Choosing our favorite Samuel L. Jackson characters is like choosing a favorite child – dead easy! Deciding which memorable characters he has conjured into life best define him as an actor poses a much more complicated problem.
Debuting in 1972’s Together for Days, Jackson boasts credits in over 200 movies and TV shows. His appearances are often arresting, if not electrifying. For a performer not, perhaps, noted for his versatility, his career hops genres. As the following list attests, Samuel L. Jackson can do much more than just shout, curse, and shoot the heck out of people…though we love when he does.
1. Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction (1994)
No contest for the number one spot – and that says something. Playing ruthless hitman Jules Winnfield, a Jheri-curled ball of fury, cocked .45 in one hand, Good Book in the other, Jackson takes his place in the pantheon of movie heavies, rubbing shoulders with Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, and the Wicked Witch of the West. His hurricane-force performance demands the spotlight, even amid an egalitarian ensemble cast. Tarantino’s killer dialogue plays its part – throw a dart at the script, and you’ll hit gold – but it’s Jackson’s sheer magnetism, equivalent to that of a small planet, that rivets audiences to the screen. Best line? Again, no contest. And again, that says something.
Classic quote: “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men…”
2. Mitch Hennessey – The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Jackson claims he had the most fun of his career playing corrupt cop-turned-low-rent private eye Mitch Henessey in this criminally underrated action-thriller. No other role (with one obvious exception) plays as shrewdly to his seedy persona or gives him such a sumptuous banquet of potty-mouthed one-liners to feast on. Co-star Geena Davis gets top billing, and the on-screen chemistry sizzles, but it’s still Jackson who walks off with the show.
Classic quote: “I ain’t handsome, I ain’t rich, and the last time I got blown, candy bars cost a nickel.”
3. Gator Purify – Jungle Fever (1991)
Jackson brings pathos and humor to a character who, on paper, does not rise much above the level of an odious dirtbag. Not to say there’s any stinting on the scuzz in his portrayal of Wesley Snipe’s crackhead brother. But when old man Purify plugs Gator in the belly and watches him bleed out in his mother’s arms without a trace of emotion, audience reactions will likely differ.
Classic quote: “I swear before God… and four more white people! This is the last time!”
4. Nick Fury – Marvel Universe
Founder of SHIELD, de facto boss of The Avengers, and not a man to trifle with, Nick Fury can be as stony-faced and severe as the next superhero honcho. Occasionally, though, he’ll let fly a sardonic zinger like the one below – a magnificently Jacksonesque response to the WSC’s plan to nuke Manhattan – reminding us that Jackson doesn’t just play Fury in the movies, he was the inspiration for his current incarnation in the first place.
Classic quote: “I recognize the Council has made a decision. But given that it’s a stupid-*** decision, I have elected to ignore it.”
5. Mace Windu – Star Wars
Here’s a question: If eradicating all trace of Jar Jar Binks from the Star Wars Universe meant also sacrificing Jackson’s magisterial turn as a chrome-domed, purple-lightsaber-wielding Jedi bigwig, would anyone go for it? The answer, in case anyone wondered: Heck no!
Classic quote: “Remember that war is like a fire across the galaxy. It spreads and it consumes. We must never waver in the face of that fire. We are keepers of the peace. We are Jedi. ”
6. Stephen Warren – Django Unchained (2012)
Fans get two for the price of one here, with Jackson essentially playing a dual role. For the dumb white folks, he pantomimes the cringing, feeble-minded house boy, a grotesque stereotype Hollywood once peddled. In reality, it masks his true identity: cunning, malignant ‘Mammy’ to Leonardo DiCaprio’s sadistic plantation owner. A precarious highwire act for any number of reasons, Jackson pulls it off with audacious dexterity.
Classic quote: “This is Candieland, m*ther*****r!”
7. Frozone – The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar’s dazzling foray into the superhero genre finds Jackson on somewhat unfamiliar PG-friendly ground. Naturally, he nails it, flaunting his impeccable comedy chops and instilling his character with a subversive hint of street-smart sass that not even the scriptwriters bargained for. What makes this truly remarkable is that he does it without recourse to the F-word, an expletive he normally deploys with eloquence and invention bordering on performance art.
Classic quote: “Honey, where’s my super suit?”
8. Carl Lee Hailey – A Time to Kill (1996)
Despite stiff competition from a supporting cast boasting Brenda Fricker, Chris Cooper, and the late M. Emmett Walsh, Jackson once again scoops the acting honors as a Mississippi woodcutter accused of murdering the white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter. The film divided critics and some viewers denounced it for its perceived advocacy of vigilante justice. Jackson’s performance, however, suffused with rage and unfathomable pain, received universal praise.
Classic quote: “Yes, they deserved to die. And I hope they burn in h***!”
9. Ray Arnold – Jurassic Park (1993)
Another minor role that Jackson handles with typical aplomb delivering the film’s pivotal line with pitch-perfect gravitas.
Classic quote: “I can’t get Jurassic Park back online without Dennis Nedry.”
10. Señor Love Daddy – Do the Right Thing (1989)
As temperatures rise and racial tensions simmer in Spike Lee’s day-in-the-life snapshot of Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Jackson’s super-chilled DJ strives to keep the lid on with good vibes, groovy tunes, and some much-needed tough love. Part one-man Greek chorus, part paternal overseer, Jackson gets the mix of scolding rebuke and spaced-out detachment dead on.
Classic quote: “You got to cool that s*** off. And that’s the double-truth, Ruth.”
11. Neville Flynn – Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Terrific title, terrible movie. A crushing disappointment after historic online hype, this overstretched cult wannabe boasts a solitary highlight, and no prizes for guessing what that is. Can one inspired line save a movie? When it comes out of Samuel L. Jackson’s mouth, yes. Well, almost.
Classic quote: “I have had it with these m*****f*****g snakes on this m*****f*****g plane!”
12. Hold-Up Man – Coming to America (1988)
Even in a small role that didn’t warrant a name, Jackson makes his mark. In the fleeting moment it takes Eddie Murphy to foil his booze-addled robbery attempt with a mop, he lays down his signature licks. Menacing, funny and utterly unforgettable, a blueprint of sorts for everything to come.
Classic quote: (in response to a request that he moderate his language): “F*** you!”
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