Samuel L. Jacksonis one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood history, with at least 150 acting credits spanning an illustrious career that has lasted more than five decades. As a movie star, Jackson has lent his acting talents to works of all genres and scales. A true thespian, he can elevate any movie he stars in.
Themost essential Samuel L. Jackson moments in movieshave captured the imaginations of multiple generations of fans. Known for his expressive, often profane and aggressive dialogue, his signature charisma that makes him captivating regardless of his actions on screen, and some of themost iconic movie deaths, Samuel L. Jacksonis one of the most iconic actors working today.
Whilehis work in solo blockbusters and independent films is more critically acclaimed, Jackson is equally famous for his roles in the many franchises that he has appeared in. Some ofSamuel L. Jackson’s best movie quotes, which most fans know by heart, come from franchise films. Not considering dulogies, Jackson has appeared in at least 10 franchises.
XXX
TheXXXfranchise, created by Rich Wilkes, is a high-octane action series featuring extreme sports enthusiast Xander Cage, who becomes a reluctant spy for the NSA. Known for its explosive stunts and international intrigue, the series debuted withXXX(2002) and has since expanded with sequels and a short film. It is celebrated for redefining the spy genre with adrenaline-fueled action and Diesel’s iconic portrayal of Xander Cage.
Despite being led by Vin Diesel, one of the most popular action stars in Hollywood today, theXander Cagefranchise failed to hit the mark, including the attempted revival in 2017. WhilexXx, the first film, is exciting enough to ignore flaws, the later films are formulaic and incoherent, with forgettable characters and missions that are difficult to care about.
Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Agent Augustus Gibbons, who recruits the members of the xXx team,is the only character to appear in all three films. He makes an interesting speech when recruiting operatives, and has a charismatic management style that captures the imagination within moments of the character’s introduction. The character is memorable, but this isn’t among Jackson’s best performances.
Marcus Banks
Saw
The Saw film franchise is an anthology of horror films centered around the Jigsaw Killer, a mastermind who crafts elaborate traps to test his victims' will to live. Victims, often morally flawed, are forced into gruesome games where they must inflict severe pain on themselves or others to survive.
Sawchanged horror movies by ushering in a new era of hyper-violent, intense horror cinema, including numerous copies and ripoffs ofSaw. However, whilecritics were wrong about the firstSawmovie, which, unlike their opinions, went on to become a commercial success and a fan-favorite film, many of its sequels do deserve the low ratings they have been given.
Spiral: From the Book of Sawis the onlySawmovie that doesn’t feature Jigsaw or one of his apprentices who directly worked with him as the killer.
Among the rightfully pannedSawmovies is the ninth film,Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which only has the acting going for it. Samuel L. Jackson is a former police chief whose son (Chris Rock) is a detective. As a Jigsaw trap victim having an emotional and moral crisis,Jackson delivers a memorable performance, but can’t save the film.
Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard
Monsterverse
The Monsterverse is a giant kaiju franchise that began in 2014 with Legendary’s Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film was followed up by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
While there aremore King Kong and Godzilla movies than one can account for, the Monsterverse, which officially began with 2014’sGodzilla, is currently five films long. It features some of the largest-scale action sequences ever committed to screen, with increasingly complex lore about both monsters. Most of the movies are purely commercial, but they have great entertainment value.
Samuel L. Jackson appears inKong: Skull Island, which is a reboot of theKing Kongfranchise, particularly the one started by Peter Jackson’s 2005 film, which is itself anactually awesome sci-fi movie remake. While the movie doesn’t hold up to the standards set by Peter Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson’s nuanced performance makes Preston Packard a compelling villain.
Richmond Valentine
Kingsman
Kingsmanis a British-American spy action-comedy franchise that began with the 2014 filmKingsman: The Secret Service. The series is known for its stylish action sequences, tongue-in-cheek humor, and blend of espionage tropes with a modern twist. The story revolves around a secret independent intelligence agency known as Kingsman, which recruits promising young people from the working class to serve as elite agents. The franchise has expanded to include sequels, a prequel, comic books, and an upcoming TV series, continuing to explore the world of espionage with a unique and satirical flair.
Matthew Vaughn is most famous in the comic book fandom for directing what is arguably the bestX-Menmovie in Fox’s universe,X-Men: First Class. Healso directed one of the best non-Marvel/DC superhero movies,Kick-Ass, and his mastery of the genre shows in theKingsmanfranchise, which has great action sequences, funny one-liners, and a host of compelling characters.
Samuel L. Jackson is Richmond Valentine, a deranged billionaire who wants to kill most of the Earth’s population.
The later films lose some of the magic ofKingsman: The Secret Service, but it still holds up as a fantastic spy action film. Samuel L. Jackson is Richmond Valentine, a deranged billionaire who wants to kill most of the Earth’s population for better resource management. While his intentions are evil, Valentine wouldn’t be as hateable without Jackson’s memorable antics.
Blind Man In The Dream
The Exorcist
“The Exorcist” is a horror franchise that began with the iconic 1973 film, widely regarded as one of the scariest movies ever made. The franchise revolves around themes of demonic possession and exorcism, typically focusing on the battle between priests and evil spirits. Known for its terrifying atmosphere, psychological depth, and religious themes, “The Exorcist” has expanded into multiple films, a TV series, novels, and more, leaving a lasting impact on the horror genre.
William Friedkin’sThe Exorcistis the finest supernatural horror film of the last century, with a deliberately paced narrative that scares as much with its atmosphere as with the anxiety-inducing development of the plot. However, despite Linda Blair returning as the character that made her famous,Exorcist II: The Hereticis ahorror movie sequel that shouldn’t have been made.
However, the franchise was far from over, asThe Exorcist III, directed by the writer of the original story, William Peter Blatty, is a stunning return to form. While the final few minutes are over-the-top,the film is a beautifully restrained horror movie. Samuel L. Jackson appears briefly inThe Exorcist IIIas a blind man in a dream sequence.
Mr. Glass
Glass
The third installment in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy, Glass follows security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis), a man with an uncanny ability to resist physical harm. Dunn tracks Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with multiple identities who kidnaps and tortures young women, but they are both captured and imprisoned along with Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson).
IfAvatar: The Last Airbenderwasn’t one of the worst adaptations of all time, M. Night Shyamalan may have helmed another franchise as well. However, he’s only ever made one franchise of films, theUnbreakabletrilogy, whose second movie is the best. James McAvoy’s performance inSplitelevates it aboveUnbreakable, which features one of Bruce Willis' best performances.
His character becomes a superhero of sorts in the third movie.
Samuel L. Jackson’s versatility is on full display in theUnbreakablefranchise, where he plays a mysterious man with fragile bones, known as Mr. Glass. His character becomes a superhero-of-sorts in the third movie,Glass, but he plays a more timid and ominous role in the first film. The trilogy will always be remembered for showcasing its stars' acting skills.
Zeus Carver
Die Hard
The Die Hard franchise, which began as a series of books in the 1960s, is an action-adventure series that chronicles the harrowing exploits of NYPD Detective John McClane. Renowned for its action-packed sequences and intricate plots, the series showcases McClane’s battles against various adversaries, especially the infamous Hans Gruber, during high-stakes crises.
Bruce Willis' John McClane, the protagonist of John McTiernan’sDie Hard, is such an influential character in an equally unforgettable action movie, that there are a host ofmovies trying to be the newDie Hard, recontextualizing the central conflict into different periods, locations, and cultural backgrounds to hopefully recreate the firstDie Hard’s magical, thrilling, and iconic viewing experience.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic And Audience Scores For Every Die Hard Movie
94%
69%
70%
60%
83%
Live Free or Die Hard
82%
86%
15%
40%
Die Hard’s sequel is a poor excuse for a follow-up, but the third film,Die Hard With a Vengeance, rejuvenated the franchise. Samuel L. Jackson plays a shopkeeper, Zeus Carver, who becomes inextricably linked to the mystery caller that John McClane is tracking in the film.Willis and Jackson’s dynamic as unlikely partnersis a highlight of the film.
Ray Arnold
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
Steven Spielberg couldn’t have predicted when he directed 1993’sJurassic Park, a perfect non-animated action movie to watch with kids, that it would spawn as many as six sequels, including one in 2025, over two decades since its release. However, as afranchise that doesn’t get its sequels right,Jurassic Park/Worldis still primarily remembered for the first movie.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Ray Arnold inJurassic Park,the chief engineer of the theme park. He is a meticulous and cautious man who has Jackson’s signature aggressiveness, but is also proof of Jackson’s ability to portray all kinds of emotions. Even though he is killed off-screen, Ray Arnold’s death is one of the most iconic in Jackson’s career.
Mace Windu
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Few franchises have the cultural footprint, spanning decades and generations, thatStar Warshas. Featuring some of thebest sci-fi movie characters of all time, both the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy continue to enthrall fans today, while the sequels remain a point of contention, and the shows stay criminally underrated, despite reviving importantStar Warscharacters and storylines.
Mace Windu is the onlyStar Warscharacter to wield a purple lightsaber, which is because George Lucas granted Jackson’s wish to have his character wield a purple lightsaber.
Samuel L. Jackson appears in the prequel trilogy as Jedi Master Mace Windu, who has some of the coolest lines in the movies andone of the most memorable death scenes in the entire franchise. He is the very definition of a stoic and strict Jedi Master who is a great guide to his padawans, but always speaks his mind.
Nick Fury
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Not everyone has a nine-movie appearance streak in as big a franchise as the MCU, butSamuel L. Jackson, following Bruce Willis' advice, made his MCU character one of his favorite and most iconic characters, not just in the franchise or in the superhero genre, but of all time. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is instantly recognizable and loved by all.
Nick Fury is an unforgettable character, with some of the best lines in the MCU. While he is known for being the only major Samuel L. Jackson character who doesn’t swear,Fury’s dialogue doesn’t need profanity to make an impression. Jackson’s performance shows he has fun portraying Fury, which makes him lovable, unforgettable, and immortal in the eyes of fans.
