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Samuel L. Jackson

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Biography

After spending the 1980s playing a series of drug addict and character parts, Samuel L. Jackson emerged in the 1990s as one of the most prominent and well-respected actors in Hollywood. Work on a number of projects, both high-profile and low-key, has given Jackson ample opportunity to display an ability marked by both remarkable versatility and smooth intelligence.

Born December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C., Jackson was raised by his mother and grandparents in Chattanooga, TN. He attended Atlanta's Morehouse College, where he was co-founder of Atlanta's black-oriented Just Us Theater (the name of the company was taken from a famous Richard Pryor routine). Jackson arrived in New York in 1977, beginning what was to be a prolific career in film, television, and on the stage. After a plethora of character roles of varying sizes, Jackson was discovered by the public in the role of the hero's tempestuous, drug-addict brother in 1991's Jungle Fever, directed by another Morehouse College alumnus, Spike Lee. Jungle Fever won Jackson a special acting prize at the Cannes Film Festival and thereafter his career soared. Confronted with sudden celebrity, Jackson stayed grounded by continuing to live in the Harlem brownstone where he'd resided since his stage days.

1994 was a particularly felicitous year for Jackson; while his appearances in Jurassic Park (1993) and Menace II Society (1993) were still being seen in second-run houses, he co-starred with John Travolta as a mercurial hit man in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination. His portrayal of an embittered father in the more low-key Fresh earned him additional acclaim. The following year, Jackson landed third billing in the big-budget Die Hard With a Vengeance and also starred in the adoption drama Losing Isaiah. His versatility was put on further display in 1996 with the release of five very different films: The Long Kiss Goodnight, a thriller in which he co-starred with Geena Davis as a private detective; an adaptation of John Grisham's A Time to Kill, which featured him as an enraged father driven to murder; Steve Buscemi's independent Trees Lounge; The Great White Hype, a boxing satire in which the actor played a flamboyant boxing promoter; and Hard Eight, the directorial debut of Paul Thomas Anderson.

After the relative quiet of 1997, which saw Jackson again collaborate with Tarantino in the critically acclaimed Jackie Brown and play a philandering father in the similarly acclaimed Eve's Bayou (which also marked his debut as a producer), the actor lent his talents to a string of big-budget affairs (an exception being the 1998 Canadian film The Red Violin). Aside from an unbilled cameo in Out of Sight (1998), Jackson was featured in leading roles in The Negotiator (1998), Sphere (1998), and Deep Blue Sea (1999). His prominence in these films added confirmation of his complete transition from secondary actor to leading man, something that was further cemented by a coveted role in what was perhaps the most anticipated film of the decade, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), the first prequel to George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy. Jackson followed through on his leading man potential with a popular remake of Gordon Parks' seminal 1971 blaxploitation flick Shaft. Despite highly publicized squabbling between Jackson and director John Singleton, the film was a successful blend of homage, irony, and action; it became one of the rare character-driven hits in the special effects-laden summer of 2000.

From hard-case Shaft to fragile as glass, Jackson once again hoodwinked audiences by playing against his usual super-bad persona in director M. Night Shyamalan's eagerly anticipated follow-up to The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable (2000). In his role as Bruce Willis' brittle, frail antithesis, Jackson proved that though he can talk trash and break heads with the best of them, he's always compelling to watch no matter what the role may be. Next taking a rare lead as a formerly successful pianist turned schizophrenic on the trail of a killer in the little-seen The Caveman's Valentine, Jackson turned in yet another compelling and sympathetic performance. Following an instance of road rage opposite Ben Affleck in Changing Lanes (2002), Jackson stirred film geek controversy upon wielding a purple lightsaber in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones. Despite rumors that the color of the lightsaber may have had some sort of mythical undertone, Jackson laughingly assured fans that it was a simple matter of his suggesting to Lucas that a purple lightsaber would simply "look cool," though he was admittedly surprised to see that Lucas had obliged him Jackson eventually saw the final print. A few short months later filmgoers would find Jackson recruiting a muscle-bound Vin Diesel for a dangerous secret mission in the spy thriller XXX. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Star Wars: Episode III (2005) .... Mace Windu
XXX2 (2004) .... Agent Augustus Gibbons
2004: A Light Knight's Odyssey (2003) (TV) (voice) .... Fear
Kill Bill (2003) .... The Organ Player
Blackout (2003) .... Mills
S.W.A.T. (2003) .... Lt. Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson
Basic (2003) .... Sgt. Nathan West
XXX: A Filmmakers Diary (2003) (V) .... Himself
Pulp Fiction: The Facts (2002) (V) .... Himself
Baadasssss Cinema (2002) (V) .... Himself
XXX (2002) .... Agent Augustus Gibbons
... aka Triple X (2002) (USA: informal English title)
House on Turk Street, The (2002) .... Jack Friar
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) .... Mace Windu
... aka Attack of the Clones: The IMAX Experience (2002) (USA: IMAX version)
... aka Star Wars II (2002) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones (2002) (USA: video box title)
Changing Lanes (2002) .... Doyle Gipson
74th Annual Academy Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Hollywood Salutes Nicolas Cage: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2002) (TV) .... Host
Muhammad Ali's All-Star 60th Birthday Celebration! (2002) (TV) .... Himself
Middle School Confessions (2002) (TV) .... Host
Brit Awards 2001 (2001) (TV) .... Himself
E! Rank: 25 Toughest Stars (2001) (TV) .... Himself/#10
51st State, The (2001) .... Elmo McElroy
... aka Formula 51 (2002) (USA)
R2-D2: Beneath the Dome (2001) (TV) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV) .... Himself
73rd Annual Academy Awards, The (2001) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Caveman's Valentine, The (2001) .... Romulus Ledbetter
"Jazz" (2001) (mini) TV Series (voice) .... Voices
Unbreakable (2000) .... Elijah Price
2000 MTV Movie Awards (2000) (TV) .... Presenter
Shaft (2000) .... John Shaft
... aka Shaft - Noch Fragen? (2000) (Germany)
Rules of Engagement (2000) .... Col. Terry L. Childers
... aka Règles d'engagement, Les (2000) (Canada: French title)
... aka Rules - Sekunden der Entscheidung (2000) (Germany)
Any Given Wednesday (2000) .... Willie Nutter
Forever Hollywood (1999) .... Himself
Intimate Portrait: Pam Grier (1999) (TV) .... Himself
Our Friend, Martin (1999) (V) (voice) .... Turner
Stars of Star Wars: Interviews with the Cast, The (1999) (V) .... Himself
Unauthorized Star Wars Story, The (1999) (V) .... Himself
Deep Blue Sea (1999) .... Russell Franklin
From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic (1999) (TV) .... Himself (host)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) .... Mace Windu
... aka Phantom Menace, The (1999) (USA: short title)
... aka Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) (USA: video box title)
1998 MTV Movie Awards (1998) (TV) .... Host
All Saints: The First Video (1998) (V) (uncredited) .... Himself
Violon rouge, Le (1998) .... Charles Morritz (Montréal)
... aka Red Violin, The (1998) (Canada: English title) (USA)
... aka Violino rosso, Il (1998) (Italy)
Negotiator, The (1998) .... Lieutenant Danny Roman
... aka Verhandlungssache (1999) (Germany)
Out of Sight (1998) (uncredited) .... Hejira Henry
Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (1998) (uncredited) .... Himself
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV) .... Himself
Sphere (1998) .... Dr. Harry Adams
"Celebrity Profile" (1997) TV Series .... Himself
Jackie Brown (1997) .... Ordell Robbie
Eve's Bayou (1997) .... Louis Batiste
One Eight Seven (1997) .... Trevor Garfield
You're Still Not Fooling Anybody (1997) (archive footage) .... Jules Winnfield
Journey of the African-American Athlete, The (1996) (TV) .... Narrator
Long Kiss Goodnight, The (1996) .... Detective Mitch Henessey
Time to Kill, A (1996) .... Carl Lee Hailey
Search for One-eye Jimmy, The (1996) .... Col. Ron
Trees Lounge (1996) .... Wendell
Great White Hype, The (1996) .... Rev. Fred Sultan
Sydney (1996) .... Jimmy, Sand Dunes security consultant
... aka Hard Eight (1997) (USA: changed title)
Fluke (1995) (voice) .... Rumbo
Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995) .... Zeus Carver
... aka Die Hard 3 (1995)
Kiss of Death (1995) .... Calvin
67th Annual Academy Awards, The (1995) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself
Losing Isaiah (1995) .... Kadar Lewis
Hail Caesar (1994) .... Mailman
Pulp Fiction (1994) .... Jules Winnfield
New Age, The (1994) .... Dale Deveaux
Against the Wall (1994) (TV) .... Jamaal
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker (1994) (TV) .... Richard Greener
... aka Assault at Westpoint (1994) (TV) (USA: short title)
Fresh (1994) .... Sam
True Romance (1993) .... Big Don
Jurassic Park (1993) .... Ray Arnold
... aka JP (1993) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Menace II Society (1993) .... Tat Lawson
Amos & Andrew (1993) .... Andrew Sterling
Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) .... Sergeant Wes Luger
... aka National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 (1993)
Simple Justice (1993) (TV) .... The Steward
Fathers & Sons (1992) .... Marshall
Secret World of Spying, The (1992) (TV) .... LCDR Robby Jackson
Jumpin' at the Boneyard (1992) .... Mr. Simpson
Patriot Games (1992) .... Lt. Cmdr. Robert Jefferson 'Robby' Jackson
White Sands (1992) .... Greg Meeker, FBI Agent
Juice (1992) .... Trip
... aka Angel Town 2 (1992) (Europe: video catalogue title English title)
Dead and Alive: The Race for Gus Farace (1991) (TV)
... aka Dead and Alive (1991) (TV)
... aka In the Line of Duty: Mob Justice (1991) (TV)
... aka Mob Justice (1991) (TV) (USA)
Strictly Business (1991) (as Sam Jackson) .... Monroe
Johnny Suede (1991) .... B-Bop
Jungle Fever (1991) .... Gator Purify
Return of Superfly, The (1990) (as Sam Jackson) .... Nate Cabot
Goodfellas (1990) .... Stacks Edwards
... aka GoodFellas (1990) (USA: poster title)
Exorcist III, The (1990) .... Dream Blind Man
... aka Exorcist III: Legion, The (1990)
... aka William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III (1990)
Mo' Better Blues (1990) .... Madlock
Betsy's Wedding (1990) .... Taxi Dispatcher (Mickey)
Def by Temptation (1990) .... Minister Garth
Shock to the System, A (1990) .... Ulysses (three-card monte game)
Sea of Love (1989) .... Black Guy
Do the Right Thing (1989) (as Sam Jackson) .... Mister Senor Love Daddy
Dead Man Out (1989) (TV) .... Calvin Fredricks
... aka Dead Man Walking (1989) (TV)
Coming to America (1988) .... Hold-Up Man
... aka Prince in New York (1988) (Europe: video title English title)
School Daze (1988) .... Leeds
Eddie Murphy Raw (1987) .... Eddie's uncle (sketch)
... aka Raw (1987) (USA: short title)
Magic Sticks (1987) (as Sam Jackson) .... Bum
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987) (TV) (as Samuel Jackson) .... George Harris
Ragtime (1981) .... Gang Member No. 2
Trial of the Moke, The (1978) (TV)
Displaced Person, The (1976) (TV)
Together for Days (1972) .... Stan
... aka Black Cream (1972) (USA)

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