Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson is an African-American actor. On February 25, 2009, news agencies reported that Samuel L. Jackson had signed a nine picture deal with Marvel Studios. Jackson will reportedly play the character of Nick Fury in the Marvel movie universe. He will begin his deal with a co-starring role in the film Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Jon Favreau. Jackson first appeared as Nick Fury in a cameo at the end of the first Iron Man film.

Splash Page: Samuel L. Jackson and Marvel's New Super-Spy (March 24, 2009)

Jackson will host the 2009 ESPY Awards on July 19, 2009.

Samuel L. Jackson was born in Washington DC on December 21, 1948. His acting career began in the early '70s, Jackson began carving out a career with small roles for nearly two decades. He then started to garner national attention while working with director Spike Lee. He appeared in several of Lee's movies, including 1989's Do the Right Thing, 1990's Mo' Better Blues, and 1991's Jungle Fever.

As the movie roles increased in number, Jackson became a genuine leading actor with his portrayal of Los Angeles gangster Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. From there he starred in a steady stream of roles that included Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Jurassic Park, The Incredibles, and Mace Windu in the three Star Wars prequels.

Jackson has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Pulp Fiction. He has also been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards.

"I think everyone who says they don't like watching themselves in movies should stop lying."

"I was a square for so long and it totally amazes me that people think I am cool."

"A movie is just a movie to me. They open, they close."

"What kills me is that everybody thinks I like jazz."

"I have a place that's pretty much cemented in Hollywood in terms of liability, box-office viability and everything else. The only thing an Oscar would do is jack my check up maybe $1 million."

"People mistake me for Laurence Fishburne all the time. And he always gets mistaken for me."

"To be frank, I am as passionate about golf as I am about acting."

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 1948: Born on December 21,

• 1972: Together for Days - IMDb Listing

• 1988: Coming to America - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 1990: "Goodfellas" - [1]

• 1990: Mo' Better Blues - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 1993: Jurassic Park - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 1994: Pulp Fiction - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 1995: Die Hard: With a Vengeance - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 1995: "Losing Isaiah" - [1]

• 1996: "A Time To Kill" - [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117913/

• 1997: "Eve's Bayou" - [1]

• 1998: "Jackie Brown" - [1]

• 1998: "Sphere" - [1]

• 1998: "The Negotiator" - [1]

• 1999: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2000: Shaft - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2000: Unbreakable - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2002: "Changing Lanes" - [1]

• 2002: Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2003: "S.W.A.T." - [1]

• 2004: "Kill Bill Vol. 2" - [1]

• 2004: The Incredibles - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2005: "Coach Carter" - [1]

• 2005: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2007: Black Snake Moan - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2007: "Resurrecting the Champ" - [1]

• 2007: "1408" - [1]

• 2008: Jumper - IMDb Listing | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

• 2008: "Soul Men" - [1]

• 2008: The Spirit - IMDb Listing | Rotten Tomatoes Reviews