Samuel L. Jackson is an American film actor whose career spans more than five decades and over one hundred film appearances. Although he had been acting professionally since the early 1970s, he did not achieve global recognition until Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Jackson has appeared in numerous landmark productions including Jurassic Park, the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and Black Snake Moan. He is a recipient of the Golden Bear Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award.

Samuel Leroy Jackson was born on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. He was raised primarily in Tennessee by his mother, Elizabeth Jackson. His father lived away from the family and struggled with alcoholism, and Jackson met him only a few times before his father’s death.

After graduating from Riverside High School, Jackson enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta. During his high school years, he played the trumpet in the school orchestra. While at Morehouse, he co-founded the Just Us Theatre Company. In 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson participated in civil rights protests, which resulted in his suspension from college for two years. He later distanced himself from the increasingly militant Black Power movement and returned to complete his education in drama.

Jackson appeared in theater productions throughout his college years and, after graduating in 1972, began appearing in small television roles. His first film role was in Together for Days (1972). Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he played numerous supporting roles while also starring in acclaimed stage productions such as The Piano Lesson and Two Trains Running. During this period, his career was disrupted by severe alcohol and drug addiction, leading to rehabilitation in New York. After completing treatment, he returned to acting with renewed focus.

Jackson’s first major role of the 1990s came in Jungle Fever, directed by Spike Lee, where he portrayed a drug addict. The performance earned him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. His career-defining breakthrough came with Pulp Fiction, in which he portrayed Jules Winnfield, a role that brought him worldwide fame and opened the door to major Hollywood productions.

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Jackson starred in high-profile films such as Die Hard with a Vengeance, Jackie Brown, and Jurassic Park. In 1999, he joined the Star Wars universe as Jedi Master Mace Windu, a role he continued throughout the prequel trilogy. Known for requesting a distinctive purple lightsaber, Jackson became one of the saga’s most recognizable figures.

In 2000, Jackson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Throughout the 2000s, he appeared in major films including Unbreakable, Shaft, xXx, and S.W.A.T.. His voice performance as Frozone in The Incredibles earned him the Annie Award for Best Voice Acting.

Jackson later became a central figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Nick Fury, appearing in multiple films including Iron Man, The Avengers, and their sequels. His portrayal influenced Marvel Comics to redesign the Ultimate version of the Nick Fury character to resemble him.

Jackson has been married to actress LaTanya Richardson since 1980. The couple lives in Los Angeles, California.

Awards
1998 – Berlin International Film Festival – Best Actor (Jackie Brown)

Filmography and Television Work
Producer:
2001 – The 51st State (Feature Film)

Actor:
2019 – Spider-Man: Far From Home (Feature Film)
2019 – The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Darius Kincaid) (Feature Film)
2019 – Shaft (John Shaft II) (Feature Film)
2019 – Glass (Elijah Price / Mr. Glass) (Feature Film)
2019 – Captain Marvel (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2018 – Incredibles 2 (Lucius Best / Frozone – Voice) (Feature Film)
2018 – The Last Full Measure (Takoda) (Feature Film)
2018 – Life Itself (Feature Film)
2018 – Avengers: Infinity War (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2017 – xXx: Return of Xander Cage (Augustus Eugene Gibbons) (Feature Film)
2017 – Kong: Skull Island (Preston Packard) (Feature Film)
2017 – The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Darius Kincaid) (Feature Film)
2016 – The Legend of Tarzan (George Washington Williams) (Feature Film)
2016 – I Am Not Your Negro (Narrator – Voice) (Feature Film)
2016 – Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Barron) (Feature Film)
2015 – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2015 – The Hateful Eight (Major Marquis Warren) (Feature Film)
2015 – Cell (Tom McCourt) (Feature Film)
2015 – Chi-Raq (Dolmedes) (Feature Film)
2014 – Barely Lethal (Hardman) (Feature Film)
2014 – RoboCop (Pat Novak) (Feature Film)
2014 – Reasonable Doubt (Clinton Davis) (Feature Film)
2014 – Kite (Karl Aker) (Feature Film)
2014 – Kingsman: The Secret Service (Valentine) (Feature Film)
2014 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2014 – Big Game (President Alan Moore) (Feature Film)
2013 – Oldboy (Chaney) (Feature Film)
2013 – Turbo (Whiplash – Voice) (Feature Film)
2013 – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury) (TV Series)
2012 – Django Unchained (Stephen) (Feature Film)
2012 – The Avengers (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2012 – The Samaritan (Foley) (Feature Film)
2012 – Zambezia (Tendai – Voice) (Feature Film)
2011 – Meeting Evil (Richie) (Feature Film)
2011 – Captain America: The First Avenger (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2011 – Thor (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2011 – The Sunset Limited (Black) (TV Film)
2011 – Arena (Logan) (Feature Film)
2010 – The Other Guys (Highsmith) (Feature Film)
2010 – Vengeance: A Love Story (John Dromoor) (Feature Film)
2010 – Iron Man 2 (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2010 – Unthinkable (H) (Feature Film)
2009 – Inglourious Basterds (Narrator – Voice) (Feature Film)
2009 – Mother and Child (Paul) (Feature Film)
2008 – Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Mace Windu – Voice) (Feature Film)
2008 – The Spirit (The Octopus) (Feature Film)
2008 – Soul Men (Louis Hinds) (Feature Film)
2008 – Lakeview Terrace (Abel Turner) (Feature Film)
2008 – Iron Man (Nick Fury) (Feature Film)
2008 – Resurrecting the Champ (Peter Malcolm) (Feature Film)
2008 – Jumper (Roland Cox) (Feature Film)
2007 – Resurrecting the Champ (The Champ) (Feature Film)
2007 – Cleaner (Tom Cutler) (Feature Film)
2007 – 1408 (Gerald Olin) (Feature Film)
2006 – Snakes on a Plane (Neville Flynn) (Feature Film)
2006 – Black Snake Moan (Lazarus) (Feature Film)
2006 – Freedomland (Lorenzo Council) (Feature Film)
2006 – Farce of the Penguins (Narrator – Voice) (Feature Film)
2006 – Home of the Brave (Will Marsh) (Feature Film)
2005 – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (Mace Windu) (Feature Film)
2005 – xXx: State of the Union (Augustus Gibbons) (Feature Film)
2005 – Coach Carter (Ken Carter) (Feature Film)
2005 – Man of the House (Derrick Vann) (Feature Film)
2004 – The Incredibles (Lucius Best / Frozone – Voice) (Feature Film)
2004 – Kill Bill: Volume 2 (Rufus) (Feature Film)
2004 – Twisted (John Mills) (Feature Film)
2004 – In My Country (Langston Whitfield) (Feature Film)
2003 – S.W.A.T. (Dan “Hondo” Harrelson) (Feature Film)
2003 – Basic (West) (Feature Film)
2002 – Changing Lanes (Doyle Gipson) (Feature Film)
2002 – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (Mace Windu) (Feature Film)
2002 – xXx (Augustus Gibbons) (Feature Film)
2001 – The Caveman’s Valentine (Romulus) (Feature Film)
2001 – The 51st State (Elmo McElroy) (Feature Film)
2000 – Unbreakable (Elijah Price) (Feature Film)
2000 – Rules of Engagement (Colonel Terry Childers) (Feature Film)
2000 – Shaft (John Shaft) (Feature Film)
1999 – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Mace Windu) (Feature Film)
1999 – Deep Blue Sea (Russell Franklin) (Feature Film)
1998 – The Negotiator (Danny Roman) (Feature Film)
1998 – The Red Violin (Charles Morritz) (Feature Film)
1998 – Sphere (Dr. Harry Adams) (Feature Film)
1997 – Jackie Brown (Ordell Robbie) (Feature Film)
1997 – Eve’s Bayou (Louis Batiste) (Feature Film)
1997 – 187 (Trevor Garfield) (Feature Film)
1996 – A Time to Kill (Carl Lee Hailey) (Feature Film)
1996 – Sleepers (Father Bobby) (Feature Film)
1995 – Die Hard with a Vengeance (Zeus Carver) (Feature Film)
1995 – Losing Isaiah (Kadar Lewis) (Feature Film)
1994 – Pulp Fiction (Jules Winnfield) (Feature Film)
1993 – Jurassic Park (Ray Arnold) (Feature Film)
1991 – Jungle Fever (Gator Purify) (Feature Film)
1985 – Spenser: For Hire (Leroy Clancy) (TV Series)

Source: Biyografiler.com