Will Smith

It would be fair to wonder which is the primary Will Smith and which is the alter ego: The self-assured family man who's one of 21st-century Hollywood's highest-grossing actors, or the affable, self-effacing dude who unassumingly surfaced in the late '80s as a rap pioneer.

Born in Philadelphia in 1968, Smith formed DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince with DJ Jeff Townes after the two killed it in an impromptu set at a house party.

They signed to Jive Records, and their 1988 sophomore album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, stood out in the rapidly burgeoning rap scene—it steered clear of the raw, subversive energy of fellow class of '88 acts like N.W.A.