PINKETT SMITH, Jada 1971–
(Jada Pinkett)

PERSONAL

Original name, Jada Koren Pinkett; born September 18, 1971, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Robsol Pinkett, Jr. (some sources cite Robson; a contractor) and Adrienne Banfield (a nurse); granddaughter of Marion Banfield (a social worker); married Will Smith (an actor and singer), December 31, 1997; children: Willard "Trey" Smith III, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, Willow Camille Reign Smith. Education: Attended Baltimore School for the Arts and North Carolina School of the Arts. Avocational Interests: Family activities, horses.

Addresses: Office— c/o Will and Jada Smith Foundation, P.O. Box 30080, Baltimore, MD 21270. Agent— Patrick Whitesell, The Endeavor Agency, 9701 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager— James Lassiter, Brookside Artists Management, 450 North Roxbury Dr., Fourth Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Publicist— Tencer and Associates Public Relations, 9777 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 504, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career: Actress, producer, and writer. Overbrook Entertainment (production company), cofounder and producer. Director of music videos for rap groups; member of the band Wicked Wisdom, which toured England with Britney Spears, 2004. Appeared in commercials; gave readings of her poetry at Mama's Kitchen in New York City; motivational speaker. Creator of Maja (line of clothing for women), 1994; Pretty Smart Books (publishing company), founder and publisher, beginning 2002; Will and Jada Smith Foundation, cofounder; appeared on merchandise from The Matrix films and other projects.

Member: Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Awards, Honors: Image Award nomination, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, outstanding lead actress in a motion picture, 1997, for Set It Off; Image Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a television movie or miniseries, 1997, for "1996," If These Walls Could Talk; Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite supporting actress—horror, 1998, for Scream 2; Young Hollywood Award, Movieline, female superstar of tomorrow, 1999; Black Reel Award nomination, best actress in a theatrical film, and Image Award nomination, outstanding actress in a motion picture, both 2001, for Bamboozled; Image Award nomination, outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture, 2002, for Ali; Image Award nomination, outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture, 2004, for The Matrix Revolutions.

CREDITS

Film Appearances; as Jada Pinkett:

Ronnie, Menace II Society, New Line Cinema, 1993.

Lauren Kelly, The Inkwell (also known as No Ordinary Summer ), Buena Vista, 1994.

Lyric Greer, Jason's Lyric, Gramercy, 1994.

Peaches Jordan, A Low Down Dirty Shame (also known as Mister Cool ), Buena Vista, 1994.

Jeryline, Tales from the Crypt Presents Demon Knight (also known as Demon Keeper and Demon Knight ), Universal, 1995.

Lida "Stony" Newsom, Set It Off, New Line Cinema, 1996.

Professor Carla Purty, The Nutty Professor, Universal, 1996.

Voice of Toki, Princess Mononoke (animated; also known as Mononoke–hime ), Dimension Films, 1997.

Film Appearances; As Jada Pinkett Smith:

Darlene "Woo" Bates (title role), Woo, New Line Cinema, 1997.

Mary, Blossoms and Veils, 1997.

Maureen Evans, Scream 2 (also known as Scream Again ), Dimension Films/Miramax, 1998.

M. J. Major, Return to Paradise (also known as All for One ), Universal, 1998.

Herself, Welcome to Hollywood, 2000.

Sloan Hopkins, Bamboozled, New Line Cinema, 2000.

Charisse Slocumb, Kingdom Come, Twentieth Century–Fox, 2001.

Sonji Roi, Ali, Columbia, 2001.

Niobe, The Matrix Reloaded, Warner Bros., 2003, also released as The Matrix Reloaded: The IMAX Experience.

Niobe, The Matrix Revolutions, Warner Bros., 2003, also released as The Matrix Revolutions: The IMAX Experience.

Annie Farrell, Collateral, Paramount/DreamWorks, 2004.

Film Work; Executive Producer:

Blossoms and Veils, 1997.

The Seat Filler, Seat Filler Productions/Strange Fruit Films, 2004.

Television Appearances; Series:

(As Jada Pinkett) Lena James, A Different World, NBC, 1991–1993.

Television Appearances; Specials:

(As Jada Pinkett) BET's Voices against Violence Special, Black Entertainment Television, 1995.

Herself, The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1998.

Herself, Women of the Net, E! Entertainment Television, 1998.

Herself, Making the Game: Enter the Matrix, MTV, 2003.

Herself, Tupac: Resurrection MTV Movie Special, MTV, 2003.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

(As Jada Pinkett) Presenter, The 25th Anniversary Essence Awards (also known as 1995 Essence Awards ), Fox, 1995.

(As Pinkett) The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards (also known as NAACP Image Awards ), Fox, 1996.

(As Pinkett) Presenter, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, UPN, 1997.

(As Pinkett) Presenter, The 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1997.

(As Pinkett) Presenter, The 10th Essence Awards, Fox, 1997.

Presenter, The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1998.

Presenter, The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, 1998.

Presenter, 12th Annual American Comedy Awards, Fox, 1998.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, UPN, 1998.

Host, The 1999 Essence Awards, Fox, 1999.

Presenter, The 1999 World Music Awards, ABC, 1999.

The 41st Annual Grammy Awards, CBS, 1999.

Presenter, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

(As Jada Pinkett) Beverly, "Life with Fathers," True Colors, Fox, 1990.

(As Pinkett) "Homegirls," 21 Jump Street, syndicated, 1991.

(As Pinkett) Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996.

Herself, "Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute: Part 1," Ellen, ABC, 1998.

Herself, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003.

Herself, Intimate Portrait: Jasmine Guy, Lifetime, 2001.

Herself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001, 2003.

Herself, TRL, 2002.

Herself, "Enter the Playtrix," Player$, 2003.

Herself, "Fistful of Matrix," Player$, 2003.

Herself, "Will Smith," Biography (also known as A&E Biography: Will Smith ), Arts and Entertainment, 2003.

(In archive footage) Herself, "It's Good to Be Will and Jada," It's Good to Be, VH1, 2003.

Herself, Richard and Judy, Channel 4, 2003.

Herself, Tinseltown.TV, 2003.

Herself, The View, ABC, 2003.

Herself, GMTV, ITV, 2004.

Herself, NY Graham Norton, 2004.

Appeared in The Chris Rock Show, HBO; and appeared in Movie House, MTV.

Television Appearances; Other:

(As Jada Pinkett) Natalie, Moe's World (pilot), ABC, 1992.

(As Pinkett) Patti, "1996," If These Walls Could Talk (miniseries), HBO, 1996.

Narrator, Maniac Magee (movie), Nickelodeon, 2003.

Television Work; Series:

Creator and executive producer (with Will Smith), All of Us, UPN, 2003—.

Stage Appearances:

(As Jada Pinkett) Zonia, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Center Stage, Baltimore, MD, 1988–1989.

Appeared in The Nutcracker, Baltimore, MD; also appeared in Good Morning, Heartache and A Wrinkle in Time.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Herself, Behind the "Scream, " Dimension Home Video, 2000.

Herself, The Making of "Bamboozled, " 2001.

Herself, Making "Enter the Matrix, " Warner Home Video, 2003.

Music Videos:

"Just the Two of Us," by Will Smith, 1998.

Music Videos; Director:

"Temptations," by Tupac Shakur, c. 1995.

Director of music videos by Maxine Harvey, Gerald Levert, MC Lyte, Shug & Dap, and Y?N–Vee.

Video Games:

Voice of Niobe, Enter the Matrix, Atari/Infogrames Entertainment, 2003.

Albums; Contributor:

Performer on the song "1,000 Kisses," on the album Born to Reign, by Will Smith, Sony Records, 2002.

WRITINGS

Screenplays:

(With Will Smith) Love for Hire, Universal/Imagine Entertainment, 1997.

Teleplays; Episodic:

"Uncle Marcus Comes to Dinner," All of Us, UPN, 2003.

For Children:

Girls Hold Up This World, Scholastic, 2003.

Author of poetry. Contributor to the comic book Menace.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 41, Gale, 2004.

Notable Black American Women, Book 3, Gale, 2002.

Periodicals:

Cosmopolitan, December, 1996, p. 114; June, 1998, pp. 204–205.

Ebony, December, 1996, pp. 144–46; September, 1997, March, 2000.

Entertainment Weekly, May 6, 1994, pp. 47–48; October 7, 1994, p. 54; December 9, 1994, p. 48; December 23, 1994, p. 48; November 16, 2001, pp. 78–80.

Essence, January, 1995, pp. 80–88; March, 1998, June, 2003, pp. 148–57.

Glamour, August, 1996, p. 59.

GQ, November, 1994, pp. 236–37.

In Style, May 4, 1998; December 1, 2001.

Interview, September, 1994, pp. 136–37.

Jet, February 13, 1995, p. 30; October 21, 1996, pp. 36–39; December 29, 1997, May 25, 1998, July 27, 1998, p. 61; November 20, 2000, p. 46.

Movieline, December, 1996, pp. 52–57, 87.

People Weekly, December 19, 1994, pp. 55–56; July 29, 1996, p. 96; November 18, 1996, p. 93; December 22, 1997.

Rolling Stone, December, 1997.

W, May 30, 2001.