SAMUEL L. JACKSON (Preston Packard), one of the most respected actors in Hollywood, has appeared in well over 100 films. His portrayal of Jules, the philosopher hitman in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” made an indelible mark on American cinema. In addition to overwhelming critical acclaim, he garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and won a BAFTA Award, all in the category of Best Supporting Actor, and also won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. Jackson has since reunited with Tarantino on a number of films, including “Jackie Brown,” for which he received another Golden Globe nod; “Kill Bill: Vol. 2”; “Django Unchained”; and, most recently, “The Hateful Eight.”
Jackson has a nine-picture deal with Marvel Studios and has starred as action hero Nick Fury in three of their blockbuster franchises. Jackson has played the role in “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2”; “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”; and “The Avengers,” which opened to a record-shattering $200+ million, and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” He will also appear in the next installment of the “Avengers” franchise, “Avengers: Infinity War.” Jackson is also voicing the character of Jimbo in the animated action comedy “Blazing Samurai” and will lend his voice to “The Incredibles 2.”
He has several films upcoming, including the action comedy “The Hitman’s Bodyguard”; Brie Larson’s feature directorial debut, “Unicorn Store”; and Peter Segal’s sci-fi film “Inversion.”
His other recent films include the actioner “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” reprising the role of Agent Augustus Gibbons; Tim Burton’s fantasy adventure “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”; David Yates’ “The Legend of Tarzan”; Matthew Vaughn’s hit “Kingsman: The Secret Service”; José Padilha’s remake of the classic sci-fi actioner “RoboCop”; and the Spike Lee-directed features “Chi-Raq” and “Oldboy,” a remake of the 2003 Korean cult classic.
Jackson’s long list of credits also includes such diverse films as “Mother and Child,” receiving another Spirit Award nomination; “Lakeview Terrace”; “Soul Men”; “The Spirit”; “Jumper”; “Resurrecting the Champ”; “1408”; “Black Snake Moan”; “Snakes on a Plane”; “Freedomland”; “Coach Carter”; “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”; “The Incredibles”; “S.W.A.T”; “Changing Lanes”; “Formula 51”; “Stars Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones”; “The Caveman’s Valentine”; “Unbreakable”; “Rules of Engagement”; “Shaft”; “Deep Blue Sea”; “Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace”; “The Negotiator”; “The Red Violin”; “Sphere”; “Eve’s Bayou”; “187”; “A Time to Kill,” gaining a Golden Globe nomination; “The Long Kiss Goodnight”; “Die Hard: With a Vengeance”; “True Romance”; “Jurassic Park”; “Patriot Games”; “Jungle Fever”; “Goodfellas”; “Mo’ Better Blues”; “Sea of Love”; “Do the Right Thing”; “Coming to America”; “School Daze”; and “Ragtime.”
In 2011, Jackson made his Broadway debut in “The Mountaintop,” at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater, where he portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. The play also starred Angela Bassett and was directed by Kenny Leon.
Jackson began his career onstage upon his graduation from Morehouse College in Atlanta with a degree in Dramatic Arts. Among his early plays were “Home,” “A Soldier’s Play,” “Sally/Prince” and “The District Line.” He also originated roles in two of August Wilson’s plays at Yale Repertory Theatre. For the New York Shakespeare Festival, Jackson appeared in “Mother Courage and Her Children,” “Spell #7” and “The Mighty Gents.”
On the small screen, Jackson starred in the 2011 HBO movie “The Sunset Limited.” He earlier starred in John Frankenheimer’s Emmy-winning “Against the Wall,” also for HBO. His performance brought him Cable ACE and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries. In addition, he served as executive producer for the Spike TV animated series “Afro Samurai,” which premiered in 2007 and ran for three seasons. The series received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Animated Program. The first edition of the “Afro Samurai” video game launched in February 2009.