Samuel L. Jackson
121 FOLLOWERS • 146 CREDITS • DEC 21, 1948 • 75
Biography
more
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing actor of all time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an Academy Honorary Award in 2022 as "A cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide". Jackson started his career on stage making his professional theatre debut in Mother Courage and her Children in 1980 at The Public Theatre. From 1981 to 1983 he originated the role of Private Louis Henderson in A Soldier's Play Off-Broadway. He also originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He returned to the play in the 2022 Broadway revival playing Doaker Charles. Jackson early film roles include Coming to America (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Juice (1992), True Romance (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993), Menace II Society (1993), and Fresh (1994). His collaborations with Spike Lee led to greater prominence with films such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Oldboy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015). Jackson's breakout role was in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) which earned him a BAFTA Award win and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He further collaborated with Tarantino, acting in Jackie Brown (1997), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015). He's known for having appeared in a number of big-budget films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Negotiator (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its reboot (2019), XXX (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), Coach Carter (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Glass (2019). He also gained widespread recognition as the Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), later voicing the role in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the video game Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2011). With his permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury; he subsequently played Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with a cameo appearance in Iron Man (2008), as well as guest-starring in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He will reprise this role in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which is set to premiere on June 21, 2023. Jackson has provided his voice for several animated films, documentaries, television series, and video games, including Lucius Best / Frozone in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018).
Overview
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing actor of all time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him an Academy Honorary Award in 2022 as "A cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide". Jackson started his career on stage making his professional theatre debut in Mother Courage and her Children in 1980 at The Public Theatre. From 1981 to 1983 he originated the role of Private Louis Henderson in A Soldier's Play Off-Broadway. He also originated the role of Boy Willie in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre. He returned to the play in the 2022 Broadway revival playing Doaker Charles. Jackson early film roles include Coming to America (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Juice (1992), True Romance (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993), Menace II Society (1993), and Fresh (1994). His collaborations with Spike Lee led to greater prominence with films such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Oldboy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015). Jackson's breakout role was in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) which earned him a BAFTA Award win and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He further collaborated with Tarantino, acting in Jackie Brown (1997), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015). He's known for having appeared in a number of big-budget films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Negotiator (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its reboot (2019), XXX (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), Coach Carter (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Glass (2019). He also gained widespread recognition as the Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), later voicing the role in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and the video game Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2011). With his permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury; he subsequently played Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with a cameo appearance in Iron Man (2008), as well as guest-starring in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He will reprise this role in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion, which is set to premiere on June 21, 2023. Jackson has provided his voice for several animated films, documentaries, television series, and video games, including Lucius Best / Frozone in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018).
Known For
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Daily Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Tony Awards
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Law & Order
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Colbert Report
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
The Movies That Made Us
The Early Show
Today
WWE Raw
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
MTV Movie & TV Awards
HBO First Look
The Jonathan Ross Show
Honest Trailers
Finding Your Roots
The Boondocks
Marvel Studios Legends
Extras
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What If...?
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Iron Man
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Avengers: Infinity War
Inglourious Basterds
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Avengers: Endgame
Thor
GoodFellas
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
WandaVision
We Are One With President-Elect Barack Obama
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
The Oscars
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Ragtime
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
The Journey of the African-American Athlete
Quincy
Captain America: The First Avenger
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Prohibition
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers 5
Return to Jurassic Park
Coming to America
Do the Right Thing
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
RoboCop
Astro Boy
True Romance
Jurassic Park
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Argylle
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Patriot Games
The Avengers
Losing Isaiah
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
The Other Guys
Iron Man 2
The Incredibles
Menace II Society
Juice
Deep Blue Sea
Chi-Raq
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
The War
The Marvels
Incredibles 2
Amend: The Fight for America
Django Unchained
Coach Carter The Man Behind the Movie
Strictly Business
Oldboy
Hard Eight
xXx
Turbo
A Time to Kill
Sphere
The Legend of Tarzan
The Kill Room
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Captain America: Brave New World
Glass
Jumper
Pulp Fiction
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Black Snake Moan
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Mr. Incredible and Pals
xXx: State of the Union
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Jackie Brown
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Unicorn Store
The Banker
Kong: Skull Island
Kingsman: The Secret Service
1408
Cell
Unbreakable
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
The Garfield Movie
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Twisted
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Captain Marvel
Rules of Engagement
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
The Protégé
Changing Lanes
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Secret Invasion
S.W.A.T.
One Eight Seven
Cleaner
Big Game
Damaged
The Hateful Eight
Afro Samurai
Coach Carter
Unthinkable
Shaft
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion
Rivr: Track Original Shows & Movies
Streamline your streaming with Rivr, the ultimate app for tracking and discovering original shows and movies across all major platforms like Netflix, HBO, and more—never miss a release date or update again!
Get