Few 20th-century African-American male actors have garnered the longevity, mass appeal and critical acclaim of Samuel L. Jackson, one of the most respected figures not just in Hollywood but also wider popular culture. A charismatic and unapologetic presence in both film and public life, Jackson is a cinematic force, famous for appearing in iconic movies such as “Pulp Fiction,” the “Star Wars” prequels and the cult classic “Snakes on a Plane.”
In this Samuel L. Jackson bio, you’ll learn about the impact and legacy of this legendary actor, his continued relevance, his frequent collaborators, and much more.
The unstoppable force: Samuel L. Jackson on screen
With a career spanning over 50 years, Samuel L. Jackson (born Samuel Leroy Jackson) is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood history. Since his debut in “Together For Days” in 1972, he’s appeared in over 100 films that have collectively grossed in excess of $27 billion, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time.
Jackson has starred in independent films, high-budget Hollywood flicks and everything in between. He’s also starred in big-name franchises, such as “Kingsman,” “The Incredibles,” “Avengers” and the “Star Wars” prequels. His most commercially successful movie is 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which made nearly $2.8 billion at the worldwide box office.
Roots in revolution: Early collaborations with Spike Lee
One of Jackson’s earliest film roles is “School Daze,” a musical comedy-drama directed by Spike Lee. He had met the director while appearing in the play “A Soldier’s Play” in New York City. Both Jackson’s and Lee’s work at the time contained revolutionary themes about race and social justice.
After “School Daze,” Jackson appeared in other Lee movies, including 1989’s “Do the Right Thing” and 1991’s “Jungle Fever.” Jackson won the first-ever Best Supporting Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in the latter, with judges commending him for his performance as a drug-addicted character named Gator.
During this time, Jackson and Lee were a formidable force in cinema, with their work reflecting the Black experience in the late 20th century.
ScreenRant says about their partnership:
“The pair are always elevated by each other’s work, with Lee providing plenty of opportunities for Jackson to deliver a memorable performance, which in turn makes those jokes even stronger and funnier. Not all of their collaborations have been huge successes, but they’re consistently entertaining thanks to the unique dynamic they have with each other’s work.”
‘Say what again!’: The ‘Pulp Fiction’ breakthrough
The movie that made Jackson famous was 1994’s “Pulp Fiction,” a crime drama directed by Quentin Tarantino. In it, he plays Jules Winnfield, a fast-talking hitman who quotes the Bible.
However, Jackson almost didn’t get the job, which may have changed his career trajectory:
“Quentin sent me the script, told me, ‘Jules is yours.’ I went in, and they just wanted to hear the character. I read it, and they were like, ‘Amazing. Job’s yours’… Then I hear, ‘Well, there’s this other actor who came in to audition for [“Pulp Fiction”] for another role, and he asked if he could read Jules, and we let him. And we kind of love him. So we need you to come back and read it again.’ Now I’m like, ‘What the fuck? What do you mean, read again?’”
“Pulp Fiction” instantly gained cult classic status, not just for its innovative direction but also for its iconic lines delivered by Jackson. One of the most famous scenes featuring the star is as follows:
Jules: Describe what Marsellus Wallace looks like!
Brett: What?
Jules: Say ‘what’ again. Say ‘what’ again, I dare you, I double dare you [expletive], say what one more Goddamn time!
In 1995, Jackson won the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jules and received nominations in the same category at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. He lost out on the Oscar to Martin Landau, who appeared as Bela Lugosi in “Ed Wood.” It was Jackson’s only Oscar nomination to date.
Commanding the screen: Leading man in blockbusters
Jackson has been a leading man in many high-profile films, appearing at the top of the bill in “Shaft,” “The 51st State” and “Black Snake Moan,” to name just a few.
One of his most famous roles as a leading man is John Shaft in the 2000s “Shaft” and its 2019 sequel. Both movies revive the ’70s Black action hero for new audiences, with the former earning a massive $107,626,125 at the global box office, making it one of Jackson’s most commercially successful projects.
Despite his successful career as both a character actor and leading man, Jackson has never won a competitive Oscar. He says:
“We’ve been in the business long enough to know that when folks go, ‘It’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No, it ain’t. It’s an honor to win. You get nominated and folks go, ‘Yeah I remember that.’ Or most people forget. Generally, it’s a contest you didn’t volunteer to be in. I didn’t go in there, so I could flex. ‘Let me do my scene so you can remember who I was.’”
Jackson’s career as a leading film actor has been lucrative. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is worth $250 million, making him one of the richest actors in the world. He has also made money from various brand endorsements over the years, including appearing in commercials for Capital One.
Enter Nick Fury: Architect of the MCU
Jackson has appeared in numerous action movie franchises, most notably the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), where he plays the S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nicholas Joseph ‘Nick’ Fury. The fictional character is one of the most popular in the Marvel franchise, known for his perseverance in fighting against evil.
Talking about his original nine-picture deal to play Fury, Jackson says:
“[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] said that: ‘We’re going to offer you a nine-picture deal.’ How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world. I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years. That’s kind of crazy! Oh [expletive], I’m using up my contracts. It worked out.”
Here are some of the most popular Samuel L Jackson movies in the Marvel franchise:
- “The Avengers”
- “Avengers: Endgame”
- “Avengers: Infinity War”
- “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
- “Spider-Man: Far from Home”
- “Captain Marvel”
As part of the Marvel franchise, Jackson has worked with some of the biggest movie stars in the world, including Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr., who is also one of the 50 highest-grossing actors of all time.
Power duos: Creative partnerships that shaped a legend
Jackson’s partnerships with directors, producers and movie studios have helped shape his career.
Working with Quentin Tarantino
One of his most famous long-term collaborations is with Quentin Tarantino, which started with “Pulp Fiction.” In total, the duo has worked together six times:
- “Pulp Fiction”
- “Jackie Brown”
- “Kill Bill: Volume 2”
- “Inglourious Basterds” (Jackson provides a voiceover but doesn’t appear on screen)
- “Django Unchained”
- “The Hateful Eight”
Collider says Jackson and Tarantino have “one of the most iconic director-actor collaborations in modern cinema.”
Talking about his relationship with Tarantino, Jackson says:
“It’s great to know that someone who writes that well and who makes films that well or who has a cinematic love for what we do trusts me with his material. And it makes me want to give him more and work harder for him,” he said. “And I think I’ve become a better actor for it, and I think he’s a better filmmaker for our collaborations.”
Teaming up with Spike Lee
After appearing in several Lee movies in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Jackson didn’t work with the director again until 2013’s “Oldboy.” The pair fell out over a salary dispute after Lee invited Jackson to audition for a role in “Malcolm X.” Lee says Jackson’s agent told him that he was turning the part down:
“What bothered me was not that he didn’t want to do the film, but the fact that he had his agent call me. I would have preferred it if he had said, ‘Look, Spike, I can’t do it. I understand that you can’t pay me the money I want, so I gotta do what I gotta do.’”
“Oldboy,” a thriller-action movie about a man trying to find out the reason for his 20-year solitary confinement, wasn’t well-received by critics, scoring just 39% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
The pair teamed up again in 2015 for the musical crime drama movie Chi-Raq, which also stars Nick Cannon and Wesley Snipes.
Long-term relationships with producers and studios
Jackson’s role as Nick Fury in the Marvel franchise has led to a long relationship with the Walt Disney Company, which owns Marvel Studios. He’s also worked closely with Lawrence Bender, the film producer famous for Tarantino’s movies, including “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill: Volume 2.”
Due to his ongoing collaborations in the movie industry, Jackson is trusted by major studios. In 2019, The Hollywood Reporter called him “Hollywood’s most bankable star.”
Jackson is also known in the industry for his voice work, having appeared in animated movies such as “The Incredibles” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” He has also worked as a celebrity voice for Alexa.
Beyond the screen: Samuel L. Jackson, the cultural lightning rod
Jackson is not just a movie star but an advocate for racial equity, representation and other social justice and cultural issues. He frequently champions causes on his social media accounts, including The Legal Defense Fund, a New York-based nonprofit that fights for racial justice through litigation advocacy.
Over the years, Jackson has spoken candidly about race and representation and how he perceives the movie industry as a Black actor. Here are some of the things he’s said:
- On Black British actors in American race-related roles: “There are a lot of Black British actors in these movies. I tend to wonder what that movie [“Get Out”] would have been with an American brother who really feels that. Daniel [Kaluuya]grew up in a country where they’ve been interracial dating for a hundred years. What would a brother from America have made of that role? Some things are universal, but [not everything].”
- On modern-day racism: “America is much more willing to acknowledge what happened in the past. We freed the slaves! It’s all good! But to say, ‘We are still unnecessarily killing black men’ – let’s have a conversation about that.”
- On Black stories in Hollywood: “I’m not positive that Black Panther is going to change the dynamic of black stories being told in Hollywood and being accepted all over the world.”
Jackson has also been outspoken about politics. He supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and has insulted President Trump.
His politics have leaned toward the left throughout his career.
As a huge star with broad commercial appeal, Jackson seamlessly balances fame with activism. For example, he often uses his visibility to highlight important discussions during interviews.
Still defying expectations
With a career spanning over five decades, Jackson remains a mainstay of pop culture and continues to defy expectations both on and off the big screen.
2025 Super Bowl with Kendrick Lamar: A moment
Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam to introduce Kendrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, a moment that sparked debate in the media. ScreenRant says:
“Jackson’s Uncle Sam character is there to remind and try to enforce what the typical Super Bowl half-time show performer should be like, and of what certain sections of America expect from that, offering vibrancy and patriotism to contrast with Kendrick Lamar’s subtle and understated performance.”
The performance drew 133.5 million viewers, a larger audience than Michael Jackson’s 1993 Super Bowl halftime show.
Next on deck: Roles that keep pushing boundaries
In recent years, Jackson has continued to take on roles that push boundaries. In 2024’s “The Piano Lesson,” set during the Great Depression, he plays Doaker Charles, who struggles over whether to keep a family piano with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor.
Upcoming projects for Jackson include 2024’s “The Honest Liar,” due for release in 2026. In the movie, he plays an actor who teaches undercover police officers how to act like criminals in order to solve cases. Jackson will also reprise his role as Nick Fury in “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is scheduled for a 2026 release.
Other Samuel L Jackson movies and TV shows in the works include “The Beast” and “NOLA King,” which is a spinoff of “Tulsa King.”
Check out the latest Samuel L. Jackson news to learn more about his upcoming projects.
A legacy that doesn’t sit still
Samuel L. Jackson is most famous for his long-lasting acting career, starring in movies that have made an indelible mark on Hollywood and its wider culture. From “Pulp Fiction” to numerous Marvel movies, Jackson is one of the most respected Black actors over 50, continuing to push boundaries by starring in roles that spark conversations. Despite never winning a competitive Oscar, he’s a highly bankable star, appearing in movies that have grossed more than $27 billion. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000.
As well as his achievements as an American actor, Jackson has spoken candidly about social justice issues throughout his career. His work often reflects larger issues about race and society, making him a significant figure in the history of Black cinema.
FAQs
What is Samuel L. Jackson famous for?
Jackson is most famous for his more than 50-year movie career, appearing in films such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Jurassic Park” and the “Star Wars” prequels. Some of his best-known roles include Nick Fury in the Marvel franchise and Gator in Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever.” Jackson is the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood history.
What movie made Samuel Jackson famous?
“Pulp Fiction” is Jackson’s breakthrough role. He appears as Jule Winnfield in the Quentin Tarantino-directed movie, which went on to gross more than $210 million at the worldwide box office.
Who did Samuel L. Jackson lose the Oscar to?
Jackson received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 1995 Academy Awards for his role as Jules Winnfield in “Pulp Fiction,” his only Oscar nomination to date. He lost out to Martin Landau, who appeared as Bela Lugosi in “Ed Wood.”
How many times has Samuel L. Jackson worked with Quentin Tarantino?
Jackson has worked with Tarantino six times, appearing in movies such as “Pulp Fiction,” “Jackie Brown” and “Kill Bill: Volume 2.” He doesn’t physically appear in “Inglourious Basterds” but lends his voice to the movie.
