While researching for an article on long lasting Celebrity marriages, I learned two things about actor, producer Samuel L. Jackson: first, I learned about his marriage to his college sweetheart La Tanya Richardson and second, I found that Jackson has lead the kind of interesting life worth writing about. After further research, I'm happy to share some of the things I learned about one of my favorite media personalities, Samuel Leroy Jackson.
- During childhood, Jackson had a stuttering problem which he conquered by developing an affinity for the use of the curse word, mother fucker, in his vocabulary.
- His initial intent when entering Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia was to earn a degree in marine biology. He later switched his major to architecture. While taking a public speaking class for extra credit and joining a local acting group, he developed a keen interest in acting and changed his major to Drama. Jackson graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Drama in 1972.
- Jackson has long been a civil rights activist. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, he attended the funeral as one of the ushers. In 1979,he and a group of students held members of the Morehouse Board of Trustees including MLK, Sr. hostage on campus, demanding school reforms. Jackson was convicted of unlawful confinement, a second degree felony. He was suspended from college for two years for his actions and criminal record.
- While suspended from college, Jackson worked as a social worker in Los Angeles. When he returned to Atlanta, he met with Stokely Carmichael, H. Rap Brown, and other activists in the Black Panther movement. Before Jackson could become involved in any significant armed confrontation, his mother sent him to Los Angeles when the FBI told her that he would die within a year if he remained with the Black Panther Movement.
Reflecting on his involvement in the civil rights struggle, Jackson offered the following:"I'd like to think because of the things I did, my daughter can do the things she does. She barely has a recognition that she's Black." - Throughout his early film career, Jackson was mentored by Morgan Freeman. He moved from Atlanta to New York and worked at his craft during the '70s and early '80s. He developed alcoholism and cocaine additions. He worked in small role in Spike Lee's films and in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.
- During the early '90s, Jackson's drug addition worsened. He previously overdosing on heroin, he turned to cocaine. his family entered him into rehab which he successfully completed. His next role was as Gater, a drug addict in Jungle Fever.
- Jackson is bald, but wears unusual wigs in some of his films. The first time he appeared on The Tonight Show, he told Jay Leno,"I keep turning up on these bald is beautiful lists. It's cool." he told Leno that "the only way I'll have time to grow my hair back is if I'm not workin".
Jackson has a net worth of $150 million after appearing in over 100 movies. All the box office receipts for films that Jackson starred in is the highest of any on-screen actor today. You may know him as Mace Windu of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Nick Fury of Iron Man and other Marvel Comic films, or Jules Winnfield of Pulp Fiction fame. Yes, he has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and his hand and foot prints are outside Gruman's Chinese Theatre. Yet, he's more than just a Hollywood personality.
Samuel L. Jackson is one interesting, smooth, cool dude!
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