Samuel L. Jackson
211 FOLLOWERS • 159 CREDITS • DEC 21, 1948 • 76
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
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
The Oscars
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
The Daily Show
The Graham Norton Show
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Tony Awards
Real Time with Bill Maher
Law & Order
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
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
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Today
Raw
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
The Proud Family
HBO First Look
The Jonathan Ross Show
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Marvel Studios Legends
Honest Trailers
Finding Your Roots
The Boondocks
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
Out of Sight
The Exorcist III
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
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
The Journey of the African-American Athlete
Do the Right Thing
Quincy
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Prohibition
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
Coming to America
Astro Boy
Return to Jurassic Park
Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Secret Wars
The Avengers
RoboCop
Argylle
Jurassic Park
Captain America: The First Avenger
True Romance
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Patriot Games
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
Iron Man 2
Losing Isaiah
The Other Guys
Juice
The Incredibles
Strictly Business
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Amend: The Fight for America
Coach Carter The Man Behind the Movie
Chi-Raq
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Menace II Society
The War
Incredibles 2
Django Unchained
Deep Blue Sea
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Oldboy
Hard Eight
Turbo
xXx
The Marvels
Captain America: Brave New World
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The Legend of Tarzan
The Kill Room
A Time to Kill
Glass
Jumper
Sphere
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Rules of Engagement
Against the Wall
Mr. Incredible and Pals
1408
Jackie Brown
Unbreakable
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Twisted
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
The Unholy Trinity
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
xXx: State of the Union
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Unicorn Store
The Banker
Cell
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Garfield Movie
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Pulp Fiction
The Protégé
Black Snake Moan
Kong: Skull Island
Captain Marvel
Changing Lanes
Damaged
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
Secret Invasion
S.W.A.T.
Unthinkable
Cleaner
The Hateful Eight
Shaft
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion
One Eight Seven
Afro Samurai
Man of War
Coach Carter
Big Game
Movies+ Discover & Track Movies
Never miss a movie again with Movies+, the simple tracker that keeps you updated on where to watch, stream, rent, or buy, while also alerting you to any production changes and new release dates of your favorite films!
Get