Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 19, 1948) is an American actor and producer. Widely regarded as one of the most popular actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time (when cameo appearances are excluded).

He rose to fame with films such as Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas (1990), with Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci; Jungle Fever (1991), with Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee (who also directed), Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Lonette McKee, John Turturro, Frank Vincent, Halle Berry, Tim Robbins, and Anthony Quinn; Patriot Games (1992), with Harrison Ford and James Earl Jones; Amos & Andrew (1993), with Nicolas Cage; Tony Scott‘s True Romance (1993), with Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, James Gandolfini, Dennis Hopper, Michael Rapaport, Bronson Pinchot, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Walken; and Steven Spielberg‘s Jurassic Park (1993), with Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough.

He has especially been noted for his roles in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction (1994), with John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Walken, and Bruce Willis; Jackie Brown (1997), with Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, and De Niro; Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), with Thurman and David Carradine; Django Unchained (2012), with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio; and The Hateful Eight (2015), with Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. For his role in Pulp Fiction, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Jackson is a highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 150 films. His other roles includes Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), with Bruce Willis and Jeremy Irons; Joel Schumacher‘s A Time to Kill (1996), with Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, and Oliver Platt; The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), with Geena Davis; The Negotiator (1998), with Kevin Spacey, David Morse, Ron Rifkin, John Spencer, J.T. Walsh, and Paul Giamatti; Deep Blue Sea (1999), with Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, Michael Rapaport, and LL Cool J; Unbreakable (2000), with Willis and the sequel Glass (2019), with James McAvoy; John Singleton‘s Shaft (2000) and Tim Story’s 2019 sequel (both featuring original actor Richard Roundtree), XXX (2002), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan (2006), with Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake, and S. Epatha Merkerson; Kong: Skull Island (2017), with John Goodman, Brie Larson, and John C. Reilly; The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017), with Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, and Salma Hayek; and George Lucas‘ Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), with Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Pernilla August, Frank Oz, Hayden Christensen, and Christopher Lee.

With his permission, his likeness was used for the Ultimate version of the Marvel Comics character Nick Fury; he subsequently played Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with a cameo appearance in Iron Man (2008), as well as guest-starring in the television series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Jackson has provided his voice to several animated films, television series, and video games, including Lucius Best / Frozone in the Pixar films The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018), with Craig T. Nelson and Holly Hunter; Mace Windu in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Whiplash in Turbo (2013), the title character of the anime television series Afro Samurai (2007) and sequel film Afro Samurai: Resurrection (2009), recurring character Gin Rummy on the adult animated sitcom The Boondocks (2005-2014), and Frank Tenpenny in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).

TV movie roles include The Displaced Person (1977), with Irene Worth, Shirley Stoler, John Houseman, and Robert Earl Jones; Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1987), with Avery Brooks, Bruce Dern, Phylicia Rashad, and Edward Woodward; Dead Man Out (1989), with Danny Glover, Rubén Blades, Larry Block, and Tom Atkins; Against the Wall (1994), with Kyle MacLachlan, Clarence Williams III, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, and Philip Bosco; and The Sunset Limited (2011), with Tommy Lee Jones (who also directed).

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

Together for Days (1972) – directed by Michael Schultz
The Exterminator (1980) – directed by James Glickenhaus – uncredited
Ragtime (1981) – directed by Miloš Forman
Magic Sticks (1987) – directed by Peter Keglevic – credited as Sam Jackson
Eddie Murphy Raw (1987) – directed by Robert Townsend
Coming to America (1988) – directed by John Landis
School Daze (1988) – directed by Spike Lee
Do the Right Thing (1989) – directed by Spike Lee – credited as Sam Jackson
Sea of Love (1989) – directed by Harold Becker
Def by Temptation (1990) – directed by James Bond III
A Shock to the System (1990) – directed by Jan Egleson
Betsy’s Wedding (1990) – directed by Alan Alda
Mo’ Better Blues (1990) – directed by Spike Lee
The Exorcist III (1990) – directed by William Peter Blatty
Goodfellas (1990)** – directed by Martin Scorsese
The Return of Superfly (1990) – directed by Sig Shore
Strictly Business (1991) – directed by Kevin Hooks
Jungle Fever (1991) – directed by Spike Lee
Jumpin’ at the Boneyard (1991) – directed by Jeff Stanzler
Johnny Suede (1991) – directed by Tom DiCillo
Juice (1992) – directed by Ernest R. Dickerson
Patriot Games (1992) – directed by Phillip Noyce
White Sands (1992) – directed by Roger Donaldson
Fathers & Sons (1992) – directed by Paul Mones
Menace II Society (1993) – directed by Allen & Albert Hughes
Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) – directed by Gene Quintano
Amos & Andrew (1993) – directed by E. Max Frye
Jurassic Park (1993) – directed by Steven Spielberg
True Romance (1993) – directed by Tony Scott
Fresh (1994) – directed by Boaz Yakin
Pulp Fiction (1994)** – directed by Quentin Tarantino
The New Age (1994) – directed by Michael Tolkin
Hail Caesar (1994) – directed by Anthony Michael Hall
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994) – directed by Harry Moses – TV movie
The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1994) – directed by Sam Henry Kass
Kiss of Death (1995) – directed by Barbet Schroeder
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)** – directed by John McTiernan
Losing Isaiah (1995) – directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal
Fluke (1995) – directed by Carlo Carlei
The Great White Hype (1996) – directed by Reginald Hudlin
A Time to Kill (1996) – directed by Joel Schumacher
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) – directed by Renny Harlin
Hard Eight (1996) – directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Trees Lounge (1996) – directed by Steve Buscemi
One Eight Seven (1997) – directed by Kevin Reynolds – aka 187
Eve’s Bayou (1997) – directed by Kasi Lemmons – also producer
Jackie Brown (1997)** – directed by Quentin Tarantino
Sphere (1998) – directed by Barry Levinson
The Negotiator (1998) – directed by F. Gary Gray
The Red Violin (1998) – directed by François Girard
Out of Sight (1998) – directed by Steven Soderbergh – uncredited cameo
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)* – directed by George Lucas
Deep Blue Sea (1999) – directed by Renny Harlin
Rules of Engagement (2000) – directed by William Friedkin
Shaft (2000) – directed by John Singleton
Unbreakable (2000) – directed by M. Night Shyamalan
The Caveman’s Valentine (2001) – directed by Kasi Lemmons – also executive producer
Formula 51 (2001) – directed by Ronny Yu – aka The 51st State
Changing Lanes (2002) – directed by Roger Michell
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)* – directed by George Lucas
XXX (2002) – directed by Rob Cohen
No Good Deed (2002) – directed by Bob Rafelson
Basic (2003) – directed by John McTiernan
S.W.A.T. (2003) – directed by Clark Johnson
Twisted (2004) – directed by Philip Kaufman
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino
The Incredibles (2004)* – directed by Brad Bird
In My Country (2004) – directed by John Boorman
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004) – directed by Ken Burns – documentary
The N-Word (2004) – directed by Todd Larkins Williams – documentary
Coach Carter (2005) – directed by Thomas Carter
XXX: State of the Union (2005) – directed by Lee Tamahori
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) – directed by George Lucas
The Man (2005) – directed by Les Mayfield
Freedomland (2006) – directed by Joe Roth
Snakes on a Plane (2006)* – directed by David R. Ellis
Home of the Brave (2006) – directed by Irwin Winkler
Black Snake Moan (2006) – directed by Craig Brewer
Farce of the Penguins (2007) – directed by Bob Saget
1408 (2007) – directed by Mikael Håfström
Resurrecting the Champ (2007) – directed by Rod Lurie
Cleaner (2007) – directed by Renny Harlin
Jumper (2008) – directed by Doug Liman
Iron Man (2008)* – directed by Jon Favreau – uncredited
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) – directed by Dave Filoni
Lakeview Terrace (2008) – directed by Neil LaBute
Soul Men (2008) – directed by Malcolm D. Lee
The Spirit (2008) – directed by Frank Miller
Gospel Hill (2008) – directed by Giancarlo Esposito – uncredited
Astro Boy (2009)* – directed by David Bowers
Mother and Child (2009) – directed by Rodrigo García
Inglourious Basterds (2009)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino – uncredited narrator
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey (2010) – directed by Harry ‘Doc’ Kloor & Dan St. Pierre
Unthinkable (2010) – directed by Gregor Jordan
In the Land of the Free… (2010) – directed by Vadim Jean – documentary
Iron Man 2 (2010)* – directed by Jon Favreau
The Other Guys (2010)* – directed by Adam McKay
The Sunset Limited (2011) – directed by Tommy Lee Jones – TV movie
African Cats (2011) – directed by Alastair Fothergill & Keith Scholey – documentary
Thor (2011) – directed by Kenneth Branagh – uncredited
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)* – directed by Joe Johnston
Arena (2011) – directed by Jonah Loop
The Samaritan (2012) – directed by David Weaver
Meeting Evil (2012) – directed by Chris Fisher
The Avengers (2012)* – directed by Joss Whedon
Zambezia (2012) – directed by Wayne Thornley
Django Unchained (2012)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino
Turbo (2013) – directed by by David Soren
Oldboy (2013) – directed by Spike Lee
Reasonable Doubt (2014) – directed by Peter Howitt – aka The Good Samaritan
RoboCop (2014) – directed by José Padilha
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo
Kite (2014) – directed by Ralph Ziman
Big Game (2014) – directed by Jalmari Helander
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)* – directed by Matthew Vaughn
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – directed by Joss Whedon
Barely Lethal (2015) – directed by Kyle Newman
Chi-Raq (2015) – directed by Spike Lee
The Hateful Eight (2015) – directed by Quentin Tarantino
Cell (2016) – directed by Tod Williams
The Legend of Tarzan (2016) – directed by David Yates
I Am Not Your Negro (2016) – directed by Raoul Peck – documentary
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) – directed by Tim Burton
XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017) – directed by D. J. Caruso
Kong: Skull Island (2017) – directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)* – directed by Patrick Hughes
Unicorn Store (2017) – directed by Brie Larson
Eating You Alive (2018) – directed by Paul David Kennamer Jr. – documentary
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo – uncredited
Incredibles 2 (2018) – directed by Brad Bird
Life Itself (2018) – directed by Dan Fogelman
Glass (2019) – directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Captain Marvel (2019)* – directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Avengers: Endgame (2019)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo – cameo
Shaft (2019) – directed by Tim Story
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)* – directed by Jon Watts
The Last Full Measure (2019) – directed by Todd Robinson
QT8: The First Eight (2019) – directed by Tara Wood – documentary
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)* – directed by J.J. Abrams – voice cameo
The Banker (2020) – directed by George Nolfi
Spiral (2021) – directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021)* – directed by Patrick Hughes
The Protégé (2021) – directed by Martin Campbell
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) – directed by Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier, & Chris Bailey
Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022) – directed by Elvis Mitchell – himself – documentary
The Kill Room (2023) – directed by Nicol Paone
The Marvels (2023)* – directed by Nia DaCosta
Argyle (2024) – directed by Matthew Vaughn
The Garfield Movie (2024) – directed by Mark Dindal
Damaged (202-) – directed by Terry McDonough
The Piano Lesson (202-) – directed by Malcolm Washington
Unholy Trinity (202-) – directed by Richard Gray

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