Will Smith's Greatest Hits

He's battled bad guys, aliens, robots, mutants, Joe Frazier and Uncle Phil, and won nearly every fight. It's no wonder everyone loves <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/will-smith/1248391/main' target='_blank'>Will Smith</a>. As the actor adds the prefix "super" to his repertoire of heroes in the action-comedy <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hancock/24641/main' target='_blank'>'Hancock,'</a> we look back at the best moments (and movies) of his career.

The Rap Pioneer (1988)

He may not have helped forge the genre, like <A HREF='http://music.aol.com/artist/grandmaster-flash/1060093' target='_blank'>Grandmaster Flash</a> or <A HREF='http://music.aol.com/artist/the-sugarhill-gang/1000079' target='_blank'>Sugarhill Gang</a>, but the "West Philadelphia, born and raised" rapper behind infectious old-school hits like "Summertime" and "Parents Just Don't Understand" made hip-hop history when <A HREF='http://music.aol.com/artist/dj-jazzy-jeff-and-the-fresh-prince/1052713' target='_blank'>DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince</a> won the inaugural Grammy for rap in 1988. Summer has always been his season.

America Loves Him (1990-96)

Smith made the leap to acting with his own TV show, <A HREF='http://television.aol.com/show/the-fresh-prince-of-bel-air/62783/main' target='_blank'>'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,'</a> which earned him a whole new fan base and two Golden Globes nominations. For six seasons, he was Will Smith playing Will Smith, and mainstream America welcomed him into their living rooms each week -- and once you've got the fans loving you ...

Rapper-Actor Plays Gay, Wins Over Film Critics (1993)

Hard to believe, but Smith got his big-screen start as an indie darling. After an auspicious debut as a homeless teen in <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/where-the-day-takes-you/1038947/main' target='_blank'>'Where the Day Takes You'</a> ('92), he impressed critics with his turn in <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/six-degrees-of-separation/8620/main' target='_blank'>'Six Degrees of Separation'</a> as a gay con artist who passes himself off as <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/sidney-poitier/2154479/main' target='_blank'>Sidney Poitier's</a> son to infiltrate high society, seducing his naive benefactors.

Meet Will Smith, Movie Star (1995)

The recipe could've spelled disaster: Take two popular sitcom actors and pair them up as loose-cannon detectives in a big-budget <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/michael-bay/1393278/main' target='_blank'>Michael Bay</a> action flick. Instead, the Will Smith-<A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/martin-lawrence/1078434/main' target='_blank'>Martin Lawrence</a> buddy-cop movie <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bad-boys/1265/main' target='_blank'>'Bad Boys'</a> became a surprise hit, and made both actors hot commodities in Hollywood. Smith became the poster boy of successfully going from TV to movie star (unlike, say, <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/david-caruso/1782570/main' target='_blank'>David Caruso</a>).

Will Saves the World, Part I (1996)

Smith kicked some E.T. butt, launched himself into the A-list stratosphere and raked in a modest $306 million domestically in a tiny alien invasion movie entitled <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/independence-day/2318/main' target='_blank'>'Independence Day.'</a> He also kicked off a Fourth of July tradition that has seen the release of such mega-grossing flicks as <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/men-in-black/4253/main' target='_blank'>'Men in Black,'</a> <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/men-in-black-ii/10536/main' target='_blank'>'Men in Black II,'</a> <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/wild-wild-west/6300/main' target='_blank'>'Wild Wild West'</a> and (almost surely) <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hancock/24641/main' target='_blank'>'Hancock.'</a> Just call it Triumph of the Will.

Will Saves the World, Part II (1997)

As the first line of defense against the worst scum of the universe, Will Smith donned a suit and those signature black Ray-Bans to save the world from alien enemies in <a href='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/men-in-black/4253/main' target='blank'>'Men in Black.'</a> He was the yin to <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/tommy-lee-jones/1804405/main' target='_blank'>Tommy Lee Jones'</a> yang, rivaled the comedic timing of co-star <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/rip-torn/1510379/main' target='_blank'>Rip Torn</a> and solidified his role as America's next big action star. Of course, he's responsible for that catchy dance-along theme song too ...

The $100 Million Man (1998)

Following the blockbusters <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/independence-day/2318/main' target='_blank'>'Independence Day'</a> and <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/men-in-black/4253/main' target='_blank'>'Men in Black,'</a> Smith scored his third straight $100-plus-million movie with the Big-Brother-is-watching thriller <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/enemy-of-the-state/4563/main' target='_blank'>'Enemy of the State.'</a> Though that streak stopped at four (thanks, <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-legend-of-bagger-vance/7672/main' target='_blank'>'Bagger Vance'</a>!), Smith's current $100-plus-million streak (<A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/men-in-black-ii/10536/main' target='_blank'>'Men in Black II'</a> through <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/i-am-legend/23760/main' target='_blank'>'I Am Legend'</a>) stands at seven, a record he shares with <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/tom-cruise/1848500/main' target='_blank'>Tom Cruise</a> and <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/tom-hanks/1066917/main' target='_blank'>Tom Hanks</a>.

People Will See Smith in Anything (1999)

The fact that <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/wild-wild-west/6300/main' target='_blank'>'Wild Wild West'</a> raked in almost $50 mil its first weekend and grossed $113 mil altogether points to two possibilities: (1) Will Smith made a pact with the devil or (2) People <i>really</i> love Will Smith. We firmly believe it to be the latter, though that "deal with Satan" plan makes for a better story. But Smith just seems likable -- Lucifer has nothing to do with it.

Oscar Comes Calling (2001)

As big a box office smash as Smith had become, critical acclaim was something else altogether ... until he stepped into the ring to play "the greatest of all time" in <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/michael-mann/1082438/main' target='_blank'>Michael Mann's</a> acclaimed biopic <a href='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/ali/7370/main' target='blank'>'Ali.'</a> He proved he could spar with the big boys, dramatically speaking, and earned an Oscar nom for Best Actor (and Golden Globe nom) for his trouble.

Move Over, Matthew McConaughey (2005)

After a decade packed with action (and a touch of drama), Smith jumped into romantic comedy with <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hitch/17497/main' target='_blank'>'Hitch.'</a> The Valentine's Day release, starring Smith as a "date doctor" so good he even gets <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/kevin-james/1072335/main' target='_blank'>Kevin James</a> some loving, quickly laughed its way to $177.5 million at the box office. Not only was Smith now a bankable master of all genres, his job perks included making out with <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/eva-mendes/2015653/main' target='_blank'>Eva Mendes</a>.

Great Inspiration, Another Oscar Nom (2006)

Nothing about this prestige project screamed blockbuster, and yet <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-pursuit-of-happyness/23572/main' target='_blank'>'The Pursuit of Happyness,'</a> a true-life inspirational tale, was a critical and commercial coup. Smith snagged his second Oscar nod for playing a homeless man trying to ace an internship and care for his son at the same time. Audiences flocked to see his moving performance as well as his adorable co-star: real-life son Jaden.

Who Needs Co-Stars? (2007)

He'd pummeled aliens, channeled Ali and played <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/matt-damon/1435473/main' target='_blank'>Matt Damon's</a> mystical caddy. But 2007's <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/i-am-legend/23760/main' target='_blank'>'I Am Legend'</a> forced Smith to do something he'd never done before: act with nary another human in sight. With only a dog to talk to (and perhaps <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/tom-hanks/1066917/main' target='_blank'>Tom Hanks'</a> turn in <A HREF='http://www.moviefone.com/movie/cast-away/8175/main' target='_blank'>'Cast Away'</a> for inspiration), Will delivered an engrossing -- and $256 million-grossing -- mostly solo performance. And no, the dog wasn't named Wilson.