Although Lawrence Fishburne was the original candidate who later rejected the offer, no one today could have imagined the masterpiece of Quinten Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction without Samuel L. Jackson. The controlled ferocity of his emotions that are kept disguised under a calm, cool, and collected disposition is what has enabled the Die Hard With A Vengeance actor to land leading roles in a number of highly successful movies throughout his career. Born on December 21, 1948, the 73-year old actor doesn’t seem to have any intentions of hanging up his acting jacket any time soon. Here are 10 of the highest-grossing films starring Samuel L. Jackson during his extensive acting career.
10 A Time To Kill
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There’s no doubting the acting IQ of Samuel L. Jackson. His presence on the screen can be seen from as early as 1996 with his role as Carl Lee Hailey in the drama thriller, A Time To Kill. This, of course, was not his first major film, but it definitely was a significant step up in the movie industry for the budding actor. His character portrays a father who is on trial for avenging his daughter’s rape by shooting the men who committed the act. He is represented by Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), who is green in his field as a lawyer and is not confident in his ability to acquit Hailey due to his race and the nature of the crime in a Southern hillbilly town. The film also features Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd. It grossed $152 million at the global box office, setting Jackson off to a great acting career.
9 Pulp Fiction
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Pulp Fiction (1994) is arguably Samuel L. Jackson’s most stellar performance at the beginning of his acting career. What may surprise many people is the fact that Jackson was not the initial option for the role; something that may have fueled his anger and produced such an iconic movie. According to Showbiz Cheatsheet, Quentin Tarantino wrote the script with another up-and-coming actor in mind: Laurence Fishburne. But Fishburne denied Tarantino’s offer in the movie, and when Jackson discovered that he wasn’t the original choice, he turned Jules into an unforgettable bible-quoting killer alongside John Travolta, who plays the role of his wingman, Vincent. Jackson played the role magnificently and rubbed shoulders with other great actors like Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames. The gory film grossed an attractive $214 million at the global box office.
8 XXX
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Recognized for his often dark humor and no-nonsense approach in most of his roles; it comes as a welcomed change to see him play the role of an NSA Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons, who recruits daredevil adrenaline-junkie, Xander Cage (Vin Diesel), to go undercover for a life-threatening mission against an enemy he was not ready for, in terms of experience. Also along for the ride was Asia Argento, who played the role of Yelena, Xander’s armpiece. The movie went on to become produce further installments, and even had Ice Cube take Xander’s place as the highly-dangerous undercover agent. The movie was well-received by fans and raked in $141 million at the domestic office and $277.4 million at the global box office.
7 Iron -Man 2
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Aside from his more guttural roles, like the father of Caine (Tyrin Turner) in Menace To Society, Samuel L. Jackson has found another niche for himself in superhero films, both animated and motion pictures. In Marvel’s Iron Man 2, starring the main character Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Jackson plays the role of Nick Fury, the head of an organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. He is a military war hero who usually acts as an ally for the Avengers. He can easily be spotted with a black patch over his left eye. Jackson has reprised his role as Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Avengers: Endgame, and Captain Marvel. Iron Man 2 was released in 2010 and clocked in at the global box office with $621 million.
6 The Incredibles
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Jackson’s “King of Cool” personality coupled with oozing charisma has landed him roles where his voice alone is enough all that is needed to earn a grand paycheck. So in 2004, with the release of Dinsey Pixar’s animated superhero film, The Incredibles, Jackson was the perfect candidate to represent Frozone, the fellow superhero and close friend of Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and his wife, Elastigirl (Holly Hunter). The movie animation turned out to be a great family fun comedy and spawned a second movie in 2018, The Incredibles 2, which did even better than the first film. For never having to show his face on the screen, Jackson was able to share in the $631.4 million the film grossed at the global box office.
5 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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True to his “superhero” persona, Samuel L. Jackson never fails to deliver stunning performance in any Marvel Studios action film he finds himself part of. In 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, he is cast in a lineup with some of Hollywood’s most elite actors and actresses, proving his right to be among the greats. Celebrities such as Chris Evans (Captain America), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter), and Joe Russo (Dr. Fine); he made sure to deliver as S.H.I.E.L.D’s commander in chief, Nick Fury. The joint effort of all of Marvel’s superheroes resulted in the film grossing $714 million at the global box office.
4 Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith
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Taking a look at the caliber of films mentioned thus far, it’s easy to understand why Samuel L. Jackson can be considered a living legend in the Hollywood industry. His uncapped potential and lack of desire to quit on his craft keep him as relevant and dynamic as he was in Jungle Fever with Wesley Snipes. In 2005, Jackson again portrayed his brilliance on the screen with his role as Mace Windu, a Jedi Master in Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith. His character also appeared again in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. He shared the spotlight in Star Wars Episode Three with the likes of Hayden Christensen (Darth Vader), Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), and Natalie Portman (Padme Amidala). The prequel trilogy grossed $849 million for its outstanding performance.
3 Incredibles 2
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They say if it’s nice, do it twice. And that was exactly the reason for making The Incredibles 2, where Jackson reprised his role of Frozone in the much anticipated Disney Pixar animation movie. Released in 2018, this was the last Incredibles installment so far. Much of the same characters were featured from the first film, such as Craig T. Nelson (Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter (Elastigirl), Sarah Vowell (Violet Parr), Spencer Fox (Dash), and Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone). The film was again a major box office success, grossing even more than the predecessor with $1.2 billion at the global box office.
2 Avengers: Age Of Ultron
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The year 2015 saw the reuniting of every Marvel Studios comic fan’s favorite heroes once again in the Avengers: Age of Ultron. Just one year after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tony Stark as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as they fight against new mysterious and formidable enemies. James Spader plays the role of their arch enemy, Ultron, while Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olson play Pietro Maximoff and Wanda Maximoff, respectively. Jackson maintained his role as Nick Fury, delivering a classic performance as usual. Being the pre-pandemic era, die-hard fans cause the film to generate $1.4 billion, and $608 million within the first few weeks domestically.
1 Avengers: Infinity War
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With an instrumental role as Nick Fury in one of, if not the most bankable films of his career, Samuel L. Jackson is back with the rest of the Avengers in the 2018 release of Avengers: Infinity War. The Marvel superhero crew has teamed up again to fight Thanos (Josh Brolin) as he attempts to alter the destiny of mankind and the planet by wielding all six Infinity Stones. Billionaire movie star Tom Holland makes his appearance in the film as Spider-Man, along with Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and the usual Avengers superheroes. Jackson appeared in a post-credit scene, giving the fans a cliffhanger for their future installment. Avengers: Infinity War grossed over $2 billion in 2018, and Jackson continues to prove why greatness doesn’t die.
Sources: RogerEbert.com, Showbiz Cheatsheet, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Starwars.fandom.com, Variety
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