Celebrity Gambler: Will Smith

 Actor and a celebrity gambler Will Smith lost an incredible $60,000 (£39,960) gambling while preparing for the filming of THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE in Las Vegas. While the trip did good things for Smith's swing, the tables were another story, Del Barrio said. After Will Smith lost $60,000 in about 20 minutes, Del Barrio said that Smith vowed it would never happen again. "Ron," he said. "I guarantee you this - you will never see me gamble again." For the rest of that trip and during several subsequent visits to this gambling Mecca, Will Smith actually held to his word.

About Will Smith: Rapper-turned-actor Will Smith has become one of Hollywood's most bankable multitasks. As half of the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Smith found success with such mom-friendly hits as "Parents Just Don't Understand" that appealed to teenagers without using violent, vulgar lyrics. He branched out to TV with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a successful sitcom that aired for several seasons and is still widely syndicated.

Because of this ability to both be comfortable and to make others comfortable, he drew unanimous admiration from his peers for both his extraordinary drive and that easygoing charm which helped him move seamlessly between worlds. One of only three actors to star in seven consecutive $100 million blockbusters, Smith was hailed by Entertainment Weekly as the smartest actor in Hollywood for "achieving a level of global popularity unprecedented for an African-American actor." Smith was under the age of 40 when that comment was made, and still striving to achieve his personal best in an ever-widening field of creative pursuits.

Will Smith's first steps into super-stardom came with his next film, Bad Boys (1995). The high-budget cop movie saw him team up with comic Martin Lawrence, breaking away from the black-cop-white-cop formula that had been so successful for Beverly Hills Cop and the Lethal Weapon series.

Smith fought aliens again in his next blockbuster, the comic sci-fi action film, Men In Black (1997). Playing opposite Tommy Lee Jones, Smith chewed up the screen as the new recruit to Jones's old hand. Smith sang the theme song, and its inclusion on his solo album, Big Willie Style (1997) brought the multi-talented actor another success. Another Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster followed with the slick conspiracy thriller Enemy of the State (1998), which earned Smith an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture.

The string of hits came to an end in 1999 with Wild Wild West, a sci-fi cowboy Western co-starring Kevin Kline. Despite the film's lackluster box-office performance, the track Smith cut for the film became a hit on his album, Willennium (1999). The golf movie The Legend of Bagger Vance was his next big film, with Smith playing the caddie to Matt Damon's out-of-sorts swinger.

In 2001 the biopic 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 the films main character. The film under-performed at the box-office despite a record-breaking opening day. Smith's performance, however, was good enough to be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.