The Guiness Book of World Records has named Samuel L. Jackson the highest-grossing actor of all time. He has earned an astounding $7.42 billion over the span of his film career, and he’s only 62, so that figure is sure to rise in the coming years.
Jackson began his film career as an uncredited extra in the film The Exterminator, but really got his big break when Spike Lee cast him in the role of Gator Purify in Jungle Fever. Jackson now has over 100 film roles on his resume, including Menace II Society, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, The Negotiator, Shaft and the Stars Wars film series.
Ever versatile, Jackson’s last feature film appearance was as Nick Fury in Captain America: The First Avenger, and he is currently starring as Martin Luther King Jr. in the new Broadway production, The Mountaintop, with Angela Bassett.
Jackson attributes his success and work ethic to his upbringing.
“I grew up in a working-class family,” he said. “When I was a kid, all the adults in my house got up and went to work every day. I assumed that’s what grown people do. That’s what I do. I just happen to have a very interesting job that’s kind of cool!”
