Will Smith is practically at the top of the ladder now. And he's mowing down the rungs to get to the top. The boy from Philadelphia has done it all — music, television, movies. There is no doubt that he has oodles of talent and has had an enviable focus to his career. But there is also no doubt that Lady Luck has favoured him every step of the way.

Will began rapping at parties at the age of 12. In 1986 he teamed up with Jeff Townes to become the second half of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. Their first album, Rock The House, was a hit, followed by their second album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper which brought them a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best Rap Performance. A Grammy came their way once again with their fourth album in 1991, Homebase, which went platinum.

In the midst of all this Will had already managed to move to TV. His popularity led to the creation of the NBC series, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, which proved to be a money spinner, and has recently completed its sixth season. Soon he graduated to Hollywood, and came up with a critically acclaimed peformance as a gay man in the Oscar-nominated Six Degrees of Separation. He followed it up with a starring performance in Bad Boys, a film which went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1995. And the grand culmination of his rise and rise was undoubtedly last year's chart topper, Independence Day, which he ably carried on his shoulders along with co-star Jeff Goldblum. And now the sky is the limit. Pairing up with Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black, has proved to be another golden goose. The alien flick has been riding the crest of the box-office ever since it was released some weeks ago. And it has won Will a solo record deal with Columbia, which released the soundtrack of Men in Black.

If Will Smith has anyone to thank for his recent success, it's the little green men from worlds beyond our own. ID4 and Men in Black have truly put his career into orbit. But it was no accident. Long ago he looked at the list of the top ten movies of all time. And discovered that out of ten, seven were based on creatures, including E.T., Jurassic Park, Close Encounters and Jaws. With an unbeatable insight and determination, Will decided that he would concentrate on acting in 'creature' films. And it paid off.

It seems that nothing can stop Will Smith now. America loves him. Whether he's rapping on an album, wisecracking on TV or fighting bad guys on the big screen, audiences can't seem to get enough of him. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that he is unstoppable and untouchable.