Six Degrees of Separation

Six Degrees of Separation is a 1993 film based on the John Guare play and starring Will Smith. It explores the premise that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else in the world by a chain of only 6 acquaintances (see Small World Phenomenon).

The plot of the movie was inspired by the real-life story of David Hampton, a con man who managed to convince a number people in the 1980s that he was the son of actor Sidney Poitier. After the film became a financial success, Hampton unsuccessfully sued for a share of the profits.

The phrase six degrees of separation may be related to the aeronautical, statistics and physics terms six degrees of freedom.

See also:

• Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (game)
• Erdös number