SAMUEL L. JACKSON

One of the hardest-working Hollywood actors, Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in countless films, including ‘Pulp Fiction,’ ‘Jurassic Park’ and the ‘Star Wars‘ and Marvel superhero franchises.

EARLY LIFE

Samuel L. Jackson was born on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His father was an alcoholic who did not live with the family and his mother, Elizabeth Jackson, worked in a factory. He attended Riverside High School where he learned the French horn and trumpet. He had also developed a stutter which he managed to overcome by frequently using the swear word ‘motherfu***r. He began studying marine biology at Morehouse College but changed to performing arts after joining an acting class. His time at Morehouse was disrupted by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Jackson did much campaigning for racial equality and was involved in a hostage situation where he and some of his peers held members of the Morehouse College board of trustees in a bid to get them to reform the school’s policies. Though Morehouse subsequently did as requested, Jackson was suspended for two years after landing a criminal record for unlawful confinement. He later returned to complete his education. During his time away from school, he became a social worker in LA. He also got involved with the Black Power movement briefly but was sent away from them by his mother before he could get involved in anything radical.

CAREER

Jackson started out acting in plays such as ‘Home‘ and ‘A Soldier’s Play‘, before appearing in several television films. His first feature film role was in ‘Together For Days‘ playing Stan. Jackson met director Spike Lee in 1981, who would later cast him in his films ‘School Daze’ and ‘Do The Right Thing‘. In 1990, he landed a small role in the Martin Scorsese’s blockbuster ‘Goodfellas‘. His first starring role was in 1993’s ‘National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1‘ with Emilio Estevez, and that year also saw his appearance in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jurassic Park‘. Jackson co-starred in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Pulp Fiction‘ alongside John Travolta in 1994. The role, which Tarantino actually wrote for him, significantly boosted Jackson’s fame, as the film has gained high commercial and critical acclaim. The role won him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA, as well as an Oscar nomination. He featured in the successful box office films ‘A Time Kill‘ and ‘Die Hard: With A Vengeance’. ‘A Time To Kill‘, also starring Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock, earned Jackson an NAACP Image for Best Supporting Actor as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Jackson featured in the Star Wars prequel trilogy as Mace Window. He also starred in the 2000 remake of the 1971 film ‘Shaft‘ alongside Richard Roundtree. In 2002, he starred opposite Vin Diesel in ‘xXx‘ and portrayed a drug dealer in ‘The 51st State‘ with Robert Carlyle. The following year he appeared in the remake of ‘S.W.A.T‘ with Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, and LL Cool J. Jackson‘s performance in the 2005 sports drama ‘Coach Carter‘ was well received despite the film’s mixed reviews. In 2006, he became the seventh African American to be honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. That year he starred in the cult movie ‘Snakes on a Plane‘. 2009 saw him once again working with Quentin Tarantino on his WWII movie ‘Inglourious Basterds‘opposite Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. Jackson has played the character of Nick Fury in the Marvel movies ‘Iron Man 2‘, ‘Thor‘, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger and ‘The Avengers‘ among others. In 2012, he played a hypocritically racist slave in Quentin Tarantino’s gritty action movie ‘Django Unchained‘ opposite Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz.

PERSONAL LIFE, WIFE, AND DAUGHTER

Samuel L. Jackson married actress and sports channel producer LaTanya Richardson in 1980. The two have a daughter named Zoe who was born in 1982. Jackson has expressed that he enjoys watching himself in films, stating that when he was in plays he wished he could watch himself onstage while performing. Jackson is a fan of comic books and anime such as ‘Ninja Scroll’ and ‘Black Lagoon’. He also enjoys playing golf and is a fan of basketball. As of 2013, Jackson is vegan for health reasons. Early on in Jackson’s career, he suffered from alcoholism and developed a cocaine addiction. He overdosed on heroin a number of times, causing him to give up the drug and pursue cocaine instead. His family entered him into rehab which he completed successfully.

NETWORTH

Jackson has kept it more important when it comes to creating high-performing films. The actor who says he only chooses to play characters that are interesting to watch has seen his films gross over $5 billion. And that’s just for his lead actor and his supporting co-stars. Factor in all of his efforts as a supporting actor and that figure rises significantly to over $11 billion.

He has also been in many TV series, a number of high-profile commercials, and even music videos. All that she has contributed to raising her status in the film and entertainment industry has also helped to increase her salary over the years. The most recent calculations by Celebrity Net Worth put Jackson’s wealth at $250 million.