Samuel L. Jackson Oscar wins: How many Academy Awards does he have and for what?

Between his many roles in classic films like Jungle Fever, Do the Right Thing, and Jurassic Park to his many upcoming films such as Garfield and Argylle, Samuel L. Jackson is undoubtedly one of the greatest American actors of all time.

Jackson proves time and time again that he doesn’t fit into any particular niche as he has starred in all genres and has portrayed many different characters. Actors like Jackson don’t come around often, and it’s even rarer that they receive their appropriate accolades in their lifetime.

While it would be nice to imagine that Jackson doesn’t suffer from lack of recognition, those who adore this actor tremendously know that he hasn’t received all his deserved dues, especially in the awards department.

Has Samuel L. Jackson ever received an Academy Award?

Unfortunately, Samuel L. Jackson isn’t exactly an Academy Award winner for any of his phenomenal films. However, he did receive an honoree Academy award in 2022 (alongside Denzel Washington) simply because even the Academy knows that he deserves all the praise in the world.

Check out this monumental moment below.

In addition to this honorary award, Jackson received a nomination for his role as Jules Winnfield in the 1994 film, Pulp Fiction. Sadly, he hasn’t been nominated for any other film since then. But, according to Samuel L. Jackson, he couldn’t care any less about what Academy Awards he may or may not win.

Will Samuel L. Jackson ever receive an Academy Award?

While it’s completely possible for Jackson to receive an Academy Award, as per Variety, he isn’t going out of his way to fish for the award. Jackson expressed that he would rather take on more fun roles—like his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—than seek “Oscar-baiting roles”.

“I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor,” Jackson said. “My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies. You know [whispers]: ‘If you do this movie, you’ll win an Oscar.’ No, thanks. I’d rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand.”

Naturally, we agree with Jackson’s sentiments, as it’s far more rewarding for actors to love what they do than to chase after the approval of Hollywood for the rest of their careers. Still, we can’t help but look forward to the day that Samuel L. Jackson is an Academy Award winner. Perhaps that day will come very soon.

While you wait for Jackson’s next titles, be sure to check out the many roles he should’ve won an Oscar for. Here are a few of our recommendations:

• Shaft (2000) as John Shaft – Paramount+
• Django Unchained (2012) as Stephen Warren – Apple TV+
• The Hateful Eight (2015) as Major Marquis Warren – Hulu
• Glass (2019) as Elijah Price – Prime Video