Samuel L. Jackson has received a number of awards over the years including a Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. For an activist in black rights in 1969 this is quite an accomplishment. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and graduated with a degree in theatre arts in 1972. In 1969 his activism lead him to a brief suspension from Morehouse where he had staged a sit in which held trustee's hostage, including Martin Luther King Sr.. He was protesting the lack of black trustee's and black studies at the College.

On December 21, 1948 in Washington, D.C. Samuel L. Jackson was born. As a child Jackson struggled with a stuttering problem. In 1980 he married actress LaTanya Richardson whom he had met while attending drama classes at Spelman College, Morehouse's sister school. They have one daughter. Jackson was raised by his mother and grandmother and after graduating from College, he moved to New York to further his acting career.

Upon arriving in New York, Jackson Negro Ensemble Company where he is said to have performed in several notable productions. While performing for the Ensemble Company he was introduced to Spike Lee. Spike Lee cast Jackson in four films. He has appeared in "Jungle Fever", "Pulp Fiction", "Die Hard with a Vengeance", "The Negotiator", "A Time to Kill", "Deep Blue Sea", and "Shaft". It was for his role in Jungle Fever that he won most of his awards including "Cannes Film Festival Supporting Actor Award." His role in "Pulp Fiction" brought him to the attention of the Academy Awards with a nomination for best Supporting Actor.