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| | Samuel L. Jackson was born on December 21, 1948 in Washington D.C., USA.
Education: College Morehouse, major subject - drama.
Relatives:
Wife: LaTanya Richardson; Daughter: Zoe. Before brilliantly portraying the role of the hired killer reciting the Bible in the film “Pulp Fiction”, Jackson appeared in thirty roles. Somehow or another, the audience did not notice his work. Jackson played characters such as a thug in film “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990), a programmer in “Jurassic Park” (1993) and a drug trading father in “Menace II Society” (1993).
But in 1994, when Quentin Tarantino pulled Jackson out from the company of little-known actors and gave him a role in “Pulp Fiction”, Jackson could change his image. The image of a tough guy savoring a hamburger brought him an Oscar nomination as “Best Supporting Actor”.
The future actor grew up in Chattanooga, in the State of Tennessee. He was brought up by his mother and grandmother. Jackson was very studious and soon enrolled himself in the college Morehouse in Atlanta as a student of architecture. Since childhood, Samuel struggled with stammering. He visited the doctor of the college and also took lessons from a music teacher. The music teacher assessed the young talent and soon Jackson was transferred to the drama faculty. However, his family did not trust in his acting capabilities. This continued until he acted in an advertisement for a fast-food company Krystal Hamburgers. In the advertisement, young Jackson relished a hamburger with onions. So, the first money for acting appeared in his account. Jackson completed college in 1972 (in spite of the fact, that quite frequently he was denied roles in student shows) and moved to New York in pursuit of success.
During the first decade he spent in the Big Apple, Samuel differed from the other half-starved actors in diligence, discipline and also acted in the New York Shakespeare Festival. Later, he participated in rehearsals for Bill Cosby and appeared in several television roles.
Perhaps, his course of life was defined by two events. The first was when the young and energetic director Spike Lee noticed Samuel in the play “A Soldier’s Play” in 1981. Their subsequent friendship paved the way for a long professional association.
The second turning point in Samuel’s life was when he lost the leading role in the Broadway musical by August Wilson “Two Trains Running”, because of appearing before the public “with red eyes and stinking with beer” after bagging the role. Understanding that he probably lost a magnificent career, Jackson started to fight his inclination towards cocaine and alcohol.
Strangely enough, the first worthwhile role of Jackson was as the brother of Wesley Snipes, who was a crack addict in Spike Lee’s film “Jungle Fever” (1991). His portrayal of the role was so original, that the jury at the Cannes film festival awarded him as “Best Supporting Actor”. Samuel never tasted such success in the past. After being in the industry for 19 years, at last Jackson could be distinguished from the rest. He captured the moment and became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood starring in more than thirty films in the 1990s. But his present fame came after the masterpiece “Pulp Fiction” by Quentin Tarantino, in which Jackson played a gangster quoting the Old testament and the key phrase of the film “The truth is: you're the weak, and I am the tyranny of evil men. But, I'm tryin', Ringo, I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd.” For this role, Samuel received an award from the British Academy of Film and television arts BAFTA. Now, the audience waited only for more brilliant roles from Jackson. He impressed the audience in films which tasted moderate success – “Kiss of Death” and “Losing Isaiah” (1995), in the film “Die Hard with Vengeance” (1995) and in the blockbuster of 1996 “A Time to Kill”.
However, the super glory did not fascinate the black actor. He likes to spend time at home with wife LaTanya Richardson, his wife for 16 years and with his fourteen year old daughter Zoe. Nevertheless, his popularity grows. At least the fact, that he is offered 5 million USD for a leading role in the Warner Bros film “The Negotiator” speaks a lot about his popularity. And “Warner Bros" preferred him to Sylvester Stallone. |
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American film star and cultural icon Samuel Leroy Jackson celebrates his 60th birthday this Sunday. Samuel came to fame in the early 90s, with his biggest performance in "Pulp Fiction". The Guinness World Records lists Jackson as the world's highest grossing actor, having earned $7.42 billion in 68 films. Jackson is an avid sports fan and golfer.
