Samuel L. Jackson: Then and Now
Samuel L. Jackson is on 106 & Park tonight!
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Life In Film: Samuel L. Jackson - You may remember Samuel L. Jackson from being the host of the 2012 BET Awards, but before he took on that duty you knew him from his box office hits. Sam Jackson is one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood, and he's coming through 106 & Park tonight to talk to you about Grand Master. Tune in tonight at 6P/5C to see what you should expect from the movie! (Photo: The Weinstein Company)
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Coming to America (1988) - For one of his first films, Samuel L. Jackson was cast in the small but memorable role of the stick-up man in Coming to America. Jackson's portrayal of the antsy, wide-eyed, shotgun-wielding guy holding up McDowell's was believable and intense. Eddie Murphy disarming him with a mop handle, not so much.(Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures)
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School Daze (1988) - Wanting to illustrate the tension between Black college students and Black Atlanta locals, Spike Lee cast Jackson as Leeds, a Jheri curl-wearing street tough guy who tried to remind a Black student leader (Laurence Fishburne) that he's just a n----r. Again, a classic performance.(Photo: Courtesy Columbia Pictures)
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Do the Right Thing (1989) - In Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, which illuminated the ethnic tensions of a Brooklyn neighborhood, Jackson played Mister Señor Love Daddy, a radio DJ who worked to keep folks level-headed and in the groove.(Photo: Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)
Photo By Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
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Goodfellas (1990) - Samuel L. Jackson got to work with veteran director Martin Scorcese on the classic gangster flick Goodfellas. Playing mob associate Stacks Edwards, Jackson showed he could even die well when Joe Pesci blew his brains out for botching an important assignment.(Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
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Jungle Fever (1991) - After successfully completing a drug rehab program, Jackson ironically landed the role of an addict, which garnered him critical acclaim. As Gator Purify in Jungle Fever, Jackson played the crack-addicted brother of Wesley Snipes. And who could forget the Gator dance?(Photo: Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)
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Juice (1992) - In this vehicle that launched Tupac as a film star (and cinematic thug soldier), Samuel L. Jackson was the perfect street info man in the role of Trip. His keen ear to the street would put Starsky & Hutch's Huggy Bear to shame.(Photo: Courtesy Island World)
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Jurassic Park (1993) - For Jurassic Park, Jackson moved away from the street types he usually played. Cast as Ray Arnold, the rising actor played a computer whiz that helped man the technology controlling a dinosaur park.(Photo: Courtesy Universal Pictures)
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Pulp Fiction (1994) - Director Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction marked Samuel L. Jackson's arrival as both a film star and one of Hollywood's coolest actors. He was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar after playing Jules Winnfield, a hit man with a conscience and penchant for Bible verses. (Photo: Courtesy Miramax Films)
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Losing Isaiah (1995) - Jackson was cast as lawyer Kadar Lewis in this drama about a former crack addict (Halle Berry) who attempts to regain custody of her son who has been adopted.(Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures)
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A Time to Kill (1996) - In this adaptation of a John Grisham novel, Jackson was a father on trial for killing two white supremacists fingered for raping and beating his 10-year-old daughter. Of course, the film's famous line is delivered by Jackson, who screams in court: "Yes, they deserve to die! And I hope they burn in hell!"(Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)
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Eve's Bayou (1996) - Now established as a Hollywood power player, Samuel L. Jackson stepped into the role of producer for Eve's Bayou. He also starred in this drama set in Louisiana, playing a doctor whose daughter witnesses him having an affair.(Photo: Courtesy Trimark Pictures)
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The Phantom Menace (1999) - Thanks to George Lucas, Jackson became the second baddest man in the universe (next to Yoda) when he was cast in the Star Wars prequel. As Jedi Master and Council member, Mace Windu, Jackson was the third Black actor cast in the iconic series.(Photo: Courtesy Lucasfilm)
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Shaft (2000) - Who else but Hollywood's baddest Black actor could play the lead in this update of the blaxploitation classic? Samuel L. Jackson is John Shaft, nephew of the 1970s original, out to bring a racist real estate tycoon to justice for murder.(Photo: Courtesy Paramount Pictures)
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Attack of The Clones (2002) - Returning as Mace Windu, Jackson was a Jedi Master who warily watched the Galactic Senate's politics come under fire in this tale of how Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi came to be.(Photo: Courtesy Lucasfilm)
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