Samuel L. Jackson
212 FOLLOWERS • 169 CREDITS • DEC 21, 1948 • 76
Biography
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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
The Oscars
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
The Daily Show
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Graham Norton Show
Bambi
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Tony Awards
Saturday Night Live
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Law & Order
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Colbert Report
Parkinson
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
The Movies That Made Us
What If...?
The Early Show
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
The Frank Skinner Show
Today
Raw
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
The Proud Family
The Boondocks
HBO First Look
The Jonathan Ross Show
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Finding Your Roots
Marvel Studios Legends
Dynamo: Magician Impossible
Extras
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Staged
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Iron Man
FireAid Benefit Concert
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
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Out of Sight
The Exorcist III
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Ragtime
Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home
Do the Right Thing
The Journey of the African-American Athlete
Quincy
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
Prohibition
Coming to America
Return to Jurassic Park
Avengers: Doomsday
Astro Boy
Kingsman: The Secret Service Revealed
Avengers: Secret Wars
The Avengers
I Ain't Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac
RoboCop
Argylle
Jurassic Park
What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?
Captain America: The First Avenger
True Romance
Incredibles 2
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Patriot Games
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
The Other Guys
Losing Isaiah
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Iron Man 2
Incredibles 3
The Incredibles
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Juice
What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Deep Blue Sea
Chi-Raq
Amend: The Fight for America
The War
Strictly Business
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Django Unchained
Coach Carter The Man Behind the Movie
Menace II Society
Hard Eight
Turbo
Oldboy
Afterburn
The Marvels
xXx
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Sphere
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Captain America: Brave New World
A Time to Kill
Jumper
The Legend of Tarzan
Glass
The Kill Room
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?
Unbreakable
Against the Wall
Mr. Incredible and Pals
The Unholy Trinity
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
1408
Black Snake Moan
Changing Lanes
The Banker
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Kong: Skull Island
Cell
Twisted
The Protégé
Jackie Brown
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
The Garfield Movie
Unicorn Store
Pulp Fiction
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
xXx: State of the Union
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Captain Marvel
Rules of Engagement
Secret Invasion
Big Game
One Eight Seven
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
Afro Samurai
Man of War
Shaft
Coach Carter
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
S.W.A.T.
Unthinkable
The Hateful Eight
Damaged
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion
Cleaner
NOLA King
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