Samuel L. Jackson
212 FOLLOWERS • 168 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
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 Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Tony Awards
Saturday Night Live
Real Time with Bill Maher
Law & Order
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
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
Honest Trailers
Finding Your Roots
The Boondocks
Amend: The Fight for America
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
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Out of Sight
The Exorcist III
WandaVision
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
Prohibition
Marvel Studios' 2021 Disney+ Day Special
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Avengers: Doomsday
Return to Jurassic Park
Kingsman: The Secret Service Revealed
Astro Boy
Avengers: Secret Wars
Coming to America
The Avengers
I Ain't Scared of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac
Jurassic Park
RoboCop
Argylle
True Romance
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Incredibles 2
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe
Patriot Games
Iron Man 2
Losing Isaiah
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
The Other Guys
The Incredibles
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Juice
What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Strictly Business
Chi-Raq
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Django Unchained
The War
Coach Carter The Man Behind the Movie
Menace II Society
Hard Eight
Deep Blue Sea
Oldboy
xXx
The Marvels
Afterburn
Turbo
Captain America: Brave New World
Sphere
Kingsman: The Secret Service
The Kill Room
Glass
The Legend of Tarzan
Jumper
A Time to Kill
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
The Protégé
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Jackie Brown
Mr. Incredible and Pals
Cell
The Banker
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
The Garfield Movie
Black Snake Moan
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Kong: Skull Island
The Hitman's Bodyguard
The Unholy Trinity
Unicorn Store
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Captain Marvel
Unbreakable
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?
Rules of Engagement
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Pulp Fiction
1408
xXx: State of the Union
Against the Wall
Twisted
Changing Lanes
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
The Hateful Eight
S.W.A.T.
Man of War
Afro Samurai
Unthinkable
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Secret Invasion
NOLA King
One Eight Seven
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Big Game
Coach Carter
Shaft
Damaged
Secret Invasion
Cleaner
Shows+ Discover & Track Series
Stay on top of your TV schedule with Shows+, the effortless tracker that keeps you informed about new episodes, season releases, and where to watch, stream, rent, or buy your favorite shows, ensuring you never miss out again!
Get