Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel Leroy Jackson (born Dec. 21, 1948) is one of the most prolific and recognized actors of his generation, having garnered hundreds of credits to his name. He is known for "Pulp Fiction" (1994), the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy (1999-2005), "Shaft" (2000), his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "The Incredibles" (2004), "The Hateful Eight" (2015) and more. Jackson made his feature film debut in the 1972 blaxploitation film "Together for Days." In the '80s, he appeared in Spike Lee's "School Daze" (1988) and "Do the Right Thing" (1989), and worked as a stand-in for Bill Cosby on "The Cosby Show." His other early films include "Coming to America" (1988), "Goodfellas" (1990), "Mo'Better Blues" (1990), "Jungle Fever" (1991), "Juice" (1992), "True Romance" (1993), "Jurassic Park" (1993), "Menace II Society" (1993) and "Fresh" (1994).

Jackson had his breakthrough role in Quentin Tarantino's 1994 cult classic "Pulp Fiction," in which Jackson portrayed hitman Jules Winnfield; he earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. He later starred in "Die Hard With a Vengeance" (1995) alongside Bruce Willis, "A Time to Kill" (1996), "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (1996), Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" (1997) and "The Negotiator" (1998).

Jackson played Jedi Mace Windu in 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace," and reprised the role in 2002's "Attack of the Clones" and 2005's "Revenge of the Sith." He has portrayed Nick Fury in more than 10 MCU films, beginning with 2008's "Iron Man," as well as the series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Secret Invasion." Additional film credits include "Unbreakable" (2000), "XXX" (2002), "Kill Bill: Volume 2" (2004), "Coach Carter" (2005), "Snakes on a Plane" (2006), "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (2014) and "The Hitman's Bodyguard" (2017). Jackson is among the highest-grossing actors of all time.