Today is the seventy-first birthday of Samuel L. Jackson. The actor was born on this day in Washington, D.C. as the only child of Elizabeth Harriett and Roy Henry Jackson. While studying marine biology in Atlanta, Georgia, Jackson took an acting class for extra credits where he found his future interest.
He started acting on Broadway and in minor films. He made small but notable appearances in films like Coming to America and Goodfellas. He also worked as a stand-in for Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show. After going to rehab for heroin and cocaine addictions, he appeared in the film Jungle Fever as an addict, earning him a special Supporting Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. His first staring roles came with National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 and Amos & Andrew, the latter alongside Nicolas Cage. His breakout role came when he played Jules Winnfield in the Best Picture nominated film Pulp Fiction, which caused him to become an internationally recognized actor. He would then appear in numerous works by director Quentin Tarantino. He appeared in major roles in Die Hard with a Vengeance and A Time to Kill before appearing in the major franchise film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as Jedi Master Mace Windu. He has gone on to play Mr. Glass in Unbreakable and Glass, the titular hero of the Shaft remake, as well as the title character of the anime Afro Samurai that he helped bring to America out of Japan. He surpassed Frank Welker as the highest grossing actor of all time.
In 2002, Marvel Comics sought Jackson's permission to model the new version of Nick Fury after him. When Marvel Studios began their cinematic universe, Jackson was then cast as Fury. He has played the role in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. He is set to reprise the role in the upcoming animated series What If...?.
