Samuel L. Jackson - Biography

Last Editor: peace162007				Samuel L. Jackson Biography -   Name : Samuel L. Jackson Date of birth : 21 December 1948 Place of birth : Washington, District of Columbia, USA Birth name : Samuel Leroy Jackson Nickname : Sam King of Cool Height : 6' 3

Samuel L. Jackson Trivia -

His daughter - Zoe Jackson (born in 1982). He grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee One of Jackson's jobs as a struggling actor in New York was as a doorman at the popular Manhattan Plaza subsidized apts, home to hundreds of actors and artisits, including Giancarlo Esposito, who co-starred with Jackson in Amos & Andrew (1993). He was ranked #44 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] He was an admitted drug user until he completed drug rehab two weeks before playing a drug addict in Jungle Fever (1991). Accomplished at playing brass instruments (french horn, trumpet) in school symphony orchestras from grade 3 to grade 12 He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1972. He was offered his role in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) after mentioning in an interview on UK TV show "TFI Friday" (1996) that he'd really like to work with George Lucas. Daughter Zoe attends Vassar College. [January 2002] He was briefly suspended in 1969 from Morehouse College after taking hostage several members of the board of trustees, including the father of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, during a protest of the failure of the university to have black trustees or a black studies program. Worked as a camera stand-in for Bill Cosby during the filming of "The Cosby Show" (1984). His character from Pulp Fiction (1994), Jules Winnfield, ranked second in the 'coolest movie characters of all time', in a poll by the UK's Empire Magazine (the winner was Tyler Durden of Fight Club (1999)). In 2003, he dissed rappers turned actors, saying that as a classically trained thespian it was not his job to lend credibility to rappers by appearing in movies with them. But in reality, he has worked with more rappers than any other actor in Hollywood, seven times as of this writing: Juice (1992) (Tupac Shakur), Shaft (2000) (Busta Rhymes), One Eight Seven (1997) (Method Man), Deep Blue Sea (1999) and S.W.A.T. (2003) (LL Cool J), xXx (2002) (Eve), and xXx: State of the Union (2005) (Ice Cube) and (Xzibit). His characters often feature the color purple: Mr. Glass wore purple clothing in Unbreakable (2000); Jackson chose to have Doyle Gipson wear a purple hat in Changing Lanes (2002); and Mace Windu, upon request by Jackson to George Lucas, wielded a purple light saber in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). The commencement speaker at his daughter's graduation from Vassar College (May 2004). Avid golfer As of January 2005, his films have earned over $3.8 billion worldwide at the box office. This makes him the highest-grossing actor in movie history, surpassing the total combined grosses of Harrison Ford. Was the first choice for "Fallon" in Judgment Night (1993). He suffered from a stutter while growing up. A speech therapist suggested he audition for a play and it might help his speech. It did and he changed his major. One of the late bloomers of Hollywood, he was already 46 years old when Pulp Fiction (1994) premiered and has acted in an average of 3-4 films a year since. Says that people who recognize him often mistake him for Laurence Fishburne and vice versa. He hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1998. He was an usher at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral. His performance as "Jules Winnfield" in Pulp Fiction (1994) is ranked #41 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). Made Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2002 and 2003 with earnings of $34 million and $30 million respectively. His performance as "Jules Winnfield" in Pulp Fiction (1994) is ranked #44 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. He was member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. He is vegetarian. To date (2006), his films have grossed more money at the box office than the work of any other actor in cinematic history. The success of The Incredibles (2004) enabled Jackson to surpass Harrison Ford as the actor whose movies have grossed the most money in the world - in excess of $3 billion. (January 2005). Before super-stardom, he played a very minor role in Goodfellas (1990), starring Robert De Niro. After super-stardom, he co-starred in Jackie Brown (1997), this time with Robert De Niro playing a supporting role. During filming of Black Snake Moan (2006), grew close with co-star Christina Ricci. The two remain good friends to this day. He was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. His "Pulp Fiction" diner scene with Travolta, was re-enacted by Dark Horse Comics' mid 2000 issue of "Star Wars Tales". In it, (with modifications) his Mace Windu character talks about the Jedi Academy and current Senate politics with Master Yoda, during a meal on Coruscant. He gave his consent for Marvel Comics to design their "Ultimate" version of the character Nick Fury after his likeness. He later went on to play Nick Fury in Iron Man (2008). In real life he was once a NY highrise doorman, in "1408" (2007) was a NY highrise manager. He participated in Model United Nations during his years in school.

Samuel L. Jackson Detailed Biography -

Samuel L. Jackson was born on December 21, 1948 in Washington, D.C. His full name is Samuel Leroy Jackson. He grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee with his mother, Elizabeth Jackson. His mother was a factory worker and later a supplies buyer for a mental institution, and his maternal grandparents and extended family. His father lived away from the family in Kansas City, Missouri and later died from alcoholism; Jackson had only met his father twice during his life. Jackson attended Riverside High School in Chattanooga. Between the third and twelfth grades, he played the French horn and trumpet in the school orchestra. He later attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he co-founded the "Just Us Theatre". Jackson graduated in 1972. Jackson is an Academy Award-nominated American film and television actor. Jackson came to fame in the early 1990s, after a series of well-reviewed performances, and has since become a major film star and cultural icon, having appeared in a large number of high-grossing films. Samuel L. Jackson usually played bad guys and drug addicts before becoming an action hero, as the character Mitch Henessey, in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) and in Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995). From character player to leading man. His performance in Pulp Fiction (1994) gave him an Oscar nomination for his character Jules Winnfield. He was active in the black student movement. In the seventies he joined the Negro Ensemble Company (together with Morgan Freeman). In the eighties he became well known by three movies made by Spike Lee - Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990) and Jungle Fever (1991). He received a Silver Berlin Bear for his part in the movie Jackie Brown (1997) as Ordell Robbi. Jackson married actress Latanya Richardson in 1980. He met Richardson while attending Morehouse College.  The couple live in Los Angeles, California. They have a daughter, Zoe Jackson, born in 1982.