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Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. JacksonAKA Samuel Leroy Jackson

Born: 21-Dec-1948
Birthplace: Washington, DC

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Actor
Party Affiliation: Democratic

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Pulp Fiction

Jackson grew up in a deeply segregated time and place, Chattanooga in the 1950s, where he was raised by aunts, uncles and grandparents. His mother did not live with him until Jackson was in fourth grade. His father, a drunk, never did. He played the French horn and trumpet in high school, then attended all-black Morehouse College, majoring in drama and creating some of his own. In 1969, Jackson was among a small group of radical students who took several members of the school Board of Trustees hostage, demanding curriculum changes and other school management reforms. For his crime, Jackson was suspended but not prosecuted.

He was a student at Morehouse again in 1972, when he made his film debut with a supporting role in Together for Days, a low-budget drama about interracial dating. After graduation, Jackson made local TV commercials, and eventually joined New York's Negro Ensemble Company in 1976. During his years as a struggling actor, he worked as a doorman, had a tiny role in Ragtime (James Cagney's last film), worked as Bill Cosby's stand-in on The Cosby Show, and appeared in two episodes of Spenser: For Hire with Robert Urich.

Jackson also drank heavily and did more than his share of cocaine. He completed drug rehab in 1991, later playing a drug addict in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever, his first post-rehab role and his breakthrough performance. Genuine stardom came with Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, opposite John Travolta as a pair of hit men.

If you do the math just right, Samuel L. Jackson is the biggest movie star in history. He has often been second- or third-billed, or even farther down the credits, but if you just tally the money his films have earned, it adds up to over $3,000,000,000 -- more than any other actor in history. Harrison Ford is in second place, Tom Hanks is third.

In Eddie Murphy's stand-up movie Raw, Jackson played Murphy's uncle in one sketch. In assorted minimal "bad guy" roles, Jackson was in Murphy's huge hit Coming to America, Al Pacino's Sea of Love, and he was killed by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas. As Jackson's star was rising, he was Ford's sidekick in Patriot Games, and a technowiz in Steven Spielberg's mega-blockbuster Jurassic Park. His post-stardom blockbusters include three Star Wars films, Die Hard: With A Vengeance with Bruce Willis, A Time to Kill with Sandra Bullock, xXx with Vin Diesel, S.W.A.T. with Colin Farrell, and The Incredibles, where Jackson voiced the frozen sidekick Frozone ("Where is my super-suit, woman?"). Most recently he tangled with Snakes on A Plane, and he has said he wants to play comic book superhero Nick Fury.

Father: (d., alcoholism)
Mother: Elizabeth Jackson (office worker)
Wife: LaTanya Richardson (actress, m. 1980, one daughter)
Daughter: Zoe Jackson (b. 1982)

    University: BA Drama, Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA (1972)

    Obama for America
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 7018 Hollywood Blvd (motion pictures)
    Endorsement of Apple
    unknown detox facility upstate New York 1988
    Wedding: Al Reynolds and Star Jones (2004)
    Risk Factors: Cocaine, Alcoholism, Stuttering

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Spider-Man: Far from Home (26-Jun-2019)
    Shaft (14-Jun-2019)
    Avengers: Endgame (22-Apr-2019)
    Captain Marvel (27-Feb-2019)
    Glass (7-Jan-2019)
    Life Itself (8-Sep-2018)
    Incredibles 2 (5-Jun-2018) [VOICE]
    Unicorn Store (11-Sep-2017)
    The Hitman's Bodyguard (10-Aug-2017)
    Kong: Skull Island (28-Feb-2017)
    xXx: Return of Xander Cage (5-Jan-2017)
    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (25-Sep-2016)
    I Am Not Your Negro (10-Sep-2016) [VOICE]
    The Legend of Tarzan (27-Jun-2016)
    Cell (19-May-2016)
    The Hateful Eight (7-Dec-2015)
    Barely Lethal (23-Apr-2015)
    Avengers: Age of Ultron (13-Apr-2015)
    Kingsman: The Secret Service (13-Dec-2014)
    Big Game (5-Sep-2014)
    Kite (13-Jun-2014)
    Captain America: The Winter Soldier (13-Mar-2014)
    Robocop (30-Jan-2014)
    Reasonable Doubt (17-Jan-2014)
    Oldboy (11-Nov-2013)
    Turbo (17-Jul-2013) [VOICE]
    Django Unchained (25-Dec-2012)
    Zambezia (5-Jun-2012) [VOICE]
    The Avengers (11-Apr-2012)
    Meeting Evil (30-Mar-2012)
    The Samaritan (3-Mar-2012) · Foley
    Arena (11-Oct-2011)
    Captain America: The First Avenger (22-Jul-2011) · Nick Fury
    African Cats (21-Apr-2011) · Narrator [VOICE]
    The Sunset Limited (12-Feb-2011) · Black
    The Other Guys (6-Aug-2010) · P. K. Highsmith
    With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (24-Jul-2010) · Himself
    Iron Man 2 (26-Apr-2010) · Nick Fury
    Unthinkable (2010) · H
    Astro Boy (5-Oct-2009) · Zog [VOICE]
    Mother and Child (14-Sep-2009) · Paul
    The Spirit (25-Dec-2008)
    Soul Men (7-Nov-2008)
    Lakeview Terrace (19-Sep-2008)
    Star Wars: The Clone Wars (14-Aug-2008) [VOICE]
    Jumper (6-Feb-2008)
    Cleaner (11-Sep-2007) · Tom Cutler
    1408 (22-Jun-2007)
    Farce of the Penguins (30-Jan-2007) · Narrator [VOICE]
    Resurrecting the Champ (20-Jan-2007)
    Home of the Brave (15-Dec-2006) · Will Marsh
    Black Snake Moan (9-Dec-2006) · Lazarus
    Snakes on a Plane (17-Aug-2006)
    Freedomland (17-Feb-2006) · Lorenzo Council
    The Man (9-Sep-2005)
    Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (18-May-2005)
    xXx: State of the Union (27-Apr-2005) · Agent Augustus Gibbons
    Coach Carter (14-Jan-2005)
    The Incredibles (27-Oct-2004) · Lucius Best [VOICE]
    Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (4-Sep-2004) [VOICE]
    Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (16-Apr-2004) · Rufus
    Twisted (23-Feb-2004) · John Mills
    In My Country (7-Feb-2004) · Langston Whitfield
    S.W.A.T. (8-Aug-2003) · Sgt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson
    Basic (28-Mar-2003) · West
    xXx (9-Aug-2002) · Agent Augustus Gibbons
    No Good Deed (29-Jun-2002)
    Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (16-May-2002)
    Changing Lanes (7-Apr-2002) · Doyle Gipson
    Formula 51 (7-Dec-2001) · Elmo McElroy
    The Caveman's Valentine (19-Jan-2001) · Romulus
    Unbreakable (14-Nov-2000)
    Shaft (16-Jun-2000)
    Rules of Engagement (31-Mar-2000)
    Deep Blue Sea (26-Jul-1999) · Russell Franklin
    Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (19-May-1999)
    Our Friend, Martin (1999) [VOICE]
    The Red Violin (10-Sep-1998) · Charles Morritz
    The Negotiator (29-Jul-1998)
    Sphere (13-Feb-1998) · Harry
    Jackie Brown (25-Dec-1997) · Ordell Robbie
    Eve's Bayou (7-Sep-1997)
    One Eight Seven (30-Jul-1997) · Trevor
    The Long Kiss Goodnight (11-Oct-1996) · Mitch Henessey
    A Time To Kill (24-Jul-1996)
    Trees Lounge (11-May-1996) · Wendell
    The Great White Hype (3-May-1996) · Rev. Fred Sultan
    Hard Eight (20-Jan-1996) · Jimmy
    Fluke (2-Jun-1995) · Rumbo [VOICE]
    Die Hard: With a Vengeance (19-May-1995) · Zeus
    Kiss of Death (21-Apr-1995) · Calvin
    Losing Isaiah (17-Mar-1995)
    The Search for One-eye Jimmy (9-Nov-1994)
    Pulp Fiction (14-Oct-1994) · Jules Winnfield
    The New Age (13-Sep-1994)
    Against the Wall (26-Mar-1994)
    Assault at West Point (27-Feb-1994)
    Fresh (Jan-1994) · Sam
    Hail Caesar (1994)
    True Romance (10-Sep-1993)
    Jurassic Park (11-Jun-1993) · Arnold
    Menace II Society (26-May-1993)
    Amos & Andrew (5-Mar-1993)
    Loaded Weapon 1 (5-Feb-1993)
    Fathers & Sons (6-Nov-1992)
    Jumpin' at the Boneyard (18-Sep-1992)
    Patriot Games (5-Jun-1992)
    White Sands (24-Apr-1992)
    Juice (17-Jan-1992) · Trip
    Strictly Business (8-Nov-1991)
    Johnny Suede (Aug-1991) · B-Bop
    Jungle Fever (5-Jun-1991) · Gator Purify
    The Return of Superfly (9-Nov-1990)
    Goodfellas (19-Sep-1990)
    The Exorcist III (17-Aug-1990) · Dream Blind Man
    Mo Better Blues (3-Aug-1990) · Madlock
    Betsy's Wedding (22-Jun-1990)
    Def by Temptation (23-Mar-1990) · Minister Garth
    A Shock to the System (23-Mar-1990)
    Sea of Love (15-Sep-1989) · Black Guy
    Dead Man Out (12-Mar-1989)
    Do the Right Thing (14-Jan-1989) · Mister Seņor Love Daddy
    Coming to America (29-Jun-1988) · Hold-Up Man
    School Daze (12-Feb-1988)
    Eddie Murphy Raw (25-Nov-1987)
    Magic Sticks (25-Jun-1987)
    Uncle Tom's Cabin (14-Jun-1987)
    Ragtime (20-Nov-1981)


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