Samuel Leroy "Sam" Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer best known for his roles in numerous MCU films, the Star Wars franchise, and various films by Quentin Tarantino, including Pulp Fiction.
He played Marcus Banks in Spiral.
Early Life[]
Samuel Leroy Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., on December 21, 1948, to Elizabeth Harriett (née Montgomery) and Roy Henry Jackson. His mother and maternal grandparents, Edgar and Pearl Montgomery, raised him in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jackson's father lived away from the family in Kansas City, Missouri, and later died of alcoholism, having met his son only twice during his life. According to DNA tests, Jackson partially descended from the Benga people of Gabon and became a naturalized citizen of Gabon in 2019.
After attending several segregated schools, he graduated from Riverside High School in Chattanooga. He played the French horn, piccolo, trumpet, and flute in the school orchestra. Jackson developed a stutter during childhood and learned to "pretend to be other people who didn't stutter." Although he got his stutter under control, he still uses the word "motherfucker" to overcome occasional speech blocks.
Initially intent on pursuing a degree in marine biology, Jackson attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. After joining a local acting group to earn extra points in a class, he became interested in acting and switched his major. Before graduating in 1972, he co-founded the Just Us Theatre.
After Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968, Jackson attended King's funeral in Atlanta as one of the ushers. He then traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to join an equal rights protest march. In a 2005 Parade interview, he said: "I was angry about the assassination, but I wasn't shocked by it. I knew that change was going to take something different - not sit-ins, not peaceful coexistence." In 1969, Jackson and several other students held members of the Morehouse College board of trustees, including Martin Luther King Sr., hostage on the campus, demanding reform in the school's curriculum and governance. The college eventually agreed to change its policy, but Jackson was charged with and ultimately convicted of unlawful confinement, a second-degree felony. He was suspended for two years for his criminal record and his actions. Later, Jackson returned to the college to earn a BA in drama in 1972.
While he was suspended, he took a job as a social worker in Los Angeles. Upon his return to Atlanta, he met with Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, and others active in the Black Power movement. He began to feel empowered with his involvement in the movement, especially when the group began buying guns. However, before he could become involved in any significant armed confrontations, his mother sent him to Los Angeles after the FBI warned her that he would die within a year if he remained with the group. In a 2018 interview with Vogue, he denied having been a member of the Black Panther Party.
Career[]
Early Career[]
Jackson began his acting career by participating in stage plays, including Home and A Soldier's Play, which inspired the 1984 film A Soldier's Story. He appeared in several television movies and made his feature film debut in the blaxploitation independent film Together for Days in 1972. After these initial roles, Jackson moved to New York City in 1976. He spent the next decade appearing in stage plays, including the premieres of The Piano Lesson and Two Trains Running at the Yale Repertory Theater. Additionally, he worked at the Manhattan Plaza apartment complex as an overnight security guard to supplement his income while auditioning. Jackson developed addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which prevented him from proceeding to Broadway.
After performing in A Soldier's Play in 1981, Jackson was introduced to director Spike Lee, who cast him for minor roles in School Daze and Do the Right Thing. He also worked as a stand-in for Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show for three years. Throughout his early acting career, he was mentored by Morgan Freeman.
Jackson played a minor role in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas as real-life Mafia associate Stacks Edwards in 1990. Having overdosed on heroin several times, he switched to cocaine until his family entered him into a New York rehabilitation clinic. After he completed rehabilitation, he appeared in Jungle Fever as a crack cocaine addict. Jackson described the role as cathartic, commenting: "It was a funny kind of thing. By the time I was out of rehab, about a week or so later, I was on set, and we were ready to start shooting." His performance was so acclaimed that the Cannes Film Festival jury added a special Supporting Actor Award just for him in 1991. Following this role, Jackson became involved in the comedy Strictly Business and dramas Juice and Patriot Games before landing his first starring role in National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1. Jackson also worked with the director Steven Spielberg in 1993's Jurassic Park.
Career Breakthrough[]
After a turn as the criminal Big Don in 1993's True Romance, Quentin Tarantino asked Jackson to play Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction in 1994. Jackson was surprised to learn that the part had been specifically written for him: "To know that somebody had written something like Jules for me. I was overwhelmed, thankful, arrogant - this whole combination of things that you could be, knowing that somebody's going to give you an opportunity like that." Pulp Fiction earned Jackson international recognition and praise from critics. Entertainment Weekly wrote: "As superb as Travolta, Willis, and Keitel are, the actor who reigns over Pulp Fiction is Samuel L. Jackson. He just about lights fires with his gremlin eyes, and he transforms his speeches into hypnotic bebop soliloquies." For the Academy Awards, Miramax Films successfully pushed for Jackson's Best Supporting Actor nomination. He also received a Golden Globe nomination and won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Role.
After Pulp Fiction, Jackson was sent multiple scripts to review: "I could easily have made a career out of playing Jules over the years. Everybody's always sending me the script they think is the new Pulp Fiction." With a succession of poorly performing films such as Kiss of Death, The Great White Hype, and Losing Isaiah, Jackson began receiving poor reviews from critics who had praised his performance in Pulp Fiction. This period ended with his involvement in two box-office successes: Die Hard with a Vengeance, in which he starred alongside Bruce Willis in the third installment of the Die Hard series, and A Time to Kill, where he played a father put on trial for killing two men who raped his daughter. For the latter, Jackson earned an NAACP Image for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Quickly becoming a box office star, Jackson continued with three starring roles in 1997. In 187, he played a dedicated teacher striving to leave an impact on his students. He received an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for the drama Eve's Bayou, for which he also served as an executive producer.
Jackson worked again with Tarantino on Jackie Brown. For his portrayal of arms merchant Ordell Robbie, he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival and a fourth Golden Globe nomination. In 1998, he worked alongside established actors Sharon Stone, Dustin Hoffman, and Kevin Spacey.
The following year, Jackson starred in the horror film Deep Blue Sea and as Jedi Master Mace Windu in George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. In an interview, Jackson claimed that he did not have a chance to read the script for the film and did not learn he was playing the character Mace Windu until he was fitted for his costume. However, Jackson later stated that he was eager to accept any role just for the chance to be a part of the Star Wars saga.
1999 - present[]
On June 13, 2000, Jackson was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Blvd. He played a Marine colonel put on trial in Rules of Engagement, co-starred with Bruce Willis for a third time in the supernatural thriller Unbreakable, and starred in the 2000 remake of the 1971 film Shaft. Jackson reprised both latter roles in 2019, his Unbreakable character Mr. Glass in Glass and Shaft in another film titled Shaft.
Jackson's sole film in 2001 was The Caveman's Valentine, a murder thriller directed by Kasi Lemmons in which he played a homeless musician. In 2002, he played a recovering alcoholic, attempting to keep custody of his kids while fighting a battle of wits with Ben Affleck's character in Changing Lanes. He returned for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, seeing his minor supporting role develop into a main character. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber in the film resulted from Jackson's suggestion, as he wanted to ensure his character would stand out in a crowded battle scene.
Jackson then acted as an NSA agent alongside Vin Diesel in xXx and as a kilt-wearing drug dealer in The 51st State. In 2003, Jackson again worked with John Travolta in Basic and then as a police sergeant alongside Colin Farrell in the television show remake S.W.A.T. A song within the soundtrack was named after him, entitled Sammy L. Jackson by Hot Action Cop. Jackson also appeared in HBO's documentary Unchained Memories as a narrator, along with other stars like Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg.
Based on reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, Jackson starred in his career's lowest and highest-ranked films in 2004. In the thriller Twisted, Jackson played a mentor to Ashley Judd. The film garnered a 2% approval rating on the website, with reviewers calling his performance "lackluster" and "wasted." He then lent his voice to the animated film The Incredibles as the superhero Frozone. The film received a 97% approval rating, and Jackson's performance earned him an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting. He made a cameo in another Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill: Volume 2.
In 2005, he starred in the sports drama Coach Carter, where he played a coach dedicated to teaching his players that education is more important than basketball. Although the film received mixed reviews, Jackson's performance was praised despite the film's storyline. Bob Townsend of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution commended Jackson's performance: "He takes what could have been a cardboard cliché role and puts flesh on it with his flamboyant intelligence." Jackson also returned for two sequels: xXx: State of the Union, this time commanding Ice Cube, and the final Star Wars prequel film, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. His last film for 2005 was The Man alongside comedian Eugene Levy. On November 4, 2005, he received the Hawaii International Film Festival Achievement in Acting Award.
On January 30, 2006, Jackson was honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. He is the seventh African American and 191st actor to be recognized in this manner. In an interview that year, he said that he chooses roles that are "exciting to watch" and have an "interesting character inside of a story" and that in his roles, he wanted to "do things [he hasn't] done, things [he] saw as a kid and wanted to do and now [has] an opportunity to do."
He next starred opposite actress Julianne Moore in the box office bomb Freedomland, where he depicted a police detective attempting to help a mother find her abducted child while quelling a citywide race riot. Jackson's second film of the year, Snakes on a Plane, gained cult film status months before it was released based on its title and cast. Jackson decided to star in the movie solely based on the title. To build anticipation for the film, he also cameoed in the 2006 music video "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" by Cobra Starship. On December 2, 2006, Jackson won the German Bambi Award for International Film, based on his many film contributions. In December 2006, he starred in Home of the Brave as a doctor returning home from the Iraq War.
On January 30, 2007, Jackson was featured as narrator in Bob Saget's direct-to-DVD Farce of the Penguins. The film was a spoof of the box office success March of the Penguins. Later that year, he portrayed a blues player who imprisons a young woman addicted to sex in Black Snake Moan and the horror film 1408, an adaptation of the Stephen King short story. Later the same year, Jackson portrayed an athlete who impersonates former boxing heavyweight Bob Satterfield in director Rod Lurie's drama Resurrecting the Champ. In 2008, Jackson reprised his role of Mace Windu in the CGI film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, followed by Lakeview Terrace, where he played a racist cop who terrorizes an interracial couple. In November of the same year, he starred along with Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes in Soul Men.
In 2008, he also portrayed the villain in The Spirit, which critics and the box office poorly received. The following year, he worked with Quentin Tarantino again and narrated several scenes in the World War II film Inglourious Basterds.
In 2010, Jackson starred in the drama Mother and Child and portrayed an interrogator who attempts to locate several nuclear weapons in the direct-to-video film Unthinkable. Alongside Dwayne Johnson, Jackson portrayed a police officer in the comedy The Other Guys. He also co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones in an adaptation of The Sunset Limited.
Throughout his career, Jackson has appeared in many films alongside mainstream rappers, including Tupac Shakur, Queen Latifah, Method Man, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Eve, Ice Cube, Xzibit, David Banner, and 50 Cent. Additionally, Jackson has appeared in five films with actor Bruce Willis, and they were slated to work together in Black Water Transit before both dropped out.
In 2002, Jackson consented to Marvel Comics to design their "Ultimate" version of the character Nick Fury after his likeness. He made a cameo as Fury in the 2008 film Iron Man in a post-credit scene. In February 2009, Jackson signed on to a nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios, seeing him appear as the character in Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, and other subsequent films they would produce. He reprised the role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In 2018 and 2019, he re-appeared as Fury in the Avengers sequels Infinity War and Endgame and starred as a younger, de-aged Fury in Captain Marvel alongside Brie Larson.
Among his other film roles, Jackson appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight and Jordan Vogt-Roberts' Kong: Skull Island. In 2019, he appeared in the Brie Larson film Unicorn Store and reprised his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel film Spider-Man: Far From Home. Additionally, he played Fury in a cameo appearance on the ABC television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2013 and the season finale in 2014.
In 2020, he appeared in the television documentary Enslaved, with investigative journalist Afua Hirsch as co-presenter. He also starred in the 2021 movie Spiral: From the Book of Saw alongside Chris Rock. After an 11-year absence from the stage, Jackson returned to Broadway as Doaker Charles in a revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson opposite John David Washington and Danielle Brooks. The 2022 production was directed by Jackson's wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For his performance, Jackson received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play nomination. He reprised his role as Nick Fury in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion and The Marvels, the sequel to Captain Marvel. The following year, Jackson had a minor role in the spy comedy Argylle.
Personal Life[]
In 1980, Jackson married actress and producer LaTanya Richardson, whom he met while attending Morehouse College. They have a daughter named Zoe, born in 1982. In 2009, they started a charity to help support education.
Jackson said that he watches his own films in cinemas: "Even during my theater years, I wished I could watch the plays I was in - while I was in them! I dig watching myself work." He also enjoys collecting action figures of the characters he portrays in his films, including Jules Winnfield, Shaft, Mace Windu, and Frozone.
Jackson is bald but enjoys wearing wigs in his films, stating: "I keep ending up on those 'bald is beautiful' lists. It's cool. You know, when I started losing my hair, it was during the era when everybody had lots of hair. All of a sudden, I felt this big hole in the middle of my afro. I couldn't face having a comb over, so I had to quickly figure out what the haircut for me was." His first bald role was in The Great White Hype. Jackson usually gets to pick his hairstyles for each character he portrays. He poked fun at his baldness the first time he appeared bald on The Tonight Show, explaining that he had to shave his head for one role, but then kept receiving more bald roles and had to keep shaving his head so that wigs could be made for him. Jackson joked that "the only way [he's] gonna have time to grow [his] hair back is if [he's] not working." He is noted for often wearing a Kangol hat in public.
Jackson's contracts contain a clause that allows him to play golf during film shoots. He has played in the Gary Player Invitational charity golf tournament to assist Gary Player in raising funds for children in South Africa. Furthermore, he is a keen basketball fan, supporting the Toronto Raptors and the Harlem Globetrotters. He has supported the English football team Liverpool FC since appearing in The 51st State, which was shot in Liverpool, and promotes the Irish football team Bohemian FC.
Jackson campaigned during the 2008 Democratic Primary for Barack Obama in Texarkana, Texas. He said: "Barack Obama represents everything I was told I could be growing up. I am a child of segregation. When I grew up and people told me I could be president, I knew it was a lie. But now we have a representative... the American Dream is a reality. Anyone can grow up to be a president." He also said: "I voted for Barack because he was black. That's why other folks vote for other people - because they look like them." In December 2012, he compared his Django Unchained character, a villainous house slave who sides with his white oppressors, to black conservative Justice Clarence Thomas and said that the character had "the same moral compass as Clarence Thomas does." Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022, he again criticized Thomas, referring to him as "Uncle Clarence" and asking how Thomas - who is married to white attorney Ginni Thomas - feels about overturning Loving v. Virginia, a Supreme Court ruling which allowed interracial marriages.
In June 2013, Jackson launched a joint campaign with Prizeo to raise money to fight Alzheimer's disease. As part of the campaign, he recited various fan-written monologues and a famous scene from the AMC series Breaking Bad. In August 2013, Jackson started following a vegan diet and attributes his 40-lb weight loss to it. He launched a campaign called "One for the Boys," which teaches men about testicular cancer and urges them to "get themselves checked out."
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson encouraged people to wear face masks as part of California's "Your Actions Save Lives" campaign. Along with Dwayne Johnson, he also encouraged those who had recovered from COVID-19 to donate their blood to help others fighting the virus. He additionally appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to read the satirical book Stay the Fuck at Home, which spread awareness of social distancing.
Filmography[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Together for Days | Stan |
| 1980 | The Exterminator | Extra |
| 1981 | Ragtime | Gang Member #2 |
| 1987 | Magic Sticks | Bum |
| 1988 | School Daze | Leeds / Local Yokel |
| Coming to America | Hold-Up Man | |
| 1989 | Do the Right Thing | Mister Señor Love Daddy |
| Sea of Love | Black Guy | |
| 1990 | Def by Temptation | Minister Garth |
| A Shock to the System | Ulysses - Three-Card Monte Game | |
| Public Enemy: 911 Is a Joke | Dad | |
| Betsy's Wedding | Taxi Dispatcher (Mickey) | |
| Mo' Better Blues | Madlock | |
| The Exorcist III | Dream Blind Man | |
| Goodfellas | Stacks Edwards | |
| The Return of Superfly | Nate Cabot | |
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | Gator Purify |
| Johnny Suede | B-Bop | |
| Strictly Business | Monroe | |
| Jumpin' at the Boneyard | Mr. Simpson | |
| 1992 | Juice | Trip |
| Fathers and Sons | Marshall | |
| White Sands | Greg Meeker | |
| Patriot Games | Robby | |
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Wes Luger |
| Amos & Andrew | Andrew Sterling | |
| Menace II Society | Tat Lawson | |
| Jurrasic Park | Arnold | |
| True Romance | Big Don | |
| 1994 | Fresh | Sam |
| Hail Caesar | Mailman | |
| Pulp Fiction | Jules Winnfield | |
| The New Age | Dale Deveaux | |
| The Search for One-Eye Jimmy | Col. Ron | |
| 1995 | Losing Isaiah | Kadar Lewis |
| Kiss of Death | Calvin Hart | |
| Die Hard with a Vengeance | Zeus | |
| Fluke | Rumbo | |
| 1996 | Sydney | Jimmy |
| The Great White Hype | Rev. Fred Sultan | |
| Trees Lounge | Wendell | |
| A Time to Kill | Carl Lee Hailey | |
| The Long Kiss Goodnight | Mitch Henessey | |
| 1997 | 187 | Trevor Garfield |
| Eve's Bayou | Louis Batiste | |
| Jackie Brown | Ordell Robbie | |
| 1998 | Sphere | Harry |
| Out of Sight | Hejira Henry | |
| The Negotiator | Danny Roman | |
| The Red Violin | Charles Morritz | |
| 1999 | Our Friend, Martin | Turner |
| Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | Mace Windu | |
| Deep Blue Sea | Russell Franklin | |
| 2000 | Rules of Engagement | Colonel Terry Childers |
| Shaft | John Shaft | |
| Unbreakable | Elijah Price | |
| 2001 | The Caveman's Valentine | Romulus |
| The 51st State | Elmo McElroy | |
| 2002 | The Comeback | Samuel L. Jackson |
| Changing Lanes | Doyle Gipson | |
| Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones | Mace Windu | |
| No Good Deed | Jack Friar | |
| xXx | Agent Augustus Gibbons | |
| 2003 | Basic | West |
| S.W.A.T. | Sgt. Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson | |
| 2004 | In My Country | Langston Whitfield |
| Twisted | John Mills | |
| Kill Bill: Vol. 2 | Rufus | |
| The Incredibles | Lucius Best / Frozone | |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Introduction | Officer Frank Tenpenny | |
| Twista: Hope | Ken Carter | |
| 2005 | Coach Carter | Coach Ken Carter |
| Mr. Incredible and Pals | Lucius Best / Frozone | |
| xXx: State of the Union | Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons | |
| Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith | Mace Windu | |
| The Man | Derrick Vann | |
| 2006 | Freedom Land | Lorenzo Council |
| Cobra Starship Feat. William Beckett, Travie McCoy, and Maja Ivarsson: Snakes on a Plane (Bring It) | Samuel L. Jackson | |
| Snakes on a Plane | Neville Flynn | |
| Black Snake Moan | Lazarus | |
| Home of the Brave | Will Marsh | |
| Farce of the Penguins | Narrator | |
| 2007 | Resurrecting the Champ | Champ |
| 1408 | Gerald Olin | |
| Cleaner | Tom Cutler | |
| 2008 | Jumper | Roland Cox |
| Iron Man | Nick Fury | |
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Mace Windu | |
| Lakeview Terrace | Abel Turner | |
| Gospel Hill | Paul Malcolm | |
| Soul Men | Louis Hinds | |
| The Spirit | Octopus | |
| 2009 | Inglourious Basterds | Narrator |
| Mother and Child | Paul | |
| Astro Boy | Zog | |
| Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain: Blame It | Samuel L. Jackson | |
| 2010 | The RRF in New Recruit | Zog |
| Iron Man 2 | Nick Fury | |
| Unthinkable | Henry Harold 'H' Humphries | |
| The Other Guys | P.K. Highsmith | |
| Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey | Fear | |
| 2011 | Thor | Nick Fury |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | Nick Fury | |
| Arena | Logan | |
| 2012 | The Samaritan | Foley |
| Meeting Evil | Richie | |
| The Avengers | Nick Fury | |
| Zambezia | Tendai | |
| Wake the Fuck Up | Samuel L. Jackson | |
| Django Unchained | Stephen | |
| 2013 | Turbo | Whiplash |
| Oldboy | Chaney | |
| 2014 | Reasonable Doubt | Clinton Davis |
| RoboCop | Pat Novak | |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Nick Fury | |
| Kite | Lieutenant Karl Aker | |
| Big Game | US President William Alan Moore | |
| Kingsman: The Secret Service | Valentine | |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Nick Fury |
| Barely Lethal | Hardman | |
| Chi-Raq | Dolmedes | |
| The Hateful Eight | Major Marquis Warren | |
| 2016 | Cell | Tom McCourt |
| The Legend of Tarzan | George Washington Williams | |
| Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Barron | |
| 2017 | Kong: Skull Island | Preston Packard |
| xXx: Return of Xander Cage | Augustus Gibbons | |
| The Hitman's Bodyguard | Darius Kincaid | |
| Unicorn Store | The Salesman | |
| Tyrannosaurus Funk | Tyrannosaurus Rex | |
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Nick Fury |
| Moose | Narrator | |
| Incredibles 2 | Lucius Best / Frozone | |
| Life Itself | Samuel L. Jackson | |
| 2019 | Mr. Glass | Elijah Price |
| Captain Marvel | Nick Fury | |
| Avengers: Endgame | Nick Fury | |
| Shaft | John Shaft | |
| Spider-Man: Far from Home | Nick Fury | |
| The Last Measure | Billy Takoda | |
| Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker | Mace Windu | |
| 2020 | The Banker | Joe Morris |
| Capital One: Christmas Ad | Samuel | |
| 2021 | Spiral | Marcus Banks |
| Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard | Darius Kincaid | |
| The Protégé | Moody | |
| 2022 | Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank | Jimbo |
| 2023 | The Kill Room | Gordon |
| The Marvels | Nick Fury | |
| 2024 | Argylle | Alfie |
| Damaged | Dan Lawson | |
| The Garfield Movie | Vic |
Television Series[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Movin' On | State Trooper |
| 1986-1987 | Spenser: For Hire | Ned / Leroy Clancy |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Cutter |
| The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | Brother Elvis | |
| 1990 | Common Ground | Preacher |
| 1991 | Law & Order | Defense Attorney Louis Taggert |
| Roc | Larry | |
| 1992 | Ghostwriter | Mr. Jenkins / Reggie Jenkins |
| I'll Fly Away | Walter Harper | |
| 1993 | American Experience | The Steward |
| 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | The Mayor |
| 1999 | Linc's | Marine Colonel |
| 2000 | WWE SmackDown | John Shaft |
| 2001 | The Proud Family | Joseph |
| 2003 | Freedom: A History of US | Isaiah Wears / Marshal / Tecumseh / John Rock / Highland Garnet |
| 2005 | Extras | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 2007 | Afro Samurai | Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja |
| 2005-2010 | The Boondocks | Gin Rummy |
| 2014 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Dentist |
| Black Dynamite | Captain Quinton | |
| 2013-2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Nick Fury |
| 2019 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert | Police Commissioner Alvarez |
| 2020 | Staged | Samuel L. Jackson |
| 2022 | The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey | Ptolemy Grey |
| Sesame Street Coming Together: Word of the Day | ||
| 2023 | Secret Invasion | Nick Fury |
| 2021-2023 | What If...? | Sir Fury / Nick Fury |
| 1990-2024 | Great Performances | Voice of the Ghost / Narrator / Janitor |
Television Films[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Displaced Person | Sulk |
| 1978 | The Trial of the Moke | Johnson Whittaker |
| 1987 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | George |
| 1989 | Dead Man Out | Calvin Fredricks |
| 1991 | Mob Justice | Hatcher |
| 1994 | Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker | Richard Greener |
| Against the Wall | Jamaal | |
| 2009 | Afro Samurai: Resurrection | Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja |
| 2011 | The Sunset Limited | Black |
| 2020 | Death to 2020 | Dash Bracket |
Video Games[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Officer Frank Tenpenny |
| The Incredibles | Lucius Best / Frozone | |
| The Incredibles: When Danger Calls | Lucius Best / Frozone | |
| 2009 | Afro Samurai | Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja |
| 2010 | Heroes of Newerth | Samuel Jackson Announcer |
| Iron Man 2 | Nick Fury | |
| 2011 | Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars | Mace Windu |
| 2014 | Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes | Nick Fury |
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | Nick Fury |
| 2022 | Marvel Snap | Nick Fury |
Gallery[]
External Links[]
Samuel L. Jackson on Wikipedia
Samuel L. Jackson at the Internet Movie Database
Samuel L. Jackson on Facebook
Samuel L. Jackson on Twitter
Samuel L. Jackson on Instagram