With almost 200 acting credits to his name, Samuel L. Jackson is undeniably one of the most prolific movie stars in the world. In addition to his roles in Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jackson is perhaps the only actor in Hollywood to have a close working relationship with two feuding directors.
Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino have criticized each other’s work for years, but the one thing they can both agree on is, Jackson is a great actor. Tarantino has cast Jackson in the majority of his filmography and Lee has cast him in several movies, too.
Spike Lee: School Daze
Inspired by Spike Lee’s experiences in the Atlanta University Center in the ‘70s, School Daze is a coming-of-age dramedy about college kids clashing with their classmates. It deals with such heavy social issues as classism, colorism, and social mobility.
Samuel L. Jackson only has a small role in the movie – marking his first collaboration with Lee – but it showed signs of the timeless actor-director dynamic to come.
Quentin Tarantino: Pulp Fiction
Jackson received an Academy Award nomination for his star-making turn in Pulp Fiction. He plays Jules Winnfield, a mob hitman who becomes enlightened and decides to give up his life of crime after interpreting his unlikely survival of a shooting as a divine act of God.
From the Ezekiel 25:17 speech to complaining about picking up “itty-bitty pieces of skull” on Vincent’s behalf, Jules has plenty of iconic moments in Pulp Fiction – and Jackson nailed every single one.
Spike Lee: Do The Right Thing
Lee’s masterpiece Do the Right Thing sees the racial prejudices in a New York neighborhood boiling to the surface during a blistering heat wave. Lee himself stars alongside Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, and Giancarlo Esposito.
Samuel L. Jackson has a significant role in the movie’s massive ensemble cast as Mister Señor Love Daddy, a local radio DJ who broadcasts to the other characters throughout the events of the story.
Quentin Tarantino: Jackie Brown
Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated movie is also his only adaptation of previous source material. Being beholden to the story of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch gave Tarantino creative restrictions to work around, resulting in his most mature film.
While Pam Grier is the undeniable star of Jackie Brown as the titular flight attendant, Samuel L. Jackson provides strong support as Ordell Robbie, a gun runner who incorrectly assumes he can outsmart Jackie.
Spike Lee: Mo’ Better Blues
One of Lee’s most underrated movies, Mo’ Better Blues revolves around a fictional jazz trumpeter named Bleek Gilliam whose terrible decision-making puts his career and his personal life in jeopardy.
While Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes are the stars of the movie, Samuel L. Jackson appears in a memorable minor role as Madlock.
Quentin Tarantino: Kill Bill: Volume 2
Jackson made two cameo appearances in Tarantino movies between their ‘90s collaborations on crime movies and their 2010s collaborations on spaghetti westerns. He provided voiceover narration in Inglourious Basterds explaining the flammability of film is to set up Shoshanna’s assassination plot.
But the most memorable of these two cameos was in Kill Bill: Volume 2, in which he plays the pianist at the Bride’s wedding. This character is theorized to be Jules’ life as a drifter years after the events of Pulp Fiction.
Spike Lee: Jungle Fever
One of Lee’s most critically acclaimed movies, Jungle Fever stars Wesley Snipes as Flipper Purify and Annabella Sciorra as Angie Tucci, who have an interracial extramarital affair in New York.
A lot of the movie’s positive reviews specifically singled out Samuel L. Jackson, whose supporting performance as Flipper’s older brother Gator was praised by many.
Quentin Tarantino: Django Unchained
While Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as sadistic white slaver Calvin Candie in Django Unchained undoubtedly makes for the most memorable villain in the Tarantino movie, Samuel L. Jackson is a very close second as Candie’s sinister, fiercely loyal house slave Stephen.
In perhaps the tensest dinner scene in Tarantino history, Stephen derails Django and Dr. Schultz’s plan to save Broomhilda when he notices a glance.
Spike Lee: Chi-Raq
Lee’s recent gem Chi-Raq revolves around a street war in Chicago between two rival gangs: the Spartans and the Trojans. The gangsters’ lovers all decide to withhold sex until they can come to an agreement and lay down their arms.
In the role of Dolemedes, Samuel L. Jackson brought his rich, booming voice to the movie’s ongoing narration. Nick Cannon, Teyonah Harris, and Wesley Snipes also star.
Quentin Tarantino: The Hateful Eight
While it’s not quite as great as Tarantino’s best work, The Hateful Eight is an underrated gem that brings a taut mystery angle to the revisionist western genre. Samuel L. Jackson stars as Major Marquis Warren, the first of the titular octet to be introduced to audiences.
As Warren and seven others are snowed in to a haberdashery and they start dying one by one, the major becomes the Poirot of the situation, piecing together the clues and ruling out suspects.