American actor Samuel Leroy Jackson came into this world on December 21, 1948. He is the highest-grossing actor of all time, and his films have earned over $27 billion worldwide. He is one of the most famous performers of his generation. The Academy honored him in 2022 with the title of "a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres, generations, and audiences worldwide" for his work. Mother Courage and Her Children, which Jackson performed in 1980 at The Public Theatre, was his professional theater debut. Off-Broadway, he played Private Louis Henderson from 1981 to 1983 in A Soldier's Play. Additionally, in 1987, he played the lead role of Boy Willie at the Yale Repertory Theatre in August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. In 2011's
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On the Cosby Show, he filled in for Bill Cosby for three years. As Jackson began his film career, he was trained by Morgan Freeman. His early roles were small parts in films like Coming to America (1988) and a number of TV films. In the 1990 Martin Scorsese picture Goodfellas, Jackson had a small part as Stacks Edwards, a real-life Mafia member. After many heroin overdoses, he began using cocaine instead. A New York rehabilitation center took him in when his family intervened. He played a crack addict in Jungle Fever after finishing his recovery. "It was a funny kind of thing," Jackson remarked, and he went on to say that playing the part was therapeutic. Within a week after my discharge from rehabilitation, I arrived at the site, and we were prepared to begin filming. The jury at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival created a new "Supporting Actor" award in his honor due to the widespread praise for his performance. After this part, Jackson appeared in the thrillers Patriot Games and Juice and cameoed in the comedy Strictly Business. Following that, he appeared in two more comedies: Amos & Andrew and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, the former of which was his breakthrough performance. In the 1993 film Jurassic Park, Jackson collaborated with filmmaker Steven Spielberg. BREAKTHROUGH IN A CAREER In 1994, when Jackson portrayed the villain Big Don in Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino's True Romance, Tarantino cast him as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994). "To know that somebody had written something like Jules for me," Jackson said in amazement upon hearing that the character had been written for him especially. I felt a mix of emotions: gratitude, haughtiness, and awe at the possibility that someone would offer me a chance like that. Jackson became
On the Cosby Show, he filled in for Bill Cosby for three years. As Jackson began his film career, he was trained by Morgan Freeman. His early roles were small parts in films like Coming to America (1988) and a number of TV films. In the 1990 Martin Scorsese picture Goodfellas, Jackson had a small part as Stacks Edwards, a real-life Mafia member. After many heroin overdoses, he began using cocaine instead. A New York rehabilitation center took him in when his family intervened. He played a crack addict in Jungle Fever after finishing his recovery. "It was a funny kind of thing," Jackson remarked, and he went on to say that playing the part was therapeutic. Within a week after my discharge from rehabilitation, I arrived at the site, and we were prepared to begin filming. The jury at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival created a new "Supporting Actor" award in his honor due to the widespread praise for his performance. After this part, Jackson appeared in the thrillers Patriot Games and Juice and cameoed in the comedy Strictly Business. Following that, he appeared in two more comedies: Amos & Andrew and National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1, the former of which was his breakthrough performance. In the 1993 film Jurassic Park, Jackson collaborated with filmmaker Steven Spielberg. BREAKTHROUGH IN A CAREER In 1994, when Jackson portrayed the villain Big Don in Tony Scott and Quentin Tarantino's True Romance, Tarantino cast him as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994). "To know that somebody had written something like Jules for me," Jackson said in amazement upon hearing that the character had been written for him especially. I felt a mix of emotions: gratitude, haughtiness, and awe at the possibility that someone would offer me a chance like that. Jackson became