Samuel Jackson amekuwa akichukuliwa kuwa ni miongoni mwa waigizaji na maprodyuza wenye kipato kikubwa katika medani hiyo. Alianza kufahamika miaka ya mwanzoni ya 1990 katika filamu Goodfellas (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Amos & Andrew (1993), True Romance (1993), Jurassic Park (1993) and his collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino including Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Django Unchained (2012), na The Hateful Eight (2015).
Aidha Samuel Jackson ameonekana katika filamu mbalimbali zaidi ya 150 zikiwamo Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), The Negotiator (1998), Deep Blue Sea (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its sequel, XXX (2002), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005). Samuel Jackon alizaliwa jijini Washington D.C akiwa ni mtoto wa Elizabeth Harrieth na Roy Henry Jackson.
Alikulia huku Chattanooga, katika jimbo la Tennessee. Baba yake aliachana nao na kwenda zake jijini Kansas katika jimbo la Missouri na baadaye alifariki dunia kutokana na kuathiriwa vibaya na ulevi.
Samuel Jackson alikutana na baba yake mara mbili tu katika maisha yake. Kwa maana hiyo Samuel Jackson alilelewa na mama yake ambaye alikuwa mfanyakazi katika kiwanda. Kwa mujibu wa vipimo vya DNA Samuel Jackson ametokea katika jamii ya Wabenga iliyopo Gabon hapa barani Afrika. Kuanzia mwaka 2019 Samuel Jackson alipewa uraia wa asili wa Gabon.