A Biography of Samuel L. Jackson

Just the name Samuel L. Jackson brings powerful thoughts. It is the name of one of the most loved actors of our time. Maybe one of the coolest people to ever live, Jackson has gained a reputation for working hard and acting to his best ability with each role he takes. Samuel L. Jackson wasn't a big star from the beginning, but looking back nothing bad can be said for his early work and it is no wonder that he became an American sensation.

Samuel L Jackson was born in Washington D.C. but was raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Initially he was raised by his strict grandmother, but when he was 10 years old his mother came back into his life. Jackson was influenced by film that displayed messages about black culture and when he attended the all black college, Morehouse College in Atlanta, Jackson became involved in the black power movement. He was expelled in his junior year for participating in a protest that involved locking members of the board of trustees into a building for two days.

Jackson's inspiration to act came from a performance that the Negro Ensemble Company put on. He continued on with his life from there and served as a social worker for two years in Los Angeles, but returned to Morehouse and earned a degree for his acting studies in 1972. Jackson later joined the Black Image Theatre Company and met his wife who went to a sister college of Morehouse. They toured the country putting on skits with humor and rage, performing largely for white audiences. But they grew tired of the activist aspect of their performances and headed to Harlem, New York to practice their craft without the limitations of race. Jackson did a lot of work n Off-Broadway plays and even got a regular job as a stand-in for Bill Cosby on his show during rehearsals. In 1981 Jackson made two important friendships with Spike Lee and Morgan Freeman. Freeman encouraged Samuel to keep working towards success and assured him he'd reach it some day. Spike Lee convinced him to act in his earliest films. Jackson did such a good job in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever that the Cannes Film Festival created a Best Supporting Actor category to give the award to Jackson. He was finally starting to get recognized as a valuable actor.

Jackson's role in Jungle Fever as a drug addict forced him to deal with his own real life drug and alcohol problems. It was his ability to get into the character that let him work out his demons and clean himself up. Jackson also won a New York Film Critics Award for the film, further solidifying his abilities as an actor.

Samuel Jackson's career through the '80s and '90s saw him doing character work in countless movies, each of them only improving his reputation as a solid actor. Working in films such as White Sands, Jurassic Park, and Menace II Society didn't make Jackson a superstar, but it gained him the attention of one very important director. Quentin Tarantino believed that Samuel Jackson was a perfect fit for the character of Jules in his second film, Pulp Fiction. Jackson's decision to take the part and his execution of the character made him a pop culture icon. Today Jackson is still most remembered for that role and is practically worshipped by millions of fans for his smooth, but intense acting.

Since Pulp Fiction Samue L. Jackson has become one of the most sought out actors in Hollywood and he never goes without work. The Negotiator, A Caveman's Valentine, Freedomland, The Incredibles, Changing Lanes, Triple X, Coach Carter, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (video game), and Deep Blue Sea are just some of the movies that appear on Jackson's seemingly endless list of roles. Most recently Jackson starred in Snakes on a Plane, a popcorn movie that became a cult phenomenon. Jackson has proved to be cool and intense, but can also be funny, as seen in The Man. There are few who are worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Samuel L. Jackson, and it looks like he is only going to get better as he continues his career. Jackson didn't reach true success until he was well into his '40s, but he still has a lot of miles left on him before he retires. You can expect to see some amazing things from Samuel L. Jackson in the future. You need only look into his past to figure that out.