Career
After appearing in several plays, including ‘The Threepenny Opera’ and ‘A Soldier’s Play,’ he made his motion picture debut in the blaxploitation film ‘Together for Days’ in 1972. Four years later, he appeared in the television series ‘Movin’ On.’
He moved to New York City and spent the next several years appearing in stage plays, such as ‘The Piano Lesson’ and ‘Two Trains Running.’ In 1977, he appeared in the film ‘The Displaced Person.’
It is believed that in his early years he was mentored by Morgan Freeman. Later on in his career, he started doing noticeable roles in films like ‘School Daze’ and ‘Do the Right Thing,’ which released in 1988 and 1989, respectively.
In 1990, he appeared in ‘Goodfellas’ in a minor role and then worked as a substitute on ‘The Cosby Show’ for the next three years.
From 1990 to 1993, he worked in films like ‘Def by Temptation,’ ‘The Return of Superfly,’ ‘Strictly Business,’ ‘Jungle Fever,’ ‘Patriot Games,’ ‘True Romance,’ ‘Amos & Andrew,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Loaded Weapon 1.’
In 1994, he played the critically-acclaimed role of Jules Winnfield in the hit film ‘Pulp Fiction.’ Jackson became a world icon after the release and subsequent success of the movie. It was later revealed that director Quentin Tarantino specifically wanted him for the role.
From 1995 to 1996, he appeared in a string of box office flops, such as ‘Kiss of Death,’ ‘Losing Isaiah,’ and ‘The Great White Hype.’ However, he quickly bounced back by appearing in hit films like ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’ (1995) and ‘A Time to Kill’ (1996), which once again established him as a bankable star.
In 1997, he played the role of Trevor Garfield in ‘One Eight Seven’ and then starred in other films like ‘Eve’s Bayou’ and ‘Jackie Brown.’ The same year, he also voiced a character in one of the episodes of a television series titled ‘Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.’
In 1998, he played prominent roles in four films, namely ‘Sphere,’ ‘The Negotiator,’ ‘The Red Violin,’ and ‘Out of Sight.’
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In 1999, he starred in ‘Deep Blue Sea’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.’ At the beginning of the new millennium, Jackson became part of successful films, including ‘Rules of Engagement,’ ‘Shaft,’ and ‘Unbreakable.’
He played the role of a vagrant musician in ‘The Caveman’s Valentine’ in 2001. In the same year, he was also seen in the British/Canadian action comedy film ‘The 51st State’ in which he played Elmo McElroy. In 2002, he starred in ‘Changing Lanes,’ ‘XXX,’ ‘No Good Deed,’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.’
From 2003 to 2005, he played important roles in ‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’ ‘Twisted,’ ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2,’ ‘The Incredibles,’ ‘In My Country,’ ‘Coach Carter,’ ‘The Man,’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.’
In 2006, he was cast opposite Julianne Moore in ‘Freedomland.’ The same year, he appeared in one of the biggest offbeat films of the year, ‘Snakes on a Plane.’ To build anticipation for the film, he was cast in the promotional music video of the movie. Towards the end of the year, he appeared in ‘Home of the Brave’ where he played the role of a doctor.
In 2007, he was cast as a narrator in the direct-to-video film ‘Farce of the Penguins.’ He also played the role of a former cop in ‘Cleaner’ and a hotel manager in the psychological horror film ‘1408,’ displaying his versatility as an actor.
From 2008 to 2011, he was seen in different genres of films, such as ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ ‘Soul Men,’ ‘Gospel Hill,’ ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ ‘Unthinkable,’ ‘Iron Man 2,’ ‘African Cats,’ ‘Captain America: The First Avenger,’ and ‘Arena.’ He was also seen in television series like ‘Curiosity,’ ‘Prohibition,’ and ‘The Sunset Limited.’
One of his greatest hits in the year 2012 was the Quentin Tarantino film ‘Django Unchained’ where he played the role of Stephen. The next year, he voiced a character named Whiplash in the animated sports film ‘Turbo.’
From 2013 to 2014, he appeared as Nick Fury in the popular television series ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ In 2014, he appeared in the films, ‘Reasonable Doubt,’ ‘RoboCop,’ ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ and ‘Kite.’ In the same year, he also played the lead villain in the action spy comedy film ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service.’
Jackson reprised his role as Nick Fury in the ‘Avengers’ sequels, ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame.’ He also starred as a younger, de-aged Fury in ‘Captain Marvel.’
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Jackson appeared in Jordan Vogt-Roberts' monster film ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ which was released in 2017. In 2019, Jackson reprised his roles as Mr. Glass and John Shaft II in ‘Glass’ and ‘Shaft,’ respectively. Both ‘Glass’ and ‘Shaft’ were sequels to his 2000 films ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Shaft.’ Also in 2019, he appeared in the Brie Larson-directed film ‘Unicorn Store’ and reprised his role as Nick Fury in the ‘Marvel’ film ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home.’
Jackson joined hands with Talib Kweli, Sticky Fingaz, Mad Lion, and KRS-One and released a song titled ‘I Can't Breathe’ about social justice and violence in America.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1980, he married LaTanya Richardson and the couple has a daughter, Zoe.
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In his spare time, he likes to collect the action figures of the characters portrayed by him in films. He also loves watching anime series like ‘Ninja Scroll’ and ‘Black Lagoon.’ He is also an avid comic book collector.
Since he is bald, he loves to wear different wigs and ‘Kangol’ hats for his films. He has had the privilege of picking his own hairstyles for each of his characters.
Apart from being an actor, he is also a prolific golfer. He is a keen basketball and soccer fan and supports teams like ‘Toronto Raptors,’ ‘Harlem Globetrotters,’ and ‘Liverpool F.C.’
On August 2013, he started a vegan diet for health reasons, explaining that he is ‘just trying to live forever.’ However, he abandoned the diet by March 2017.
He launched a campaign called ‘One for the Boys’ which spreads awareness about testicular cancer.
