1972–1987: Early roles and theater work Jackson initially majored in marine biology at Morehouse College before switching to architecture. He later settled on drama after taking a public speaking class and appearing in a version of
The Threepenny Opera. After these initial roles, Jackson moved from Atlanta to New York City in 1976, and spent the next decade appearing in stage plays, including the premieres of
The Piano Lesson and
Two Trains Running at the
Yale Repertory Theater. To supplement his income while auditioning, he worked at the
Manhattan Plaza apartment complex as an overnight security guard. Jackson developed addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which prevented him from proceeding with the two plays to Broadway (actors
Charles S. Dutton and
Anthony Chisholm took his place). He also worked for three years as a
stand-in for
Bill Cosby on
The Cosby Show. Throughout his early film career, mainly in minimal roles in films such as
Coming to America (1988) and various television films, Jackson was mentored by
Morgan Freeman. 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 said that the role was cathartic, His performance was so acclaimed that the jury of
1991 Cannes Film Festival added a special "Supporting Actor" award just for him. Following this role, Jackson became involved with the comedy
Strictly Business and dramas
Juice and
Patriot Games. He then moved on to two other comedies: ''
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (his first starring role) and Amos & Andrew''. Jackson worked with the director
Steven Spielberg in 1993's
Jurassic Park. '' in Paris, April 2008
1994–1998: Career breakthrough After a turn as the criminal Big Don in 1993's
True Romance—written by
Quentin Tarantino and directed by
Tony Scott—Tarantino asked Jackson to play Jules Winnfield in
Pulp Fiction (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, Jackson's thirtieth film, made him internationally recognized and he received 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 pushed for, and received, the
Best Supporting Actor nomination for Jackson. He also received a
Golden Globe nomination and won the
BAFTA Award for
Best Supporting Role. After
Pulp Fiction, Jackson received 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 poor-performing films such as
Kiss of Death,
The Great White Hype, and
Losing Isaiah, Jackson began to receive poor reviews from critics who had praised his performance in
Pulp Fiction. This 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
A Time to Kill, Jackson earned an NAACP Image for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and a
Golden Globe nomination for a 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 alongside first-time writer/director
Kasi Lemmons in the drama ''
Eve's Bayou, for which he also served as executive producer. He worked again with Tarantino on Jackie Brown and received the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival and a fourth Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the arms merchant Ordell Robbie. In 1998, he worked with established actors: Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman in Sphere, and Kevin Spacey in The Negotiator, playing a hostage negotiator who resorts to taking hostages himself when he is falsely accused of murder and embezzlement. In 1999, 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 (though he later said that he was eager to accept any role, just for the chance to be a part of the
Star Wars saga).
1999–2007: Established actor at
Walt Disney World's
Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park On June 13, 2000, Jackson was honored with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Blvd. He began the next decade of his film career playing 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. He reprised both of the 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 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 in Changing Lanes, co-starring Ben Affleck. 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 many other stars like
Angela Bassett and
Whoopi Goldberg. Based on reviews gathered by
Rotten Tomatoes, in 2004 Jackson starred in both his lowest and highest ranked films in his career. 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 (based on the actual coach
Ken Carter) 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 was presented with 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's decision to star in the film was 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, Jackson starred in
Home of the Brave, as a doctor returning home from the
Iraq War. in San Diego 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 (which was narrated by
Morgan Freeman). Also in 2007, he portrayed a
blues player who imprisons a young woman (
Christina Ricci) 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 (who both died before the film's release) in
Soul Men.
2008–2019: Career expansion In 2008, he portrayed the villain in
The Spirit, which was poorly received by critics and the box office. In 2009, he again worked with Quentin Tarantino when he narrated several scenes in the World War II film
Inglourious Basterds. In 2010, he 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 again portrayed a police officer in the opening scenes of the comedy
The Other Guys. He also co-starred with
Tommy Lee Jones for a
film adaptation of
The Sunset Limited. Throughout Jackson's career, he has appeared in many films alongside mainstream
rappers. These include
Tupac Shakur (
Juice),
Queen Latifah (
Juice/
Sphere/
Jungle Fever),
Method Man (
One Eight Seven),
LL Cool J (
Deep Blue Sea/
S.W.A.T.),
Busta Rhymes (
Shaft),
Eve (
xXx),
Ice Cube (
xXx: State of the Union),
Xzibit (
xXx: State of the Union),
David Banner (
Black Snake Moan), and
50 Cent (
Home of the Brave). Additionally, Jackson has appeared in five films with actor
Bruce Willis (National Lampoon's
Loaded Weapon 1,
Pulp Fiction,
Die Hard with a Vengeance,
Unbreakable, and
Glass) and the actors were slated to work together in
Black Water Transit before both dropped out. In 2002,
Marvel Comics designed their "
Ultimate" version of the character
Nick Fury after his likeness without his consent. Jackson, an active comic book reader, recognized his image in the comics and had his agents contact the publisher who pledged to cast him in future adaptations as Fury In the 2008 film
Iron Man, he made a cameo as the character in a post-credit scene. In February 2009, Jackson signed on to a nine-picture deal with
Marvel Studios which would see him appear as the character in
Iron Man 2,
Thor,
Captain America: The First Avenger, and
The Avengers, as well as any other subsequent film they would produce. He reprised the role in
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). In 2018 and 2019, Jackson made cameo appearances 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 more recent film roles, Jackson appeared in
Quentin Tarantino's
Django Unchained, which was released December 25, 2012, Tarantino's
The Hateful Eight, which was released in
70mm on December 25, 2015, and
Jordan Vogt-Roberts'
Kong: Skull Island, which was released on March 10, 2017. In 2019, Jackson reprised his
Unbreakable role as Mr. Glass in the film
Glass, and his Shaft role in
Shaft, both sequels to his 2000 films. Also in 2019, he appeared in the
Brie Larson film
Unicorn Store, and had a prominent role as Fury in the Marvel film
Spider-Man: Far From Home. Additionally, he reprised his role as 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, archival footage of Jackson from
Revenge of the Sith was used in the
Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "
Shattered".
2020–present: Return to theater In 2020, he appeared in the television documentary series
Enslaved, with investigative journalist
Afua Hirsch as co-presenter. He also appeared 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, he 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 in
The Marvels, the sequel to
Captain Marvel. The following year, Jackson had a minor role in the
Matthew Vaughn-directed spy comedy
Argylle (2024).
Upcoming projects Jackson is set to produce a live-action film adaptation of
Afro Samurai, and will play the role of Sho'nuff in a remake of
The Last Dragon. He also appeared opposite
Pierce Brosnan in
The Unholy Trinity. Filming began for
Last Meals in late November 2023. On June 5, 2025 it was announced that
NOLA King, a spin-off series of
Tulsa King set in
New Orleans, was in the works at
Paramount+ and would star Jackson in a role similar to the mobster character
Sylvester Stallone plays in
Tulsa King. Jackson's character was introduced in the 3rd season of
Tulsa King. On February 24, 2026, it was announced that
NOLA King would instead be set in
Frisco, Texas and renamed
Frisco King. == Other appearances ==