Samuel L. Jackson's Real Name: Samuel Leroy Jackson

Quick answer: Samuel L. Jackson was born Samuel Leroy Jackson on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. The "L." stands for Leroy. He broke through in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), plays Nick Fury in the Marvel films, and received an honorary Academy Award in 2022 (Library of Congress; Britannica).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Jackson, Samuel L." and keeps the cross-references "Jackson, Samuel Leroy," "Jackson, Sam, 1948-," and "Jackson, Samuel, 1948-." One citation reads "born Samuel Leroy Jackson on December 21, 1948 in Washington, D.C.; sometimes credited as Samuel Jackson, Sam Jackson."

Britannica says he was raised by his grandparents in Chattanooga, Tennessee. At Morehouse College in Atlanta he became involved in the Black Power movement and was expelled in 1969 after he and others locked school board members in a building for two days to protest the board's makeup. After two years as a social worker in Los Angeles, he returned to Morehouse to study acting and graduated in 1972. He then toured with the Black Image Theatre Company.

Career highlights

Jackson moved to New York in 1976. In 1981, while appearing in Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play, he met Morgan Freeman and film student Spike Lee. Lee cast him in School Daze, Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues, and Jungle Fever (1991). His role as a drug addict in Jungle Fever won the first best supporting actor prize ever given at Cannes. Britannica says the part prompted Jackson, just out of rehab, to end his own addiction for good.

His breakthrough came as the Bible-quoting hit man in Pulp Fiction, which brought an Oscar nomination. He appeared in Jurassic Park (1993), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), and Jackie Brown (1997). He played Jedi master Mace Windu in three Star Wars prequels. Later roles include Shaft (2000), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015). His deep voice has narrated numerous films, and he voiced the superhero Frozone in The Incredibles (2004) and Incredibles 2 (2018).

In 2009 he signed a nine-film deal with Marvel to play Nick Fury, appearing in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Avengers: Endgame, and other films. In 2022 the Academy gave him an honorary Oscar, calling him "a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations."

Name notes for searchers

He has used the middle initial "L." for most of his career, which helps distinguish him from others named Samuel Jackson. Some early credits list him as Sam Jackson or Samuel Jackson.