An explosive and prolific actor who didn't become a household name until after age 40, Jackson started out onstage in the '70s, working with the acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company and New York Shakespeare Festival and occasionally booking bit parts in TV shows and films. During the '80s he began a fruitful relationship with director Spike Lee, who gave him small but memorable roles in
School Daze,
Do the Right Thing and
Mo' Better Blues. But it was Jackson's harrowing turn as a crack addict in Lee's 1991 flick
Jungle Fever that finally got him noticed — ironic considering the troubled actor had quit doing drugs with the help of his long-suffering wife, actress LaTanya Richardson, the year before. Subsequently, he effortlessly moved from comedies (
Amos & Andrew) to action flicks (
Jurassic Park ) to dramas (
Fresh) and earned an Oscar nod for his flashy turn as a Bible-quoting, fast-food-chain-analyzing hit man in 1994's
Pulp Fiction. Around this time, Jackson began appearing in a staggering number of projects (perhaps to make up for the lean years), without regard to their quality, often while yelling his lines to the point of parody. Many of these movies were blockbusters, including the
xXx and
Star Wars franchises, and Jackson remained a veritable pop-culture icon.
Samuel L. Jackson Fast Facts:
- First commercial was for a Southern fast-food chain, Krystal Hamburgers.
- Stuttered as a child; followed a speech therapist's advice to audition for a play, a decision that set him on his career path.
- While attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, was temporarily expelled during his junior year for participating in a civil-rights campaign protesting the lack of black-studies programs.
- While a struggling actor, was a doorman at the renowned Manhattan Plaza New York City apartment complex.
- Spent two years as Bill Cosby's stand-in for The Cosby Show.
- Is a passionate golfer.
- Told Details magazine in 1996 that people often mistake him for Laurence Fishburne.
- Was the commencement speaker for his daughter Zoe's 2004 graduation from Vassar College.
- Samuel L. Jackson Relationships:
- Edna - Aunt
- Elizabeth Jackson - Mother
- LaTanya Richardson - Wife
- Zoe Jackson - Daughter
- Samuel L. Jackson Awards:
- 1998 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 1995 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1997 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1994 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 1995 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- College:
- Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA (BA in Drama, 1972)
