by Samuel L Jackson was born on December 21, 1948. He was raised by his grandparents in Tennessee. Also known as “Sam” to friends and family, he lived with them during the school year and returned to Chicago when summer came around so that he could work at his father’s business selling clothes and jewelry.
Jackson dropped out of high school in his junior year because he wanted to become a boxer but later realized that it was more difficult than it seemed.
About Samuel L Jackson
Samuel L Jackson won both a Grammy and an Emmy for his portrayal of a DJ in the movie “The Great White Hope”. Jackson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Pulp Fiction, a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino also directed Jackson in his next movie, Jackie Brown. Jackson says that Tarantino is a great director and likes to “pick up new actors” because he believes “they bring a different thing and they bring an energy” to the set.
Life of Jackson
His birth
Samuel L Jackson was born in Washington D.C. on December 21, 1948, to Elizabeth and Robert Jackson, a government clerk. At the time of his birth, his father was stationed in West Germany as part of the US Air Force, working at a post office on a military base. His mother brought him back to the United States when he was three months old and they settled in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
His education
Samuel L Jackson was raised by his maternal grandparents, Jesse, and Elizabeth Jackson. He was a mediocre student and did not do well in school because he spent most of his time trying to avoid being beaten up. When he was nine years old, his grandparents decided that they did not want to raise him anymore and sent him back to live with his mother in Chicago.
Jackson dropped out of high school in 1967 when he was 17 years old after realizing that it “wasn’t going to lead him where he wanted to go”.
His personal life
Samuel L Jackson married LaTanya Richardson in 1989, but they divorced in 1995. The couple has one daughter, Zoe. Jackson is a Christian pastor who is affiliated with the nondenominational church Amazing Grace Ministries International. Jackson began acting in plays at his church. He went on to join the West Point Players, a summer acting group based at the US Military Academy at West Point, New York. A casting director for a new television show called “Hill Street Blues” came to see one of his performances and offered him a job. His work in these commercials led to more well-paying jobs, including one that paid him $5,000 per week to appear in an advertisement for Coca-Cola.
His career
Samuel L Jackson often plays policemen, military men, and strong, intense characters. He was originally cast in the role of Martin Riggs in the film Lethal Weapon, but the producers replaced him with Mel Gibson when they realized that Jackson did not look like a typical action movie star. More recently, Jackson has been involved with several high-budget films such as The Spirit and The Legend of Zorro. He has also had a long-standing relationship with Quentin Tarantino and has appeared in several of his films.
The 1970s
Jackson was cast in the role of Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but he was removed from this movie when director George Lucas decided to change the character’s relationship with Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. The scene that had been filmed with him and Liam Neeson did not make it into the final cut because a new actor was required for the part.
The 1980s
Samuel L Jacksonn was in a revival of the Al Hirschfeld stage play, The Harder They Come. In the 1980s, he also starred in the movies Mighty Jack and The Golden Years. He played Pvt. Leonard Lawrence in the miniseries Roots and The Hurricane is a movie about an Army private whose company is forced to fight their own sergeant because they are labeled “cowards” by him. Jackson and Tarantino worked together on that film.
The 1990s
In the 1990s, Jackson was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Pulp Fiction. Jackson admits that he found it difficult to act in this movie because he did not like his character’s actions.
Jackson was nominated for another Oscar after playing Shug Avery in the movie The Great White Hope. He felt that this movie was important because many white people were not aware of the atrocities that blacks were subjected to during the Jim Crow era.
The 2000s
Samuel L Jackson was nominated for a Grammy Award and an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a DJ in the movie The Great White Hope. He believes that his performance in this movie is one of his best. The Gambler is a movie that Jackson says that he has always wanted to make. But he never had the money to do so before. He says that making movies like this helps him to learn more about who he is as a person and how other people see him.
In the last few years, Jackson has worked with Quentin Tarantino on several projects, including Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction. Jackson does not believe that Tarantino will ever stop making movies. Because he is “a great filmmaker” and enjoys giving people opportunities to shine.
Jackson also likes to work with Tarantino because he is different from other directors. In that, he always asks “Why?” instead of telling actors what to do. He says that Tarantino is like an “old soul”, which probably comes from his lifelong love of movies.
Jackson has been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Unbreakable. He believes that there are not many good roles for older black men on the silver screen. And hopes that Hollywood will give him more serious parts in the future.
The 2010s
In the 2010s, Samuel L Jackson played the role of Mace Windu. In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He also made several appearances as Nick Fury in Marvel’s highly successful Avengers superhero movie franchises.
In 2014, Jackson voiced several characters in an episode of The Simpsons. He also made his directorial debut that same year when he directed an episode of Empire. Jackson has said that he plans to make more movies in the future.
Jackson and his family live in Michigan. He has earned a total of seven Academy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. He is also a Grammy-nominated singer, having released two albums in the 1990s. Jackson was also honored with a National Medal of Arts for his work in film.
Awards and Honor
In 1970, Samuel L Jackson was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. For his role as Moses in the movie The Long Walk Home. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award in the same year.
In 2002, Jackson was inducted into the Nevada County Hall of Fame as a “Cultural Treasure”. Along with his long-time partner musician Quincy Jones. In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine University. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007 and again in 2016.
Inside Contents
