Samuel L. Jackson
Birthdate: Dec 21, 1948
Birthplace: Washington D.C., USA
A beloved and constant presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars universe for a younger generation, Samuel L. Jackson (birthname: Samuel Leroy Jackson) is also known to older audiences as a fiery, funny, and extraordinarily dynamic actor who injected an attitude and new style in his movies that blended comedy with menace, tenderness with intelligence—all depending on what the role called for.
A perfect example of the classically trained actor transferring his gifts to the biggest blockbuster enterprises, Jackson ranks at the top of all lead and supporting actors in film history for total movie gross, nearly $28 billion, and was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award in 2022.
Samuel L. Jackson’s vast body of credits, exceeding 150 feature titles, reads like a survey of major American movies since the late 1980s, when he first broke through in his third film with writer-director Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing (1989), co-starring Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Rudy Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, and John Turturro. It solidified Jackson’s long-running collaboration with Lee, which included striking supporting roles in School Daze (1988), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Old Boy (2013), and Chi-Raq (2015).
Jackson established himself as a prolific actor in 1990, appearing in seven features, including The Exorcist III (the only entry in the series written and directed by author William Peter Blatty), with George C. Scott, Jason Miller, Nicol Williamson, and Brad Dourif, and in Martin Scorsese’s landmark Goodfellas, with Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino.
By 1993, Samuel L. Jackson had firmly established himself as an actor able to work in a wide range of genres, and to take over any scene in which he appeared, as in The Hughes Brothers’ Menace II Society; his first co-starring role in E. Max Frye’s Amos & Andrew, with Nicolas Cage; his first blockbuster role (albeit supporting), in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough; and Jackson’s first collaboration of many with Quentin Tarantino, director Tony Scott’s and writer Tarantino’s True Romance, with Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette.
Samuel L. Jackson’s movie star presence exploded in 1994, with his stunning turn as hitman Jules Winfield in Tarantino’s groundbreaking anthology crime/ black comedy, Pulp Fiction, with John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, and Amanda Plummer. In the same busy year, though Jackson couldn’t top this performance (in some ways, he never has), he made a strong impression in Boaz Yakin’s Fresh and Michael Tolkin’s The New Age, with Judy Davis and Peter Weller.
Jackson’s specialty during this period was crime movies, such as Barbet Schroeder’s Kiss of Death (1995); the hit sequel Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), with Bruce Willis; John Grisham’s A Time to Kill (1996), with Matthew McConaughey; Paul Thomas Anderson’s feature debut, Hard Eight (1996), with John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Baker Hall; Steve Buscemi’s debut as writer-director, Trees Lounge (1996); his first above-the-title role in Kevin Reynolds’s drama, One Eight Seven (1997).
One of Samuel L. Jackson’s wildest crime fiction roles, (and in his view, his favorite), was his co-starring turn with Geena Davis in the Renny Harlin/Shane Black comedy, The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). In 1997, Jackson’s elevated position in Hollywood was reflected in his role as producer and co-star on Kasi Lemmon’s feature debut, Eve’s Bayou, with Lynn Witfield.
His second exciting collaboration with director Tarantino was the brilliant adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch, Jackie Brown (1997), with Pam Grier, Robert Forster, and Robert De Niro. The Jackson-Tarantino power couple returned briefly in Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), then with Jackson as an amusing narrator in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009), with Brad Pitt, followed by one of Jackson’s most flamboyant role as a house slave to Leonardo DiCaprio in Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), with Jamie Foxx, and as Major Marquis in Tarantino’s revenge Western, The Hateful Eight (2015).
Samuel L. Jackson’s entry into the world of blockbuster franchises—which is now where his acting career fundamentally resides—started in earnest with his Mace Windu in George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace (1999), which continued with Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones (2002), and his Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith (2005), while providing his Mace Windu voice to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), and appearing in a Windu cameo in J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
Jackson played Agent Augustus Gibbons in the XXX series, starting with XXX (2002), XXX: State of the Union (2005), and returning twelve years later in XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), all with Vin Diesel. Samuel L. Jackson’s animation blockbuster was his turn as Lucius Best in Brad Bird’s acclaimed The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018). A recent mini-franchise Jackson played a central role in the surprise hit, The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) and Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021), with Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek.
But nothing in Samuel L. Jackson’s filmography of blockbusters compares with his lengthy credits as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jackson’s nine-plus feature contract with Marvel Studios anticipated that studio’s growing dominance of Hollywood, starting with Iron Man (2008) in a post-credits cameo (similar to mini-appearances in Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger (both in 2011), but then became prominent in Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019) (in which Jackson was digitally de-aged), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and the continuation of the Captain Marvel franchise, director Nia DaCosta’s The Marvels (2023), with Brie Larson.
Recently, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has expanded his reach into other MCU worlds, such as Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), with Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal. Samuel L. Jackson’s most successful non-MCU movies include the dark horse surprise hit, Snakes on a Plane (2006); Frank Miller’s comic book noir, The Spirit (2008); the reboot RoboCop (2014); Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015); and Kong: Skull Island (2017), the highest-grossing film in the “MonsterVerse” franchise universe.
Jackson has a long record of voice performances in animation and children’s features, starting with Fluke (1995), with Matthew Modine; the two editions of The Incredibles; the Hong Kong-produced Astro Boy (2009); the JPL/NASA-initiated animated science fiction adventure, Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010); the South African-produced animated comedy, Zambezia (2012); DreamWorks Animation’s 3D sports comedy, Turbo (2013); and Nickelodeon Movies’ animated spoof of Blazing Saddles, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022), with Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Michelle Yeoh, and Mel Brooks. Samuel L. Jackson has provided his distinctive voice to several interesting non-fiction movies, most notably Raoul Peck’s brilliant, Oscar-nominated profile of author James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro (2016).
Samuel L. Jackson played a featured supporting role in director/producer Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy, Argylle (2024), starring Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, and John Cena, and which was generally dismissed by critics and grossed a poor $96 million worldwide against a $200 million for Universal Pictures. Jackson starred with Vincent Cassel in the crime drama, Damaged (2024), directed by Terry McDonough and co-written and co-produced by Paul Aniello and Gianni Capaldi, who was also in the cast with John Hannah and Kate Dickie, and was distributed in the US by Lionsgate.
Jackson performed another one of his many voice roles in animated movies with his co-starring turn with co-star Chris Pratt in Columbia Pictures’ animated feature adaptation of Jim Davis’ comic strip, The Garfield Movie (2024), with the voice cast of Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecile Strong, Harvey Guillen, Bowen Yang, and Snoop Dogg. Jackson portrayed Doaker Charles in co-writer/director Malcolm Washington’s screen adaptation of August Wilson’s modern classic drama, The Piano Lesson (date to be announced), co-starring John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu, and released by Netflix.
Samuel L. Jackson starred next with Pierre Brosnan in the Richard Gray-directed Western, Unholy Trinity (date to be announced), with Brandon Lessard, Ethan Peck, Q’orianka Kilcher, Tim Daly, Veronica Ferrers, David Arquette, and Gianni Capaldi. Jackson then joined Dave Bautista (also an executive producer) in the apocalyptic comedy, Afterburn (date to be announced), directed by J.J. Perry. Jackson leaped into action mode for the White House thriller, The Beast (date to be announced), directed by James Madigan and written by Umair Aleem and co-starring Joel Kinnaman.
Personal Details
D.C.-born Samuel L. Jackson is the son of Elizabeth and Roy Jackson and was raised by Elizabeth and his grandparents. Jackson attended and graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, where he was active in issues around Black students and the Civil Rights Movement. Samuel L. Jackson has been married to LaTanya Jackson since 1980; they have one daughter, Zoe, born in 1982. His height is 6’ 2”.
Known For
Awards
Recipient, Honorary Academy Award, Academy Awards (2022); Nominee, Best Supporting Actor, Academy Awards (1995); Winner, Best Supporting Actor, BAFTA Awards (1995); Four-time Nominee, Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor/Best Actor in Television Miniseries, Motion Picture, Golden Globe Awards (1995, 1997, 1998); Two-time Winner, Best First Feature Film/Best Male Lead, Independent Spirit Awards (1995, 1997, 1998, 2011); Nominee, Best Supporting Actor, National Society of Film Critics Award (1994); Winner, Best Supporting Actor, New York Film Critics Circle Award (1991); Nominee, Best Supporting Male Actor, Screen Actors Guild Awards (1995); Winner, Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival (1991); Winner, Best Actor, Berlin Film Festival (1998).
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Independent Spirit Award
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Filmography
actor
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Previous (120)
- 2024 | The Garfield MovieasVic
The Garfield Movie
After Garfield's unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, ragged alley cat Vic, he and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered lives to join Vic on a risky heist.
- 2024 |
- 2023 | Milano: The Inside Story of Italian Fashion
- 2023 | Samuel L. Jackson: Did I Stutter?
- 2023 | The MarvelsasNick Fury
The Marvels
Carol Danvers gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe.
- 2022 | Paws of Fury: The Legend of HankasJimbo
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
Hank, a loveable dog with a head full of dreams about becoming a samurai, sets off in search of his destiny.
- 2021 | The Protégéas Moody
- 2021 | Hitman’s Wife’s BodyguardasDarius Kincaid
Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
The bodyguard, Michael Bryce, continues his friendship with assassin, Darius Kincaid, as they try to save Darius' wife Sonia.
- 2020 | The Bankeras Joe Morris
- 2019 | Be the Ball
- 2019 | Spider-Man: Far from HomeasNick Fury
Spider-Man: Far from Home
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
- 2019 |
- 2019 | Captain MarvelasNick Fury
Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
- 2019 |
- 2017 |
- 2018 | Incredibles 2asLucius Best
Incredibles 2
The Incredibles family takes on a new mission which involves a change in family roles: Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) must manage the house while his wife Helen (Elastigirl) goes out to save the world.
- 2017 | Miracle on 42nd Street
- 2017 | Unicorn Storeas The Salesman
- 2017 | The Hitman’s BodyguardasDarius Kincaid
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Michael Bryce, a protection agent, is tasked with protecting Darius Kincaid, one of the world's most famous assassins
- 2017 | Kong: Skull IslandasPreston Packard
Kong: Skull Island
After the Vietnam war, a team of scientists explores an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong and must fight to escape a primal Eden.
- 2017 | I Am Not Your NegroasNarration
I Am Not Your Negro
Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
- 2017 | xXx: Return of Xander CageasAugustus Gibbons
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Xander Cage is left for dead after an incident, though he secretly returns to action for a new, tough assignment with his handler Augustus Gibbons.
- 2016 | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar ChildrenasBarron
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
When Jacob (Asa Butterfield) discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents and learns about their special ...
- 2016 | Cellas Tom McCourt
- 2016 | The Legend of TarzanasGeorge Washington Williams
The Legend of Tarzan
Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.
- 2015 | The Hateful EightasMajor Marquis Warren
The Hateful Eight
In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.
- 2015 | Chi-Raqas Dolmedes
- 2014 | Big Gameas US President William Alan Moore
- 2015 | Avengers: Age of UltronasNick Fury
Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
- 2015 | Barely Lethalas Hardman
- 2015 | Kingsman: The Secret ServiceasValentine
Kingsman: The Secret Service
A spy organisation recruits a promising street kid into the agency's training program, while a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
- 2014 | Face of Unity
- 2014 | Kiteas Lieutenant Karl Aker
- 2014 | Reasonable Doubtas Clinton Davis
- 2014 | No Good DeedasJack Friar
No Good Deed
An unstable escaped convict terrorizes a woman who is alone with her two children.
- 2014 | Captain America: The Winter SoldierasNick Fury
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
- 2014 |
- 2013 | Oldboyas Chaney
- 2013 |
- 2012 | Adventures in Zambeziaas Tendai
- 2012 | Quentin Tarantino: 20 Years of Filmmaking
- 2012 | The Avengers Assemble Premiere
- 2012 | Django UnchainedasStephen
Django Unchained
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
- 2012 | The Samaritanas Foley
- 2012 | Meeting Evilas Richie
- 2011 | Young Jeezy: A Hustlerz Ambitionas Narrator
- 2011 | Captain America: The First Avengeras Nick Fury
- 2010 | African Catsas Narrator
- 2010 | African Catsas Narrator
- 2010 | In the Land of the Free...
- 2010 | Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odysseyas Fear
- 2010 | Unthinkableas Henry Harold 'H' Humphries
- 2010 | The Other Guysas P.K. Highsmith
- 2010 | Iron Man 2as Nick Fury
- 2009 | Mother and Childas Paul
- 2008 | The Spiritas Octopus
- 2008 | Soul Menas Louis Hinds
- 2008 | Lakeview Terraceas Abel Turner
- 2008 | Jumperas Roland
- 2007 | Cleaner
- 2007 | Cleaneras Tom Cutler
- 2007 | The 100 Best Black Movies (Ever)
- 2007 | Resurrecting the Champas Champ
- 2007 | 1408as Gerald Olin
- 2006 | Black Snake Moanas Lazarus
- 2006 | Farce of the Penguinsas Narrator
- 2006 | Home of the Braveas Will Marsh
- 2006 | Snakes on a Planeas Neville Flynn
- 2006 | Freedomlandas Lorenzo Council
- 2005 | The Manas Derrick Vann
- 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the SithasMace Windu
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Three years into the Clone Wars, the Jedi rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. As Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, Anakin acts as a double agent between the Jedi Council and Palpatine and is lured into a sinister plan to rule the galaxy.
- 2005 | xXx: State of the Unionas Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons
- 2004 | In My Countryas Langston Whitfield
- 2005 | Coach Carteras Coach Ken Carter
- 2004 | Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnsonas Jack Johnson
- 2004 | The IncrediblesasLucius Best
The Incredibles
While trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.
- 2004 | Twistedas John Mills
- 2003 | S.W.A.T.as Sgt. Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson
- 2003 | Basicas West
- 2001 | Formula 51as Elmo McElroy
- 2002 | xXxas Agent Augustus Gibbons
- 2002 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the ClonesasMace Windu
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Ten years after initially meeting, Anakin Skywalker shares a forbidden romance with Padmé Amidala, while Obi-Wan Kenobi investigates an assassination attempt on the senator and discovers a secret clone army crafted for the Jedi.
- 2002 | Changing Lanesas Doyle Gipson
- 2001 | The Caveman's Valentineas Romulus
- 2000 | Unbreakableas Elijah Price
- 2000 | Rules of Engagementas Colonel Terry Childers
- 1999 | Deep Blue SeaasRussell Franklin
Deep Blue Sea
Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey, as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.
- 1998 | Waking in Mississippi
- 1998 | The Negotiatoras Danny Roman
- 1998 | Sphereas Harry
- 1997 | Jackie Brownas Ordell Robbie
- 1997 | Eve's Bayou
- 1997 | Eve's Bayouas Louis Batiste
- 1997 | One Eight Sevenas Trevor Garfield
- 1996 | Hard Eightas Jimmy
- 1996 | The Long Kiss Goodnightas Mitch Henessey
- 1996 | A Time to Killas Carl Lee Hailey
- 1994 | The Search for One-eye Jimmyas Col. Ron
- 1996 | The Great White Hypeas Rev. Fred Sultan
- 1995 | Flukeas Rumbo
- 1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeanceas Zeus
- 1995 | Kiss of Deathas Calvin Hart
- 1995 | Losing Isaiahas Kadar Lewis
- 1994 | Hail Caesaras Mailman
- 1994 | Pulp Fictionas Jules Winnfield
- 1994 | Freshas Sam
- 1993 | True Romanceas Big Don
- 1993 | Jurassic ParkasArnold
Jurassic Park
An industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone's lives, including his grandchildren's, in danger.
- 1993 | Menace II Societyas Tat Lawson
- 1993 | Amos & Andrewas Andrew Sterling
- 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1as Wes Luger
- 1991 | Jumpin' at the Boneyardas Mr. Simpson
- 1992 | Patriot Gamesas Robby
- 1992 | White Sandsas Greg Meeker
- 1992 | Juiceas Trip
- 1991 | Strictly Businessas Monroe
- 1991 | Jungle Feveras Gator Purify
- 1990 | The Return of Superflyas Nate Cabot
- 1990 | Def by Temptationas Minister Garth
- 1987 | Eddie Murphy: Rawas Eddie's Uncle (sketch)
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Previous (1)
- 2019 | QT8: The First Eight
QT8: The First Eight
A documentary that focuses on the first 21 years of Quentin Tarantino's career and includes interviews with his frequent collaborators.
Some Facts About Samuel L. Jackson
Student Protest: Samuel L. Jackson was briefly suspended from Morehouse College after taking hostage trustee board members of the college during Black student protests demanding a Black Studies program and Black board members.
Theater as Therapy: Jackson’s deep dive into theater as an actor began with a need to eliminate a stutter which had dogged him since childhood.
U.N. Youth: During his student years, Samuel L. Jackson participated in Model United Nations, in which youth around the world participated in gatherings shadowing and modeling the U.N. General Assembly.
Avid Golfer: Jackson’s enthusiasm for golf is so serious that he has a clause in his movie contracts guaranteeing him access to golf courses, regardless of the film’s shooting location.
Number One: Samuel L. Jackson is the top-grossing actor of all time in combined lead and supporting appearances for all of his movies to date, with nearly $27.7 billion in earnings, and number two of all time in terms of U.S. ticket sales (more than 741,800,000).
Nest Egg: Jackson’s estimated net worth is $250 million.
