It seems like the word prolific was invented to describe Samuel L. Jackson. Since his first screen appearance in 1972, Jackson has appeared a huge number of films, and it's rare that any of his performances are described as "phoned in."
Almost every one of Jackson's performances is worth seeing. Most people remember him for his action-packed and wise-cracking roles but he's actually crafted many types of characters over the years. With so many to choose from, it can be a daunting body of work to tackle. Read on for 10 of the very best.
Doyle Gipson in Changing Lanes (2002) Available on Hulu
Despite being one of the most well-known movie actors of all time, Jackson's career has been predominantly made up of supporting roles. Nevertheless, he shines perhaps even brighter than the leads in each of his projects due to his skills as a scene partner. It's a skill that's no more on show than it is in his role as a struggling father in Changing Lanes.
Doyle Gipson is a far cry from the generally commanding screen personas that Jackson is most well-known for but they pack just as much raw power. They're a convincingly desperate man who's teetering very close to a breaking point in their life, with a random road accident with Ben Affleck's successfully unscrupulous lawyer sparking a bitter feud that threatens to consume them both. It may not be one of Jackson's better-known roles but it does showcase their range as an actor, from vulnerable relatability to frightening intensity.
Louis Batiste in Eve's Bayou (1997) Available on Brown Sugar
Another of Jackson's lesser-known movies, in which he also took the first of his relatively rare producing roles, Eve's Bayou is an often overlooked masterpiece from a period that saw some of the actor's best movie performances.
Though not the main character, Jackson is still center stage in the movie's story as the patriarch of a well-to-do family living in the titular Louisiana bayou in the 1960s. Louis Batiste is no cakewalk as a role, being a clearly charismatic and flawed man who is equal parts compassionate and selfish, with the story itself being unsure as to the true nature of his character. That ambiguity is displayed perfectly through Jackson's performance, moving effortlessly from affectionate to abusive.
Mr. Señor Love Daddy in Do The Right Thing (1989) Available on Showtime
Mr. Señor Love Daddy, Jackson's monologuing DJ from Do the Right Thing, isn't actually in the movie that much. Still, this performance represents one of Jackson's finest talents; his skill with a well-placed cameo.
From small roles from before he was famous (Goodfellas, Jurassic Park) to bit parts that trade on his star image (Kill Bill, Out of Sight, Iron Man) Jackson knows exactly how to make a quick, great impression. Mr. Señor Love Daddy, whose soulful interludes pepper the runtime of Do the Right Thing, might just be the peak of his cameo-ing abilities.
Coach Ken Carter in Coach Carter (2005) Available on Showtime
Amidst his various action franchises, Jackson took a break to do this beloved sports drama, now may be among his best-known roles. Coach Carter is also notable in another way; it's one of the few films where he's unambiguously the lead.
Jackson fills the titular basketball coach with wisdom and grace and, as formulaic as the film ends up being, the actor's performance consistently elevates it into something more inspiring.
Odell Robbie in Jackie Brown (1997) Available on Paramount+
If this list proves anything, it's that Samuel L. Jackson loves (and excels at) playing villains. From Kingsman to Lakeview Terrace, Jackson can do a wide range of evil characters, and make it all look effortless. Most of his bad guys either veer into cartoonish super-villainy or are imbued with the feeling that they (and Jackson) are having fun.
Not so for Odell Robbie, the gangster he plays in Tarantino's Jackie Brown. The disinterest with which Odell commits crimes is disturbing and in stark contrast to the passion that most of Jackson's characters bring to their misdeeds. The scene where Odell spends several minutes convincing a friend to help him, only to turn around and kill him moments later, is legitimately chilling. With the possible exception of Frozone, Jackson has never again played someone this cold.
Stephen in Django Unchained (2012) Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video
There are a lot of complicated conversations to have around Django Unchained, especially looking back on it now, but Jackson's performance within it is undeniably one of his best. Saddled with an unforgiving, complicated role, it's kind of a miracle he pulls it off the way he does.
Alternately pathetic and terrifying, Stephen is a character the audience is never quite sure what to think of. While Stephen is pretty consistently vile from the beginning, Jackson lets the character's self-hatred slip through the cracks, and in a few fleeting moments, allows him to become sympathetic. Stephen was a tough line to walk, and Jackson walked it beautifully.
Elijah Price in Unbreakable (2000) Available on Max Go and DirecTV
Speaking of complicated performances, some of Jackson's most understated work can be found in 2000's Unbreakable. For much of the film, Elijah Price is something of an enigma, but Jackson always makes that mystery engaging.
Living since birth with extremely brittle bones, Price is clearly carrying a lot of trauma, and he's bottled up so tightly that it seems it could spill out at any moment. When it finally does, the revelation of what that pain has caused results in what is debatably M. Night Shyamalan's best twist ever and caps off a terrific movie. Jackson, for his part, is fantastic as a character who never again wants to appear vulnerable.
Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight (2015) Available on Netflix
Marquis Warren, the vile, viciously violent bounty hunter at the center of The Hateful Eight, might be the finest Samuel L. Jackson performance of the 21st century. Warren, with good reason, is mad as heck from the first frame of the film, and that anger is hypnotizing. Warren seethes nastiness, and it's a testament to Jackson's talents that he remains so engaging. Part of what makes Warren's rage so memorable, perhaps, is that Jackson infuses it with almost childlike glee. He laughs like someone who has lived through so much that it has legitimately become funny. It's the laugh of someone completely disconnected from their own humanity.
If The Hateful Eight is Quentin Tarantino's microcosm of modern-day American society, Warren is a living, breathing reminder of its cruelties. Serving as both a perpetrator and victim of brutal, gruesome violence. This character, and this performance, are impossible to forget.
Mitch Hennessy in The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) Available on HBO Max and Tubi
Many of Jackson's best characters the most powerful, smartest, and scariest guys in the room. One of his finest, however, showcases a tough guy who doesn't always have a handle on everything. Practicing for a similar role in Captain Marvel, The Long Kiss Goodnight has Jackson riffing on his image of perfect 90's cool. Jackson's slick private eye finds himself paired with Geena Davis' amnesiac suburban mom, as she attempts to uncover her past. Davis's exterior isn't all that it seems, however, and her mysterious amnesia begins giving way to Jason Bourne-esque spy skills.
The fact that the movie is so good definitely influences this pick, but Jackson makes the most of the role and is clearly having a lot of fun. The movie wouldn't be half as good without Jackson's horrified reaction shots, which take every scene of hyper-violence to new heights. He also manages to sell the heck out of a quiet character moment near the end of the film, when his character makes a surprisingly humanistic choice. For such a great career of playing badasses, it's refreshing to watch Jackson take the back seat to someone else. The man himself even agrees.
Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994) Available on HBO Max
What else could it be? In the role that would go on to define his career, Jackson plays Jules Winnfield, the burger-loving hitman who at the center of many of the film's chapters. While everything has been said about his other two scenes, Jackson's final sequence in the film might be his best. Hours after a dramatic crisis of faith, Winnfield finds himself in the midst of a tense robbery. Attempting to remain calm, Jules talks the various parties down to a peaceful solution, and in doing so, makes them play a game.
By reciting a bible verse, Jules makes the man who attempted to rob him guess, in essence, Jules's true nature. Is he a good man, forced to do evil in a bad world? Or is he an evil man, trying his best to change his ways? Ultimately, it's a game Jackson plays with his audience in almost every role. What is the true nature of his character, and in which way do they struggle against it? As with all great actors, the answer with Jackson is always in flux.