Jada Pinkett Smith (born Jada Koren Pinkett on September 18, 1971) is an African-American actress.
Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland and later attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. It was there that she met the late Tupac Shakur; the two become close friends. Smith has been quoted as saying that she knew both of them were going to make it but wasn't sure to what degree. Together they studied classical art forms such as ballet.
Smith first made a name for herself as a regular on the NBC sitcom A Different World. She had auditioned for a role on another NBC sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but lost the part because the producers felt she was too short to complement the sitcom's star, actor/rapper Will Smith. Ironically, she married Will Smith in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998) and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000). Will has a son from a previous marriage, Willard Christopher III, also known as "Trey", Jada refers to Trey as her bonus son.
Smith is a prominent member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the oldest historically black collegiate sorority.
Smith is also the front-woman of Wicked Wisdom, a metal band who performed at Ozzfest in 2005.
