Happy Birthday Samuel L Jackson

CAIRO – 21 December 2017: December 21 is the birthday of acclaimed American actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson, who starred in various roles in over 100 films such as “Jurassic Park”, “Pulp Fiction”, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Star Wars” and many more.



Jackson was born in Washington D.C. in 1948 and was raised by his grandmother in Chattanooga, Tennessee. From a young age, Jackson grew aware of the complicated history of African-Americans, especially in their portrayals on-screen. This led to his eventual enrollment within the Black Power movement, leading to an event in 1969 when a young Jackson was expelled for locking up the staff of his university, Atlanta’s Morehouse College, for two days to protest the lack of black teachers on the board.

After the incident, Jackson began to pursue acting as his career, having been inspired by the Negro Ensemble Company, which included Morgan Freeman, who encouraged Jackson to be a great actor. A meeting with African-American director Spike Lee helped Jackson to break into some of his first roles, which were directed by Lee.

Amongst his most notable earlier roles was his portrayal as a drug addict in 1991’s “Jungle Fever”, which earned him the first ever “Best Supporting Actor” award given out by the Cannes Film Festival.



His breakthrough role came in his first collaboration with long-time directorial partner Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction, which shot him to fame and eventually led Jackson to his current position as the highest paid actor of all time.

Egypt Today looks at ten of his roles, showcasing his incredible range.

“Pulp Fiction” – Quentin Tarantino



Co-starring alongside John Travolta, with a cast composed of names such as Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman, Jackson’s unforgettable breakthrough role as bible-quoting hitman Jules Winnfeld earned him a “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” Oscar nomination. This cult art-house classic involves four intertwining stories of crime, violence and corruption while still leaving room for redemption.

“Jurassic Park” – Stephen Spielberg



Contrary to the witty badass he tends to be casted as, Jackson’s role in Spielberg’s dinosaurs–run-amok blockbuster hit was that of witty park technician Ray Arnold, who meets his untimely end at the hands of a raptor after they run loose. Even as a short-lived character, Jackson still manages to express heaps of personality and a memorable line to boot.

“Django Unchained” – Quentin Tarantino



Starring as Stephen, slave to the ruthless Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jackson manages to portray a servant even more heartless and cruel than his master, blind to his own place as a slave, but more than willing to harshly judge his fellow people and consider them more than deserving of their shackles.

“Black Snake Moan” – Craig Brewer



Living in Tennessee, former blues musician Lazarus (Jackson) comes across a disturbed young woman, Rae (Christina Ricci), a victim of violent sexual abuse searching for any hope of love in her life. He takes her under his wing, helping to remind her that she’s more than the lies her abusers have told her and teaching her blues music along the way.

“Unbreakable” – M. Night Shyamalan



“Unbreakable” is the story of two men who share a mysterious connection, which emerges the day that David Dunn (Bruce Willis) walks out of a train accident unscathed, surviving what killed 131 other people. Struggling to figure out his true nature, Dunn is confronted by a man named Elijah Price (Jackson), the owner of a comic book store who was born with a condition that leaves him with bones as brittle as glass. Price tells Dunn of a far-fetched theory that seems to link them in ways deeper than it first seems.

“Jackie Brown” – Quentin Tarantino



Another of Jackson’s numerous collaborations with Tarantino, “Jackie Brown” is the story of a middle-aged stewardess (Pam Grier) who finds her normal life turned upside down after she smuggles money to arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Jackson), only to be caught by the FBI and asked to help them bring him down, leading to a crazy conflict with Jackie right in the middle.

“Do the Right Thing” – Spike Lee



Before “Pulp Fiction” made him huge, Jackson still enjoyed his numerous roles in smaller films, including his partnership with director Lee. In his second partnership with the director, Jackson is local radio host “Mister Señor Love Daddy”, lending his voice to a powerfully political film that revealed the lives of ethnic communities and their struggles.

“A Time To Kill” – Joel Schumacher



A horrific crime spurs the father of a brutally raped young girl, Carl Lee (Jackson), into taking justice into his own hands. When he murders the racist men responsible, Lee is put on trial and asks for his friend, lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), to defend him on the case, which he does, despite the risk of losing everything – all in the name of proving Lee’s innocence.

“Coach Carter” – Thomas Carter



Based on the true story of firm yet fair basketball coach Ken Carter, Jackson portrays a coach determined not only to see his students as better players, but better people as well. Dismayed with their poor performance in school, Carter makes a decision that incites wild backlash as he shuts down all access to the basketball court until the grades of his players improve.

Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe



Over nine films, Jackson joined the MCU to bring comic book character Nick Fury to life, doing so with a performance that no one else but Jackson could give. General of the fictional organization S.H.I.E.L.D, Fury portrayed a normal human who could more than hold his own against superhumans. His portrayal of Fury perfectly blended the commanding authority and good natured joker that Jackson performs so well.