Samuel L. Jackson
Acting

Samuel L. Jackson

December 21, 1948 (77 years old) Washington, D.C., USA

Also known as: Samuel Leroy Jackson

Biography

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 Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015 • TV

Law & Order

Law & Order

1990 • TV

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014 • TV

The Daily Show

The Daily Show

1996 • TV

The Avengers

The Avengers

2012 • Movie

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

2010 • Movie

Movie Credits (58)

Acting

2012

The Avengers

as Nick Fury

2010

Iron Man 2

as Nick Fury

1994

Pulp Fiction

as Jules Winnfield

2008

Iron Man

as Nick Fury (uncredited)

1990

GoodFellas

as Stacks Edwards

2011

Thor

as Nick Fury (uncredited)

2004

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

as Rufus

2011

Captain America: The First Avenger

as Nick Fury

1999

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

as Mace Windu

1993

True Romance

as Big Don

1996

A Time to Kill

as Carl Lee Hailey

2005

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

as Mace Windu

1995

Die Hard: With a Vengeance

as Zeus Carver

2002

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

as Mace Windu

2002

xXx

as Agent Augustus Gibbons

2003

S.W.A.T.

as Sgt. Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson

1997

Jackie Brown

as Ordell Robbie

2000

Unbreakable

as Elijah Price

2008

Jumper

as Roland

2005

Coach Carter

as Ken Carter

Crew

2012

The Samaritan

Executive Producer

2007

Cleaner

Producer

2009

Afro Samurai: Resurrection

Executive Producer

2001

The 51st State

Executive Producer

2001

The Caveman's Valentine

Executive Producer

1997

Eve's Bayou

Producer

2020

The Banker

Executive Producer

2007

Afro Samurai Pilot

Executive Producer

TV Credits (53)

Acting

2015

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

as Self - Guest

3 episodes

1990

Law & Order

as Attorney Louis Taggert

1 episodes

2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self

5 episodes

1996

The Daily Show

as Self - Guest

8 episodes

2005

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

as An Officer of the Law

1 episodes

2005

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

as Self

2 episodes

1997

The View

as Self

7 episodes

1997

The View

as Self - Guest

2 episodes

1975

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host

1 episodes

1975

Saturday Night Live

as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

1 episodes

2022

The Jennifer Hudson Show

as Self - Guest

1 episodes

2005

The Colbert Report

1 episodes

1988

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

2 episodes

1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

as Self - Guest

4 episodes

1997

Leute heute

as Self

1 episodes

1992

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

4 episodes

2013

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

as Nick Fury

2 episodes

2019

Tamron Hall

as Self - Guest

1 episodes

2003

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

as Self

5 episodes

2014

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

as Self

2 episodes

Crew

2022

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

Executive Producer

2023

Secret Invasion

Executive Producer

—

Frisco King

Executive Producer

Personal Info

Known For
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
December 21, 1948 (77 years old)
Place of Birth
Washington, D.C., USA
Popularity
7.5

Career Stats

58
Movies
53
TV Shows