Samuel L. Jackson fans remember his most iconic roles on his 73rd birthday

Fans celebrate Samuel L. Jackson’s birthday with a look-back at his most popular acting roles

Samuel L. Jackson fans remember his most iconic roles on his 73rd birthday 1

Samuel L. Jackson turns 73 on Tuesday, December 21st, and to celebrate the actor’s birthday, fans from all over the world have taken to Twitter to look back on his most iconic roles in films and TV.

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Pulp Fiction (1994)

Jackson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1995 for his role as Jules Winnfeld in Pulp Fiction. Quentin Tarantino, the director and writer of the comedy-crime movie, created the role for Laurence Fishburne, who turned it down. Jackson’s first audition for the role didn’t go well as he had assumed that the audition was merely a reading. Then Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein convinced Jackson to audition for a second time, and his performance of the final diner scene won over Tarantino.

Hard Eight (1996)

Jackson portrayed the role of Jimmy in the critically acclaimed crime film Hard Eight, which was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Jackson’s well-applauded performance in the movie earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 1998 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jackson appeared as John Raymond “Ray” Arnold in the first-ever Jurassic Park movie. Ray worked as the chief engineer of the titular theme park of cloned dinosaurs. And even though he was ultimately killed by a Velociraptor, the character was remembered by many because of his catchphrase “Hold onto your butts,” which he said twice in the film. To celebrate Jackson’s 73rd birthday, the official Twitter account of Jurassic World shared a remix of “Hold onto your butts” for everyone to enjoy.

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999, 2002, 2005)

In the Star Wars franchise, Jackson played Mace Windu, a revered Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the last years of the Galactic Republic. Jackson made his debut as Mace in the 1999 movie Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, and reprise his role in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He also voiced the character in the 2008 animated movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008 – present)

Jackson is Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Nick Fury. He made his first appearance as the character in the 2008 movie Iron Man. Since then, he has gone on to reprise the role in 10 more MCU films, at least as of December 2021. These movies are Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Jackson’s Nick Fury will be next seen in the upcoming Disney+ series Secret Invasion and the movie The Marvels, which are both scheduled to premiere next year.

Motherf—er

Longtime fans of Jackson know the actor’s affinity with the term “motherf—er,” so some people have been sharing the above video to mark the actor’s 73rd birthday.

“I embrace it. It is what it is, and I don’t mind if I’m linked with that word,” Jackson said of his connection with the curse word at the Shaft premiere in New York back in June 2019. “I don’t run away from it. I step into it. When I read a script and it’s on the page, I don’t think about it. For me, it’s really just another word; it’s another piece of dialogue, and it’s something that I know that I can work with. I don’t have to think about how to say it. It naturally comes out. Sometimes there’s no better word than ‘motherf—er’ to describe someone or a situation. It’s an all-encompassing word, so yelling it out is the way you say it, and it feels good.”

Outside of the MCU, Jackson will be next seen in the upcoming Apple TV+ drama miniseries The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. He will also appear in the Apple TV+ spy film Argylle, which also stars Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell, among many others. He’s also part of the voice cast of the animated movie Blazing Samurai, which is scheduled to be released sometime next year.

How old is Samuel L Jackson?

How old is Samuel L Jackson
Wondering how old is Samuel L Jackson? The actor turned 73 last December 2021. Credit: samuelljackson / Instagram

As mentioned above, Jackson is currently 73 years old. The actor, whose full name is Samuel Leroy Jackson, was born in Washington, D.C., on December 21st, 1948. He’s the only child of Elizabeth Harriett (née Montgomery) and Roy Henry Jackson.

Jackson grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents, Edgar and Pearl Montgomery. His mother worked as a factory worker and later as a supplies buyer for a mental institution. His father, meanwhile, lived away from the family in Kansas City, Missouri. Jackson only met his father twice before the latter died of alcoholism.

Samuel Jackson movies

Samuel L Jackson in Kong: Skull Island
Samuel L Jackson as Preston Packard in Kong: Skull Island

In addition to Pulp Fiction, Hard Eight, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars and MCU movies, which were all mentioned above, Jackson also appeared in several other films, including Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (2021), The Backer (2020), Shaft (2019), Glass (2019), Incredibles 2 (2018), and xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).

He was also part of the cast of Kong: Skull Island (2017), The Legend of Tarzan (2017), The Hateful Eight (2015), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), RoboCop (2014), Django Unchained (2012), Snakes on Plane (2006), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Goodfellas (1990), and The Exorcist III (1990).

The most prolific actor of our time

Samuel L Jackson as Augustus Eugene Gibbons in the xXx franchise
Samuel L Jackson as Augustus Eugene Gibbons in the xXx franchise

Because of the large number of movies that he has starred in, Jackson has often been described as one of the most prolific actors today. Since 1972, the actor has appeared in roughly 200 films and TV series. And if you feel like Jackson seems to be everywhere, you’re not entirely wrong, as the actor has been part of several media franchises. Aside from Star Wars and the MCU, Jackson has played key characters in the following media franchises: Shaft, xXx, The Incredibles, Afro Samurai, and The Unbreakable trilogy.

While the majority of Jackson’s acting projects are movies, the actor has also appeared in a number of TV shows throughout the years. His most notable TV series credits include the children’s mystery series Ghostwriter, the docuseries Freedom: A History of US, the anime series Afro Samurai, and the adult animated sitcom The Boondocks.

Actors named Samuel

Aside from Jackson, there are other well-known Samuels who are acting for a living. The most prominent ones include Samuel West (Mr. Selfridge), Samuel Roukin (TURN: Washington’s Spies), Samuel Larsen (Glee), Samuel Adewunmi (You Don’t Know Me), and Samuel Joslin (The Impossible).

Also included in the long list of Samuels who are working as actors are Samuel Hunt (The L Word: Generation Q), Samuel Barnett (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris), Samuel Marty (Fargo), Samuel Faraci (Will & Grace), Samuel Anderson (Another Life), and Samuel Robertson (Coronation Street).