13 Photos Of Samuel Jackson And Wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson Over The Years | Essence
Home

13 Photos Of Samuel Jackson And Wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson Over The Years

After meeting as students at Spelman and Morehouse, the couple are still going strong more than 50 years later.
13 Photos Of Samuel Jackson And Wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson Over The Years
@samuelljackson/Instagram; John Chapple Online USA, Inc.; JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images
By Elizabeth Ayoola and Victoria Uwumarogie ·

One thing many people want but find it hard to achieve is a love for the ages. Samuel L. Jackson, 75 and his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, 74, seem to have created that. The lovers have been married since 1980 but together for 50 years after meeting in college (she attended Spelman, he was a Morehouse man). In their four decades as husband and wife, they’ve seen one another evolve into multiple versions of themselves and yet, they still stand strong.  

In 2022, the couple shared the secret to their decades-long marriage with PEOPLE and said it’s all about having a shared vision of commitment. 

“In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother, since everybody likes to pretend that that’s not the dynamic of the African American family. That it’s just children out here being raised by women, which we know is false,” LaTanya, who became the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway in 2022 said. “In order to change that narrative, we made a decision to say, ‘We are going to stay together no matter what. We’ll figure it out.’” Jackson added, “It’s two people who respect each other, love each other and look out for each other.”

During their time together, the actor became addicted to drugs, but Richardson helped him get clean. He’s since been in recovery for over 30 years and still has a healthy career. 

“She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be,” Jackson said shortly after getting out of rehab and shortly before his career skyrocketed thanks to his role in Spike Lee’s 1991 film, Jungle Fever.

Another secret that may work for the couple is working on projects together. The Hollywood stars most recently were producing partners on the Apple TV+ limited series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, which Jackson also starred in.

They marked 43 years together in August and they seem to still be playful, fun and loving. 

On their anniversary, Jackson posted a video of him and LaTanya dancing on a yacht. He wrote a caption that read, “I think we can make 43 more!!! Love everlasting!!!!!!”

The couple share one child together, daughter Zoe, who happens to be an Emmy-winning reality TV producer. She’s produced shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and Top Chef.

Check out pictures of the Jacksons over the years. 

TOPICS: