One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation turns 75 today!

Samuel Leroy Jackson was born in Washington, D.C but was raised by his mother in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jackson would eventually attend Morehouse College, majoring in marine biology. He switched his major to architecture before he joined a local acting group to earn extra points in a class, finally settling on drama. He began acting on stage. Upon graduation in 1972, appeared in several television films, and made his feature film debut in the blaxploitation independent film Together for Days. In 1976, he moved from Atlanta to New York and worked on stage for the next decade.

In the 1990s, Jackson really became a household name. He got his first starring role in the comedy National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1. It wasn’t until he starred as Jules Winnfield in 1994’s Pulp Fiction (his 13th film) that he really broke out though. His performance in the film made him internationally recognized and he received praise from critics. He was nominated for both an Academy and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. The rest was then history, as the people say.

Jackson has since gone on to become the third highest-grossing actor of all time, with the films in in which he has appeared collectively grossing over $27 billion worldwide. He has also received numerous awards and accolades including an honorary Oscar that he was presented earlier this year. Jackson’s long and highly successful career has made it nearly impossible for fans to choose what their favorite characters and performances from him are. To celebrate one of the absolute goats on his 75th birthday, we put together a gallery of some of ours. Enjoy!

HAPPY MF BIRTHDAY TO SAMUEL MF JACKSON!