Stepping up the ladder...
He attended Morehouse College (America's equivalent to the British University) in Atlanta and was driven by his political ideals from an early age.
In 1969, at the age of just 20 (almost 21) he was briefly suspended from college after taking several members of the college's board of trustee's hostage, including Martin Luther King Sr. during a sit-in protest. The sit-in was campaigning to get more black trustees on the board and to change the curriculum so as to include more black studies.
It was at Morehouse College's sister college, Spelman College, that he met his sweetheart LaTanya Richardson (also an actress), whom he later married in 1980 and now has a child with. His daughters name is Zoe and she was 15 years old in 1997.
In 1972 he graduated, majoring in drama with a degree in theatre arts. He stayed on in Atlanta, where he acted in several television advertisements and landed his first film role, albeit a small part, in 'Together For Days'.
In 1976, Samuel L Jackson had a role in a short-lived T.V. drama called 'Movin On' and then moved to New York City. While he was there he took part in several productions for the Negro Ensemble Company where he met Spike Lee, who later cast him in four films, and who had also previously attended the Morehouse College.

Awards
1991: Cannes Film Festival Special Jury Prize Award for Best Supporting Performance for Jungle Fever.

1991: New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jungle Fever.

1994: Society of Texas Film Critics Award for Best Actor for Pulp Fiction.

1994: Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for Pulp Fiction.

1998: MTV MOVIE Awards for Best Male Performancein Jackie Brown.

Image Award (NAACP) 1998 Outstanding Lead Actor in the Negotiator.

Image Award (NAACP) 1998 Outstanding Lead Actor in the Jackie Brown.

Image Award (NAACP) 1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in A Time To Kill.

~::*If Jackson carries on delivering such powerful and original performances in the roles he chooses, this list of awards will more than likely continue to grow...*::~