[a][4] In 2022, he received the Academy Honorary Award as "a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide".

[9][10] Jackson's early film roles include Coming to America (1988), Juice (1992), True Romance (1993), Menace II Society (1993), and Fresh (1994).

His early collaborations with Spike Lee led to greater prominence with films such as School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Jungle Fever (1991).

He has continued to collaborate with Lee (Oldboy in 2013 and Chi-Raq in 2015) and Tarantino, with the latter including prominent roles in Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), Django Unchained (2012), and The Hateful Eight (2015).

He also gained widespread recognition as the Jedi Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005), and Nick Fury in 11 Marvel Cinematic Universe films, beginning with Iron Man (2008), as well as in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023) & What If...?

He has also acted in a number of big-budget films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), A Time to Kill (1996), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000) and its reboot (2019), XXX (2002), Coach Carter (2005), Snakes on a Plane (2006), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Glass (2019).

"[27] In 1969, Jackson and several other students held members of the Morehouse College board of trustees (including Martin Luther King Sr.) hostage on the campus, demanding reform in the school's curriculum and governance.

[13][33] After these initial roles, Jackson moved from Atlanta to New York City in 1976, and spent the next decade appearing in stage plays, including the premieres of The Piano Lesson and Two Trains Running at the Yale Repertory Theater.

[35] Jackson developed addictions to alcohol and cocaine, which prevented him from proceeding with the two plays to Broadway (actors Charles S. Dutton and Anthony Chisholm took his place).

[44] After a turn as the criminal Big Don in 1993's True Romance—written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott—Tarantino asked Jackson to play Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994).

[48][49][50] After Pulp Fiction, Jackson received multiple scripts to review: "I could easily have made a career out of playing Jules over the years.

"[51] With a succession of poor-performing films such as Kiss of Death, The Great White Hype, and Losing Isaiah, Jackson began to receive poor reviews from critics who had praised his performance in Pulp Fiction.

[55] He received an Independent Spirit award for Best First Feature alongside first-time writer/director Kasi Lemmons in the drama Eve's Bayou, for which he also served as executive producer.

[56] He worked again with Tarantino on Jackie Brown and received the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival[57] and a fourth Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the arms merchant Ordell Robbie.

[68] In 2002, he played a recovering alcoholic, attempting to keep custody of his kids while fighting a battle of wits (in Changing Lanes) with Ben Affleck's character.

[17] He returned for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, seeing his minor supporting role develop into a major character.

Mace Windu's purple lightsaber in the film was the result of Jackson's suggestion;[17] he wanted to be sure that his character would stand out in a crowded battle scene.

[86][87] Bob Townsend of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution commended Jackson's performance, "He takes what could have been a cardboard cliché role and puts flesh on it with his flamboyant intelligence.

[91] On January 30, 2006, Jackson was honored with a hand and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre; he is the seventh African American and 191st actor to be recognized in this manner.

[93] He next starred opposite actress Julianne Moore in the box-office bomb Freedomland, where he depicted a police detective attempting to help a mother find her abducted child while quelling a citywide race riot.

[101] Also in 2007, he portrayed a blues player who imprisons a young woman (Christina Ricci) addicted to sex in Black Snake Moan, and the horror film 1408, an adaptation of the Stephen King short story.

[102][103] Later the same year, Jackson portrayed an athlete who impersonates former boxing heavyweight Bob Satterfield in director Rod Lurie's drama, Resurrecting the Champ.

After an 11-year absence from the stage, Jackson returned to Broadway as Doaker Charles in a revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson, opposite John David Washington and Danielle Brooks.

[133] Jackson is set to produce a live-action film adaptation of Afro Samurai,[134] and will play the role of Sho'nuff in a remake of The Last Dragon.

[136] Jackson is known for his extensive voice roles including Whiplash in Turbo (2013), the title character of the anime series Afro Samurai (2007), and Frank Tenpenny in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).

[139] He voiced the main antagonist, Officer Frank Tenpenny, in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

[147] Jackson released a song about social justice with KRS-One, Sticky Fingaz, Mad Lion and Talib Kweli about violence in America called "I Can't Breathe", which were the last words said by Eric Garner.

[150] By 2011, the films that featured Jackson as a leading actor or supporting co-star had grossed a total of $2.81[151] to $4.91 billion[152] at the North American box office.

"[159] He also enjoys collecting the action figures of the characters he portrays in his films, including Jules Winnfield, Shaft, Mace Windu, and Frozone.

[178][179] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson encouraged people to wear face masks as part of California's "Your Actions Save Lives" campaign.