Behind every famous face is often a quieter figure who shaped them, and in the case of television personality Sheree Zampino, that figure is her father, Les Zampino. Most people searching for who is Les Zampino arrive because of his famous daughter, but his own story is worth telling: he is a lifelong martial artist from upstate New York who built one of the most enduring Taekwondo schools in the region and reportedly reached the rare ninth-degree black belt rank.
Key Takeaways
- Who is Les Zampino? He is an American Taekwondo grandmaster and instructor from Schenectady, New York, best known publicly as the father of Sheree Zampino, the former wife of Will Smith.
- Les Zampino age: He is reported to have been born around 1947, based on birthday tributes his daughter shared (74 in 2021, 75 in 2022). His exact date of birth has not been officially confirmed.
- Les Zampino career: He began training in Taekwondo in 1969, founded the Northeast Taekwondo Academy in 1977, served more than 20 years on the AAU Taekwondo Executive Committee, and reportedly earned his ninth-degree black belt in 2019.
- Les Zampino net worth: No reliable public estimate exists. His income over the decades came primarily from martial arts instruction and his academy.
So who is Les Zampino, really? At his core, he is a discipline-driven teacher who spent more than half his life passing on a Korean martial art in small-town America, long before his last name became associated with Hollywood. This biography pulls together what is verifiable about his age, family, and martial arts career, while being honest about what remains unconfirmed.
How Old Is Les Zampino? Age and Early Life
Short answer: Les Zampino is believed to have been born around 1947, which would make him about 79 years old in 2026. However, his exact date of birth has never been officially confirmed, and older online biographies have given conflicting dates.
The strongest evidence for his age comes from his own daughter. Sheree Zampino has marked her father’s birthdays on social media, celebrating him turning 74 in 2021 and then honoring his 75th birthday in 2022. Those tributes point to a birth year of roughly 1947. Some older profiles claim a birth year around 1930, but those appear unverified, while the family-posted dates carry more weight.
What is certain is his hometown. Les Zampino grew up in Schenectady, New York, a city in the state’s Capital District. He is reported to be of Italian descent, and biographical profiles say he attended Mount Pleasant High School in Schenectady. Details about his parents, siblings, and any college education are not publicly documented, which is consistent with how private he has kept his personal life. What we know far more about is what came next: martial arts.
How Did Les Zampino Start His Taekwondo Career?
Short answer: Les Zampino began training in Taekwondo in 1969 under Master Sang W. Lim, and over the following decades he studied with several respected masters before becoming an instructor himself.
His entry into the art came at a time when Taekwondo was still gaining a foothold in the United States. After starting with Master Sang W. Lim, biographical sources describe him continuing his studies with Master Suk Joon Kim within the ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) tradition, and later with Grandmaster Won Keun Bai. His professional life also connected him with the American Taekwondo Association (ATA), the organization associated with Grandmaster H. U. Lee, where he became a respected member.
By the late 1970s, he was ready to build something of his own. In 1977, he opened a martial arts training location on Broadway in Schenectady, New York. From those beginnings grew the institution that would define his professional life.
What Is the Northeast Taekwondo Academy?
Short answer: The Northeast Taekwondo Academy is the martial arts school Les Zampino founded in 1977 in Schenectady, New York. It is described as one of the longest continuously operating Taekwondo academies in the Capital District.
Les reportedly founded the academy and later served as its president. It became a pioneer among martial arts schools in the region, offering programs for beginners through advanced students, and it was chartered by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which helped give it legitimacy within competitive Taekwondo circles. For his students, he emphasized not just technique but health and balance, promoting martial arts as a path to a healthy lifestyle.
Beyond the academy walls, his reputation earned him a leadership role in the sport itself. Reports state that he served on the AAU Taekwondo Executive Committee for more than two decades, showing how deeply embedded he was in the American Taekwondo establishment. His approach to teaching, like that of other dedicated instructors we have profiled such as martial artist Josh Winterhalt, treated the discipline as a lifelong practice rather than a hobby.
What Degree Black Belt Is Les Zampino?
Short answer: Les Zampino is reported to hold a ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, a rank he is said to have reached in 2019, which is why he is often called Grandmaster Les Zampino.
Earlier profiles described him as an eighth-degree black belt, and both reports can be true if they reflect different points in his career. In Taekwondo, high-level advancement is measured in decades, and the ninth degree is among the rarest ranks, reserved for grandmasters with a lifetime of training and teaching.
His reported 45-plus years of instruction place him firmly in that category. It is also why his name carries real weight in martial arts circles, not just celebrity-adjacent fame. A legacy of teaching that spans generations puts him in the same conversation as families who carried martial arts traditions forward, including the one explored in our piece on Bruce Lee’s granddaughter Wren Lee Keasler.
Who Are Les Zampino’s Children?
Short answer: Les Zampino is reported to have three children: his daughter Sheree Zampino, and two sons, Richard and Eugene (who is also reported to go by David).
Sheree is the public face of the family. His sons, by contrast, have lived largely private lives, and little is documented about them. Sheree has spoken about her blended family over the years, noting that her mother accepted and cared for Richard even though he was not her biological son. Eugene has occasionally appeared in Sheree’s family posts, including a reported extended family gathering in Las Vegas in 2021.
Who Is Sheree Zampino, His Daughter?
Sheree Zampino, born November 16, 1967, is a television personality, entrepreneur, producer, and businesswoman. She first became widely known after marrying actor Will Smith in 1992, with whom she welcomed her son Trey Smith that same year. After their divorce, she built her own career in reality television (Hollywood Exes, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) plus fashion and beauty ventures.
Les Zampino’s Grandson: Trey Smith
Les is the maternal grandfather of Willard Carroll “Trey” Smith III, born November 11, 1992, Sheree’s son with Will Smith. Trey has appeared alongside his grandfather in family photographs, and through him Les is connected to the wider Smith blended family, including Trey’s younger paternal half-siblings Jaden and Willow Smith.
What Is Known About His Relationship With Sheree?
Publicly, Les and Sheree have maintained a close bond throughout her adult life. She has shared photographs and tributes to him on birthdays and Father’s Days. In 2021, she reportedly surprised him while he was spending time with friends, and a video of the reunion showed him becoming emotional at her unexpected arrival. The following year she celebrated his 75th birthday with the family, with Trey among those pictured.
Sheree has also highlighted her father’s fitness. In 2021 she shared a photo of him at 74, praising the physical condition he had maintained, a testament to a lifetime of martial arts training. Even into his later years, the discipline of Taekwondo appears to have remained central to his daily life.
Details about his earlier marriage are murkier. Some reports identify Sheree’s mother as Pam or Pat Jackson and say she married Les before they divorced, while other sources claim the two were never married. Because reliable sources do not agree, this should be treated as unconfirmed. What is more consistently reported is that Sheree’s parents separated when she was young, she spent much of her childhood with her father, and her biological mother died in 2008. His current romantic life is not reliably documented.
Les Zampino Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Les Zampino |
| Also known as | Grandmaster Les Zampino |
| Birth year | Around 1947, based on family birthday posts (exact date unconfirmed) |
| Birthplace | Schenectady, New York, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Descent | Italian |
| Profession | Martial artist, Taekwondo instructor |
| Taekwondo rank | Reportedly ninth degree black belt (2019) |
| Academy | Northeast Taekwondo Academy, founded 1977 |
| Training began | 1969, under Master Sang W. Lim |
| Children | Sheree, Richard, and Eugene (also known as David) |
| Grandson | Trey Smith, son of Sheree Zampino and Will Smith |
| Net worth | Not publicly disclosed |
Les Zampino Career Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Began Taekwondo training under Master Sang W. Lim |
| 1970s | Continued training with Master Suk Joon Kim (ITF) and Grandmaster Won Keun Bai; became associated with the ATA |
| 1977 | Opened martial arts training on Broadway in Schenectady, New York; founded what became the Northeast Taekwondo Academy |
| 1980s-2000s | Built the academy into a Capital District mainstay; served more than 20 years on the AAU Taekwondo Executive Committee |
| 2019 | Reportedly promoted to ninth-degree black belt |
| 2021 | Sheree shared his 74th birthday tribute and surprise reunion video; family gathering in Las Vegas |
| 2022 | 75th birthday celebrated with family, including grandson Trey Smith |
What Is Les Zampino’s Net Worth?
Short answer: Les Zampino’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed, and no reliable estimate exists.
His income came from a long, steady career as a martial arts instructor and academy owner rather than entertainment. Online salary averages cannot be used to calculate his personal wealth, and The Weird News Blog does not publish invented figures, so any unsourced number attached to his name should be treated as speculation.
Why Is Les Zampino Still Relevant Today?
Search interest in the les zampino biography keeps rising whenever his daughter appears in headlines, yet his relevance runs deeper than celebrity association. His five-decade run, from a Broadway storefront in Schenectady to a ninth-degree black belt, represents the old-school model of teaching: one school, one community, decades of students. Much of what the public knows about his later years comes through Sheree’s social media, not his own, which is part of what makes his story distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions About Les Zampino
Who is Les Zampino?
Les Zampino is an American Taekwondo grandmaster and longtime instructor from Schenectady, New York. He is also widely known as the father of Sheree Zampino, Will Smith’s first wife.
How old is Les Zampino?
He is believed to have been born around 1947, making him about 79 years old in 2026. His exact date of birth has not been officially confirmed.
What is Les Zampino’s Taekwondo rank?
He is reported to hold a ninth-degree black belt, earned around 2019. Earlier profiles listed him as an eighth-degree black belt, reflecting an earlier stage of his career.
What is the Northeast Taekwondo Academy?
It is the Taekwondo school Les Zampino founded in 1977 on Broadway in Schenectady, New York, where he served as president. It is described as one of the longest-running Taekwondo academies in the Capital District.
Who are Les Zampino’s children?
He reportedly has three children: Sheree Zampino, and sons Richard and Eugene (also known as David).
Is Les Zampino related to Will Smith?
Yes, by family. His daughter Sheree was married to Will Smith from 1992 to 1995, and their son Trey Smith is Les’s grandson.
What is Les Zampino’s net worth?
His net worth has not been publicly disclosed. He earned his living through martial arts instruction and his academy.
By Mussarat Zafar
