As Will Smith turns 50, he is one of the most well known and loved people in the world. Throughout his broad career he has taken on such an array of roles that he means very different things to different people. From the comical protagonist of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the innocent rhymes of Big Willie Style, to the bad boy main man in films such as I, Robot and tear-jerking performances in the likes of Seven Pounds.
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He has smashed records along this journey, becoming the first actor to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million (£76 million) in the US box office and 11 consecutive films gross more than $150 million (£114 million) in the international box office.
But for all he has achieved professionally in his fifty years on this earth, it is worth remembering perhaps his greatest achievement of all - being a top father to his children.
Raising kids under the spotlight of international fame is an all together different challenge to that which most parents face. While saving up the cash to send his children on school trips has hardly been a concern, acting as a role model under constant scrutiny and defending his children from the trappings of global recognition is no mean feat.
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His exceptional fathering was brought into the limelight when his 20-year-old son, Jaden, began experimenting with different gender identities.
Speaking to BET, Smith said: "The greatest gift that I can give my children is the freedom to be who they are.
"I feel like a lot of times, when I was growing up, I would see a parent force a child to be what they want them to be.
"As a parent, if it's an oak tree, I want it to grow as an oak tree. I'm not gonna try to force it to be an apple tree."
Now what kid doesn't want to hear that from their poppa? No wonder Jaden has credited his parents as being his 'biggest role models'.
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Smith's 17-year-old daughter has also profited from his empowering parenting throughout her upbringing. A prime example was his response to the media attention surrounding her decision to cut off her hair in 2012.
Talking to Parade, he said: "When you have a little girl, it's like, how can you teach her that you're in control of her body?
"If I teach her that I'm in charge of whether or not she can touch her hair, she's going to replace me with some other man when she goes out in the world. She can't cut my hair but that's her hair.
"She has got to have command of her body."
Yes, when it comes to Will Smith, it's all good. Who knows what he might achieve post-fifty... perhaps he'll be the next president of the United States?
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Will Smith