Maryland Native Jada Pinkett Smith studied dance and acting at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the North Carolina School of the Arts before getting her big break when she landed a role on the long-running NBC-series, A Different World. The multi-talented actress, producer, director and philanthropist continually challenges herself in a variety of ways.

Now, not only is she playing her first lead role in a TV-series on Hawthorne, but she is also the show's executive producer. Ms. Pinkett Smith's recent work includes lending her voice to the role of Gloria in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.  She previously co-starred in the remake of The Women, and is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Niobe in the The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions.

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