Ali, based on boxing legend Muhammad Ali, saw Smith return to critical acclaim. His turn as the charismatic boxing great saw Smith put in the performance of his life, training and disciplining himself to extraordinary lengths to do justice to the athleticism, and ego, of Ali. The film under-performed at the box-office despite a record-breaking opening day but Smith’s performance was good enough to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.
A number of sequels were next with Smith reprising his roles in Men In Black and Bad Boys. Neither were flops but they were both nowhere near as successful as their predecessors. Staying with the sci-fi-action theme Smith moved on to I, Robot in 2004. The Isaac Asimov adaptation saw Smith playing a cop in 2035 investigating a murder by a robot and then battling a robot insurgency.
Smith’s smooth-talking charmer persona was put to use in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch. Smith played a ladies’ man dating consultant who helps luckless guys with their romantic moves but who finds his powers are ineffectual on the girl he really wants.
In 2005, the actor was recognised by the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard where he left his handprints in cement in front of lots of fans.
Smith also penned the theme-song to Hitch and included it on his album 'Lost and Found'. Hitch was a massive success and was followed by another critical and financial hit, the 2006 rags-to-riches tale, 'The Pursuit of Happyness'.
Starring alongside his real-life son Jaden, Smith captivated audiences with the story of a solo father who has to build a life from scratch. He received his second Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance.
Smith has been married twice. His first marriage in 1992 lasted only three years but produced a son, Willard Smith III, who is also known as Trey. He has been married to actress Jada Pinkett Smith since 1997. The couple have a son, Jaden, who was born in 1998 and a daughter, Willow, born in 2000.
On 19 August 2011, it was announced that Smith has returned to the music studio with La Mar Edwards, who has worked with Chris Brown and The Game, to record a new album.