Prolific is a massive understatement when it comes to describing producer Samuel L. Jackson, who next stars in The Kill Room, which opens Sept. 29.
Since his debut in indie film Together For Days in 1972, the 74-year-old Jackson has been in more than 100 films that have collectively grossed more than $27 billion, making him the highest-grossing live-action actor of all time as of 2021, according to The Numbers.
In his career, he’s been in some of the most iconic films ever, as well, including Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and Jungle Fever (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), A Time to Kill (1996), Black Snake Moan (2006), Goodfellas (1990), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) and the unforgettable Snakes On A Plane (2006).
Jackson got his big break after he appeared in True Romance (1993), which was written by Quentin Tarantino. After that experience, Tarantino came to Jackson with the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994), which the director says he wrote specifically for Jackson. Jackson would go on to appear in five more Tarantino films: Jackie Brown (1997), The Hateful Eight (2015), Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004), Django Unchained (2021) and Inglorious Basterds (2009) as the narrator. He’s played NYPD detective John Shaft twice, in 2000 and 2019, and he’s appeared in 11 Marvel movies as Nick Fury.
In addition to his film work, Jackson has appeared on stage, including The Mountaintop (2011-2012) and The Piano Lesson (2022) on Broadway.
In the 2000s alone, Jackson made 38 movies. He topped that in the 2010s by appearing in 43 films.
With no disrespect to the late-great James Brown, Jackson has clearly taken over the title of “the hardest working man in show business.”
“Painters get up and paint,” Jackson once said. “Writers get up and write. I like to get up and act. It’s not a big deal. It makes me happy.”
It makes a lot of us happy to see his work, too. Take a pass with us to see many of his career highlights in pictures.
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‘Ragtime’ (1981)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection From left, Samuel L. Jackson, Dorsey Wright, Howard E. Rollins, Frankie Faison and Calvin Levels.
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‘Coming to America’ (1988)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Eddie Murphy.
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‘School Daze’ (1988)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Laurence Fishburne.
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‘Mo’ Better Blues’ (1990)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Spike Lee.
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‘Jungle Fever’ (1991)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Ruby Dee.
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‘Patriot Games’ (1992)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as former Navy pilot Robby Jackson.
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‘White Sands’ (1992)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson as FBI agent Greg Meeker.
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‘Amos and Andrew’ (1993)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Nicolas Cage.
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‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Richard Attenborough.
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‘National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon’ (1993)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Jackson as Sgt. Wes Luger.
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‘True Romance’ (1993)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson as Big Don.
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‘Assault at West Point’ (1994)
Image Credit: Everett Collection From left, Sam Waterston, Jackson and Seth Gilliam.
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‘Fresh’ (1994)
Image Credit: Miramax/Everett Collection Jackson with Sean Nelson.
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‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)
Image Credit: Miramax Films/Everett Collection Jackson with John Travolta.
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‘Kiss of Death’ (1995)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson with Nicolas Cage.
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‘Die Hard: With A Vengeance’ (1995)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson with Bruce Willis.
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‘Losing Isaiah’ (1995)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Halle Berry.
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‘Fluke’ (1995)
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Jackson was the voce of Rumbo, top.
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‘The Great White Hype’ (1996)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson with Cheech Marin.
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‘A Time to Kill’ (1996)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with Matthew McConaughey.
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‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ (1996)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Jackson with Geena Davis.
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‘Hard Eight’ (1996)
Image Credit: Mark Tillie/Rysher Entertainment/Everett Collection Jackson with John C. Reilly.
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‘Trees Lounge’ (1996)
Image Credit: K.C. Bailey/Orion Classics/Everett Collection Jackson with Bronson Dudley.
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‘187’ (1997)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez and Jonah Rooney.
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‘Eve’s Bayou’ (1997)
Image Credit: Trimark Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as Dr. Louis Bastiste.
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‘Jackie Brown’ (1997)
Image Credit: Miramax/Everett Collection Jackson with Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro.
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‘Sphere’ (1998)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone.
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‘The Negotiator’ (1998)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with J.T. Walsh.
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The Red Violin’ (1998)
Image Credit: Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson as violin appraiser Charles Morritz.
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‘Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace’ (1999)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson with Yoda.
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‘Deep Blue Sea’ (1999)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection From left, Michael Rappaport, Thomas Jane (background), Jackson and Saffron Burrows.
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‘Rules of Engagement’ (2000)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Tommy Lee Jones and Guy Pearce.
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‘Shaft’ (2000)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collections Jackson with Toni Collette.
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‘Unbreakable’ (2000)
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Everett Collection Jackson with Bruce Willis.
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‘Caveman’s Valentine’ (2001)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection From left, Aunjanue Ellis, Jackson and Peter MacNeill.
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‘The 51st State’ (2001)
Image Credit: Screen Gems/Everett Collection Jackson with Robert Carlyle. The film was also known as Formula 51.
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‘Changing Lanes’ (2002)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Ben Affleck.
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‘Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones’ (2002)
Image Credit: Lucasfilm/Everett Collection Jackson as Mace Windu.
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‘XXX’ (2002)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Vin Diesel.
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‘No Good Deed’ (2002)
Image Credit: Columbia TriStar Home Video/Everett Collection Jackson with Milla Jovovich. The film was also known as The House on Turk Street.
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‘Basic’ (2003)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as Sgt. Nathan West.
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‘Twisted’ (2004)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection From left, Andy Garcia, Ashley Judd, Jackson and Russell Wong.
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‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Everett Collection Jackson was the voice actor for Frozone.
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‘In My Country’ (2004)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection Jackson with Juliette Binoche.
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‘Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson’ (2004)
Image Credit: Florentine Films/Everett Collection Jack Johnson fighting Al Kaufmann in 1909. Jackson narrated the documentary.
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‘Coach Carter’ (2005)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as high school basketball coach Ken Carter.
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‘XXX: State of the Union ‘ (2005)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Ice Cube.
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‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)
Image Credit: Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox/Everett Collection From left, Ian McDiarmid, director George Lucas and Jackson on set.
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‘The Man’ (2006)
Image Credit: New Line/Everett Collection Jackson with Eugene Levy.
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‘Freedomland’ (2006)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Julianne Moore.
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‘Snakes on a Plane’ (2006)
Image Credit: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection Jackson as FBI Neville Flynn.
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‘Home of the Brave’ (2006)
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Jackson as American soldier Lt. Col. Dr. William Marsh.
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‘Black Snake Moan’ (2007)
Image Credit: Paramount Classics/Everett Collection Jackson with Christina Ricci.
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‘1408’ (2007)
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Jackson with John Cusack.
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‘Resurrecting the Champ’ (2007)
Image Credit: Yari Film Group Releasing/Everett Collection Jackson with Josh Hartnett and Dakota Goyo.
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‘Cleaner’ (2007)
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Jackson as crime scene cleaner Tom Cutler.
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‘Jumper’ (2008)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson with Hayden Christensen.
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‘Lakeview Terrace’ (2008)
Image Credit: Screen Gems/Everett Collection Jackson with Patrick Wilson.
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‘Soul Men’ (2008)
Image Credit: Dimension Film/Everett Collection Jackson with Bernie Mac.
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‘The Spirit’ (2008)
Image Credit: Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson as psychotic supervillan Octopus.
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‘Mother and Child’ (2009)
Image Credit: Ralph Nelson/Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection Jackson with Naomi Watts.
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‘Inglorious Basterds’ (2009)
Image Credit: Francois Duhamel/Weinstein Co./Everett Collection From left, Eli Roth and Brad Pitt.
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‘Unthinkable’ (2010)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Jackson with Carrie-Anne Moss.
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‘Iron Man 2’ (2010)
Image Credit: Industrial Light & Magic/Everett Collection From left: Scarlett Johansson, Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.
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‘The Other Guys’ (2010)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Dwayne Johnson.
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‘The Samaritan’ (2012)
Image Credit: Sabrin a Lantos/IFC/Everett Collection Jackson with Luke Kirby.
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‘Meeting Evil’ (2012)
Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as Richie, 2012.
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‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Everett Collection From left, Chris Evans (as Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark) and Jackson (as Nick Fury).
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‘Django Unchained’ (2012)
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper/Weinstein Co./Everett Collection From left, Jackson, Kerry Washington and Dana Michelle Gourrier.
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‘Turbo’ (2013)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection Jackson as the voice of Whiplash, second from right.
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‘Oldboy’ (2013)
Image Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/FilmDistrict/Everett Collection Jackson with Josh Brolin.
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‘Captain American: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)
Image Credit: Zade Rosenthal/Walt Disney/Everett Collection Jackson with Robert Redford.
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‘Reasonable Doubt’ (2014)
Image Credit: Allen Fraser/Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson as auto mechanic Clinton Davis.
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‘Robocop’ (2014)
Image Credit: Kerry Hayes/Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as businessman Patrick ‘Pat’ Novak.
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‘Kite’ (2014)
Image Credit: Anchor Bay Entertainment/Everett Collection U.S. poster with Jackson, India Eisley and Callan McAuliffe.
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‘Big Game’ (2014)
Image Credit: Stephanie Kulbach/EuropaCorp USA/Everett Collection Jackson with Onni Tommila.
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‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ (2014)
Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk/20th Century Fox/Everett Collection From left, Taron Egerton, Colin Firth and Jackson.
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‘Barely Lethal’ (2015)
Image Credit: A24/Everett Collection Jackson with Hailee Steinfeld.
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‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper/The Weinstein Co./Everett Collection Jackson with Walton Goggins.
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‘Cell’ (2016)
Image Credit: Saban Films/Everett Collection From left, Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman and John Cusack.
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‘The Legend of Tarzan’ (2016)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with Alexander Skarsgard.
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‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (2016)
Image Credit: Magnolia Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson was the narrator for the documentary.
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‘Miss Peregrin’s Home for Peculiar Children’ (2016)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Jackson as Mr. Barron
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‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage’ (2017)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson as Agent Agustus Gibbons.
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‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)
Image Credit: Vince Valitutti/Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with John C. Reilly, center, and Tom Hiddleston.
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‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ (2017)
Image Credit: Summit Entertainment/Everett Collection Jackson with Ryan Reynolds.
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‘Unicorn Store’ (2017)
Image Credit: Netflix/Everett Collection Jackson with Brie Larson.
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‘Incredibles 2’ (2018)
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Everett Collection Jackson returns as the voice of Frozone.
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‘Glass’ (2019)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson with Anya Taylor-Joy.
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‘Captain Marvel’ (2019)
Image Credit: Walt Disney/Marvel/Everett Collection Jackson as Nick Fury with Brie Larson.
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‘Shaft’ (2019)
Image Credit: Warner Bros./Everett Collection Jackson with Jessie T. Usher, left, and Richard Roundtree.
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‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ (2019)
Image Credit: Jay-Maidment/Columbia Pictures/Marvel Studios/Everett Collection Jackson with Cobie Smulders.
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‘The Last Full Measure’ (2019)
Image Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/Roadside Attractions/Everett Collection Jackson with Sebastian Stan.
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‘The Banker’ (2019)
Image Credit: Apple TV+/Everett Collection From left: Nicholas Hoult, Jackson and Anthony Mackie.
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‘Spiral’ (2021)
Image Credit: Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson as Marcus Banks.
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‘The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’ (2021)
Image Credit: David Appleby/Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson with Ryan Reynolds amd Salma Hayek.
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‘The Protégé’ (2021)
Image Credit: Jichici Raul/Lionsgate/Everett Collection Jackson with Maggie Q.
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‘Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank’ (2022)
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Jackson was the voice of Jimbo.
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‘The Kill Room’ (2023)
Image Credit: Shout! Studios Jackson with Uma Thurman.
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