Will Smith is The Most Bankable Star in Hollywood

According to Forbes, the financial magazine, Will Smith has been rated number one and is the most bankable star in Hollywood. He is the only entertainer to score a perfect 10.

An article in amNew York describes how this ranking is done. Forbes introduced its most comprehensive entertainment list with a database which ranks more than 1,400 actors. This database is known as "Star Currency."

This Star Currency database attempts to measure which actors bring the most value to their movie. Only Will Smith rated number one with several other entertainers tied at 2nd place.

The project manager at Forbes said they took a look at the actor's impact on the life of a film. About 1,500 industry insiders ranked the stars by their ability to attract financing for a movie, how much they drive box-office revenue, and their ability to attract other top talent.

It's important to note that the US film industry is worldwide. Will Smith's film "Hancock" made more than $624.4 million worldwide.

Hollywood has also ranked its players and Will Smith is its MVA: Most Valuable Actor. He was also number one in the "RollingOut" list of 13 people making money in Hollywood today despite this deep recession.

Will Smith is not just an actor. I would decribe his name now as a brand. He started out as a successful rapper and established himself with Jazzy Jeff before he went on to star in a popular TV sitcom - "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." In addition to starring in movies, he now produces a TV show and also produces movies.

It seems that the people most successful in entertainment and elsewhere know that in this economy you have to have streams of income as well as some control over your income. Will Smith can best be described as a businessman which goes a long way in explaining his extraordinary success and staying power. It seems he has no fear of branching out and does so successfully.

I admit that I do respond to his 'Name.' When he did "Independence Day" and "MIB" (1 and 2), I did go to the movies. I like special effects and for me, it must be viewed on the big screen. Same thing with "I Am Legend." Again, it had special effects and I could look at Will Smith in a movie where he was practically the only character - for most of the movie.

In "Six Degrees of Separation," I was impressed with a different kind of Will Smith. In the role of pretending to be Sidney Poitier's son, he played the character flawlessly. His recent film, "Seven Pounds" was also quite engaging and if it was not him starring in this unusual film - I wouldn't have bothered to see the movie.

I suspect his clean living type of persona and ability to interview well goes a long way towards putting him on top.

Congratulations Will Smith!