karen Banfield Evans, was diagnosed with lupus, the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, in association with the Lupus Foundation of America and Maybelline, held the first annual "Butterflies Over Hollywood" event on September 29, 2007, at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The event raised funds for LFA public and professional educational programs. The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation was presented with an award in 2007 at the 4th Annual Lupus Foundation of America Awards.

In 2012, on behalf of PETA, Pinkett Smith wrote a letter to Baltimore's mayor, asking that the visiting Ringling Brothers Circus "comply with Baltimore’s absolute prohibition of the use of devices such as bullhooks" and not harm the elephants. In 2013, she appeared in a video clip for Gucci's "Chime for Change" campaign that aims to raise funds and awareness of women's issues globally.

In 1997, Pinkett Smith was the emcee of the Million Woman March in Philadelphia.

Scientology

After meeting Tom Cruise during the filming of Collateral in 2004, Pinkett Smith and Smith donated $20,000 to the Hollywood Education and Literacy Program (HELP), Scientology's basis for homeschooling. The couple came under fire in 2008 when they decided to fund New Village Leadership Academy, a private elementary school located in Calabasas, California (now defunct). The school employed teachers dedicated to Scientology and featured controversial methodologies like Study Technology, created by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The couple have denied claims that they are themselves Scientologists.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Menace II Society	Ronnie
1994	The Inkwell	Lauren Kelly
1994	Jason's Lyric	Lyric
1994	A Low Down Dirty Shame	Peaches
1995	Demon Knight	Jeryline
1996	The Nutty Professor	Carla Purty
1996	If These Walls Could Talk	Patti	Made for television movie
1996	Set It Off	Lida "Stony" Newsome
1997	I Know What You Did Last Summer	Jennifer "Jenny" Phillippe
1997	Scream 2	Maureen Evans	Cameo; credited as "Jada Pinkett"
1997	Princess Mononoke	Toki	Voice Actor
1998	Woo	Darlene
1998	Blossoms and Veils	Raven	Short film
1998	Return to Paradise	M.J. Dc
1999	Princess Mononoke	Toki	Voice English dub
2000	Bamboozled	Sloan Hopkins
2001	Kingdom Come	Charisse Slocumb
2001	Ali	Sonji Roi
2003	The Matrix Reloaded	Niobe
2003	Enter the Matrix	Niobe	Video game, voice, and motion capture performance Full motion video
2003	The Matrix Revolutions	Niobe
2003	Maniac Magee	Amanda Beale
2004	Collateral	Annie Farrell
2005	Madagascar	Gloria	Voice
2007	Reign Over Me	Janeane Johnson
2008	The Women	Alex Fisher
2008	Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	Gloria	Voice
2008	The Human Contract	Rita	Debuted at Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. Written and directed by Pinkett Smith.
2009	Merry Madagascar	Gloria	Voice
2012	Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted	Gloria	Voice
2013	Madly Madagascar	Gloria	Voice
2015	Magic Mike XXL	Rome
2016	Bad Moms		Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	True Colors	Beverly	1 episode
1990	Moe's World	Natalie	Television movie
1991	21 Jump Street	Nicole	1 episode
1991	Doogie Howser, M.D	Trish Andrews	1 episode
1991-1993	A Different World	Lena James	44 episodes
2009-2011	Hawthorne	Christina Hawthorne	Lead role
2014-present	Gotham	Fish Mooney	Series regular (season 1) Recurring (season 2)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref
1997	Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture	Set It Off	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series	If These Walls Could Talk	Won
1998	Blockbuster Entertainment Award	Favorite Supporting Actress - Horror	Scream 2	Won
2001	Black Reel Award	Theatrical - Best Actress	Bamboozled	Won
	Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture		Won
2002	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	Ali	Nominated
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress - Drama/Action Adventure	The Matrix Reloaded	Won
2004	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture	The Matrix Revolutions	Won
2005	BET Comedy Award	Best Performance in an Animated Theatrical Film	Madagascar	Won
	Black Reel Award	Best Supporting Actress	Collateral	Won
	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2009	Golden Raspberry Award	Worst Actress	The Women	Nominated
2010	Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Hawthorne	Won
2011	Image Award	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series		Nominated
2015	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Gotham	Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Actress in a New TV Series		Nominated

Charities

Jada Pinkett Smith supports the following charitable causes: Women's Issues, Cancer, Breast Cancer.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]