Samuel L . Jackson Samuel L . Jackson ( born December 21 , 1948 ) is an actor who portrayed Jedi Master Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy . He later voiced his character in film and the video game " " . Biography . Early life . Jackson grew up as an only child in , . He was raised by his mother , Elizabeth Jackson ( née Montgomery ) , and his maternal grandparents and extended family . He attended . Career . Jackson starred in five films , including " " , " " , " " , " " , and " " . He also worked several times for in " " , " " , " " , " " , " " , and the upcoming " " . In 1991 , Jackson won the Best Supporting Actor award at the for his role in Spike Lee ' s " Jungle Fever " . He was nominated for an for his performance as Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino ' s " Pulp Fiction " in 1994 . This role also earned him a , and several other awards and nominations . In 1998 , Jackson won the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actor at the for his role in " Jackie Brown " . Jackson also received several nominations for his performances in " Pulp Fiction " , " " , " " , and " Jackie Brown " . Jackson hosted the in 1998 and the four times : in 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , and 2012 . At the 2009 VGAs , he previewed LucasArts ' s game , " " . Since " " in 2008 , Jackson has appeared in several other movies as Colonel , director of , such as " " , " " , " " , " " , " " , and " " . He also portrayed Fury in TV series , " " . In 2011 , he became the highest - grossing actor of all time , according to the " " . Jackson played in the 1998 film " " starring James Earl Jones ( voice of Darth Vader in the movies ) . They worked together again , along with Harrison Ford ( Han Solo ) , for the 1992 film " " . In 1994 , Jackson shared screen with Phil LaMarr in " Pulp Fiction " . In 1999 , he provided voice in the educational film " " along with James Earl Jones and Edward Asner ( voice of Vrook Lamar in " " and its ) . In 2001 , he worked with ( voice of Risha Drayen and Holiday in the " " video game ) for one episode of the TV series " " . In 2004 , he provided voice for the video game adaptation of " " with Chris Edgerly ( voice of Eeth Koth in TV series ) . In 2007 , he also provided voice for the TV miniseries " " along with Phil LaMarr , Terrence Carson ( Windu ' s official " audio double " ) , John DiMaggio ( voice of General Grievous and Sha ' a Gi for " Clone Wars " Chapter 20 ) , Jason Marsden , Jeff Bennett , and Tara Strong . In 2008 , Jackson played alongside Hayden Christensen ( Anakin Skywalker in and Episode III ) and Nathalie Cox ( Juno Eclipse ) in " " . The same year , he shared screen with Jaime King ( voice of Aurra Sing in " The Clone Wars " ) in the film " " . Jackson appeared in " Iron Man " and its 2010 sequel " Iron Man 2 " , both directed by Jon Favreau ( voice of Pre Vizsla in " The Clone Wars " ) . In 2009 , he provided voice for " Afro Samurai " s sequel , " " , alongside Mark Hamill ( Luke Skywalker ) , Grey DeLisle , Jeff Bennett , Steve Blum , Phil LaMarr , and Kevin Michael Richardson . The same year , he worked with Jimmy Smits ( Bail Organa ) for the drama film " " , with Dee Bradley Baker for the animated film " " , and with Hayden Christensen , James Earl Jones , and Mark Hamill for " " . In 2011 , he made an uncredited cameo in the film " Thor " starring Natalie Portman ( Padmé Amidala ) . He worked once more with Mark Hamill for the 2014 film " " . In 2015 , he will appear with Jaime King in her husband Kyle Newman ' s film " " . Personal life . In 1980 , Jackson married actress and television producer . They have a daughter named Zoe , born in 1982 . In 2009 , he and his wife created a charitable foundation to help support education . Behind the scenes . Jackson was offered the role of Windu after he announced on a radio program that he was a fan of the films . Prior to the release of , Jackson stated in an interview that his death scene would not have him " going out like a punk . " Before the filming of the Battle of Geonosis began , Jackson asked director George Lucas what color s there were for lightsaber s . Lucas told him " good guys are green and blue , bad guys are red . " When Jackson inquired as to whether purple was a possibility , Lucas only answered : " You might get purple . " Mace Windu became the first Jedi depicted in a " Star Wars " movie to have a lightsaber that was not red , blue , or green . When asked about appearing in , Jackson commented that he had not been contacted , and that he was busy with a number of other roles . He stated , however , that " it would have been interesting , " and that he had high hopes for the new movies .