Samuel L Jackson is one of the most celebrated actors in the world. With numerous critically acclaimed films that he’s starred in, he’s managed to win various awards and accolades. His success has also made him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.
As a child, he had a troublesome upbringing and also suffered from stuttering. But this didn’t stop the actor from pursuing a career in film by starring in minor roles like in “Goodfellas”.
He slowly rose up to stardom until he was able to get leading roles in hit films like “Jurassic Park” and “Pulp Fiction. Once he became a celebrity he was able to get casted on more hit films and even had the role of “Nick Fury” in Marvel’s “Iron Man 2”.
He later reprised this role in their cinematic franchise earning him more fame and success. He has now appeared in more than 100 films and was also part of the civil rights movement during 1968.
Personal Details
Celebrity Name: Samuel L Jackson
Real Name:.Samuel Leroy Jackson
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Birthday: December 21, 1948
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., United States
Age: 71
Nationality: American
Status: Married
Spouse: LaTanya Richardson
Height: 6’2”
Weight:83 kg
Profession: Actor, Film Producer
Net Worth: $250 million
Early Life and Troubled Upbringing
Samuel Leroy Jackson was born on the 21st of December 1948, in Washington, D.C. He was solely raised by his mother Elizabeth Jackson. His father was away in Kansas, Missouri, living with another family and eventually passed away due to alcoholism. Samuel only met him twice in his life.
He then went to several segregated schools until he managed to graduate from “Riverside High School” in Chattanooga. During his high school life, Jackson enjoyed playing with the french horn and the trumpet. He also suffered from stuttering while growing.
Although he wanted to pursue a degree in marine biology at Atlanta’s “Morehouse College”, Jackson eventually shifted his mind as he saw an opportunity in acting. He later graduated in 1972 while also co-founding the theatre group, “Just Us Theatre”.
Civil Rights Movement
After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr’ in 1968, Jackson was said to be heavily involved in the civil rights movement. He was one of the ushers for the civil rights leader’s funeral and even flew to Memphis to join the equal rights protests march.
He was also one of the students who held the Morehouse College Board of Trustees members, hostage, in 1969. This incident leads the school to reform several of its policies regarding curriculum and governance.
Jackson was charged with unlawful confinement and second-degree felony. This lead to him being suspended by the school for two years though he would eventually return to finish his degree in Arts and Drama.
Personal Life
Samuel Jackson has been married to the sports channel producer LaTanya Richards since 1980. They met each other while attending “Morehouse College” in Atlanta and also had a daughter together name Zoe back in 1982.
He and his family have been involved in multiple charity works and they’ve already given millions of dollars to causes regarding education, Alzheimer’s disease, and also equal rights.
Jackson also enjoys watching anime series like “Ninja Scroll” and “Black Lagoon” in his free time. He also does golf and even supports sports teams like the “Toronto Raptors” and “Liverpool FC”.
In 2013, he also started to have a vegan diet due to health reasons but eventually stopped doing it by 2017.
Career as an Actor
Jackson started his career by appearing in several plays like “The Threepenny Opera” and “A Soldiers Play”. He had his debut in the film when he starred in the 1972 blacksploitation film “Together for Days” and later moved to New York to find better opportunities in his career.
He then went on and starred in minor roles such as the 1990 crime drama film “Goodfellas”. In the next few years, Jackson was able to appear and even star in well-known films like “Strictly Business”, Jungle Fever”, and “Jurassic Park”.
By 1994, he took the role of “Jules Winnfield” in Quentin Tarantinos’s classic film “Pulp Fiction”. His role became a huge pop icon after the release and success of the film.
He was able to be in more hit films like in 1999, where he starred in “Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace” where he played as the Jedi “Mace Windu”. The following year he also took part in more films such as “Rules of Engagement” and “Unbreakable”.
In 2005, he also had the role of “Ken Carter” from the movie “Coach Carter” and also reprised his role as “Mace Windu” in the Star Wars Sequel “Star Wars” Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”.
Jackson also became “Nick Fury” in Marvel’s film franchise and reprised his role in multiple films such as the 2010 film “The Avengers”, the 2018 “Infinity War”, its 2019 sequel “Endgame”, and also “Captain Marvel”
Awards and Nominations
With the massive success Jackson has made in his career, he’s been able to receive various awards and accolades in his name.
His role in “Pulp Fiction” has managed to help him get nominated in an Academy Award and win “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” in the BAFTA Awards and also “Best Male Lead” in the “Independent Spirit Awards”.
He’s also managed to win “Best Supporting Actor” in the “Black Reel Awards” and “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” for his role in the 2013 film “Django Unchained”.
Samuel L Jackson’s Total Net Worth
As Samuel Jackson has managed to be in more than a hundred movies throughout his career, he’s been able to make an estimated net worth of $250 million. In 1990, it’s also been said that his movies have been able to gross more than $1.7 billion.
By 2009, The Guinness Book of World Records had stated that Jackson is the world’s highest-grossing actor with a total gross worth of $7.42 billion in 68 films.
