Jada and Murphy
Jada’s real breakthrough as an actress came in 1996 when she starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the super popular comedy film, The Nutty Professor. In the film, Jada played Carla Purty, wife of Prof. Sherman Klump, a sweet, shy chemistry professor who has an assertive, brash and aggressive alter ego called Buddy Love.
The aspiring actress also appeared that year in the popular crime action heist film Set It Off, which literally helped set off her acting career.
Familiar with Fame
Jada Pinkett Smith isn’t new to the spotlight. By the time she met Will Smith, the two were both A-list celebrities and were as well known as you can possibly get in Hollywood. She started out at the Baltimore School for the Arts and studied theater and dance there. One of her classmates ended up becoming a legendary rapper, she became great friends with that classmate.
His name was Tupac Shakur, and the two developed a great relationship together. By the time Jada graduated in 1989, she was already a known actress in Hollywood.
Climbing Up The TV Ranks
She began by acting in small TV parts in shows and films such as True Colors, 21 Jump Street and Doogie Howser, M.D.. The actress found herself acting in her first proper and unique role when she portrayed Lena James in A Different World.
The sitcom show was a spinoff of the popular "Cosby Show", and featured a diverse cast of largely African-American actors. It ran on ABC from 1987 until 1993.
Uniting with Hubby
Smith continued to play in various successful roles one after the other. She even got a part in the highly popular slasher movie, Scream 2. The actress also starred in Spike Lee’s comedy-drama film Bamboozled, a controversial film which featured black actors donning blackface makeup, and the resulting violence that occurred as a result.
While these were great roles, she was soon set to appear together in a film with her husband, Will Smith, and also scored her biggest and most iconic role to date.
An Incredible Actress
Will and Jada Smith had a fantastic time starring together in 2001’s biographical sports drama film, Ali, which chronicles an important decade in the life of the world’s most legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. The film was critically acclaimed by critics and viewers alike. Both Will Smith and his wife, Jada, were highly praised for their superb acting and obvious chemistry.
They were both nominated for Academy Awards, with Best Actor for Will and Best Supporting Actress for Jada.