Samuel L. Jackson
140 FOLLOWERS • 149 CREDITS • DEC 21, 1948 • 75
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
Saturday Night Live
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Daily Show
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
The Graham Norton Show
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
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 Colbert Report
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
The Movies That Made Us
What If...?
The Early Show
Honest Trailers
Today
WWE Raw
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
The Proud Family
HBO First Look
The Jonathan Ross Show
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Finding Your Roots
The Boondocks
Amend: The Fight for America
Marvel Studios Legends
Extras
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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
The Exorcist III
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
WandaVision
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
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
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Prohibition
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers 5
Coming to America
Return to Jurassic Park
The Avengers
Do the Right Thing
True Romance
RoboCop
Jurassic Park
Astro Boy
Captain America: The First Avenger
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Argylle
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Patriot Games
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Avengers: Age of Ultron
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Iron Man 2
Losing Isaiah
The Other Guys
The Incredibles
Juice
The Marvels
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
The War
Chi-Raq
Menace II Society
Deep Blue Sea
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Incredibles 2
Strictly Business
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Coach Carter The Man Behind the Movie
Django Unchained
Turbo
Hard Eight
xXx
Oldboy
The Kill Room
Jumper
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The Legend of Tarzan
A Time to Kill
Glass
Sphere
Captain America: Brave New World
Kong: Skull Island
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Jackie Brown
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
1408
Mr. Incredible and Pals
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Unicorn Store
Black Snake Moan
Unbreakable
The Protégé
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
The Garfield Movie
Against the Wall
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Pulp Fiction
Captain Marvel
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Changing Lanes
Cell
Twisted
The Banker
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
xXx: State of the Union
Rules of Engagement
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion
One Eight Seven
Cleaner
Damaged
Big Game
S.W.A.T.
Afro Samurai
Shaft
Unthinkable
The Hateful Eight
Coach Carter
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
Secret Invasion
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