Biography
Jada Pinkett was born on Sept. 19, 1971 in Baltimore, MD. After graduating from the Baltimore School of the Arts in 1989, Pinkett kicked off her acting career, making her screen debut on an episode of "True Colors" (Fox 1990-92). It wasn't long before Pinkett made a name for herself with a regular role as Lena James on the popular series "A Different World" (NBC 1987-1993). Not long afterward, she starred in hit films including "Menace II Society" (1993), "The Nutty Professor" (1996), and "Scream 2" (1997). It was right around this time that Pinkett married fellow rising star Will Smith, with whom she costarred in the Muhammad Ali biopic "Ali" (2001). Going forward, Pinkett-now Pinkett Smith-starred in the two "The Matrix" (1999) sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003) and "The Matrix Revolutions" (2003). After appearances in addition features, including "Ali" director Michael Mann's "Collateral" (2004) and the Adam Sandler- and Don Cheadle-starring drama "Reign Over Me" (2007), Pinkett Smith made her move to television, appearing first in the medical drama "Hawthorne" (TNT 2009-2011) and next in the superhero drama "Gotham" (Fox 2014-19). In the meantime, Pinkett Smith had a breakout role as a strip club manager in the film "Magic Mike XXL" (2015) and then in the party comedy "Girls Trip" (2017). Upon announcement that "The Matrix" co-director Lana Wachowski would be directing a fourth film in the series, it was reported that Pinkett Smith would reprise her role as Niobe.
