Will Smith was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to his mother, Caroline Bright and his father, Willard Carroll Smith, who were both also born in Philadelphia. His parents are both African-American, as are his grandparents on both sides.

Where is Will Smith originally from?

Smith was born on September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Caroline (née Bright), a Philadelphia school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith Sr., a U.S. Air Force veteran and refrigeration engineer. He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist.

Who is Will Smith's dad?

In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir "Will" (Penguin Press, out Tuesday), published by People Wednesday, Smith described a formative childhood memory from when he was 9 years old, in which he says he witnessed his father Willard Carroll Smith Sr. punch his mother Caroline Bright in the head so hard she collapsed.