Who Is Samuel L. Jackson’s Wife? Get to Know LaTanya Richardson Jackson

When Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson say they’re in it for the long haul, they mean it. Married since 1980, the couple share one daughter, Zoe Jackson, an Emmy-winning reality TV producer.

LaTanya once told PEOPLE that their enduring relationship is rooted in a pact they made early on. “In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother,” she said. “In order to change that narrative, we made a decision to say, ‘We are going to stay together no matter what. We’ll figure it out.’ ”

In August 2025, Samuel and LaTanya celebrated 45 years of marriage with a European getaway. “Celebrating 45 Years of Love in Cannes!! ♥️💍,” they wrote on Instagram. “We have followed God’s path together and have received Blessings overflowing. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.”

Working Together on and off Stage

The couple’s bond extends beyond their personal life. In 2022, they collaborated on the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, with LaTanya directing and Samuel starring alongside John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Brooks and Michael Potts. The production was co-produced by Denzel Washington.

LaTanya made history as the first woman to direct a Wilson play on Broadway. Speaking on The View, she said, “It’s not always what you decide. This was a gift from Denzel Washington. [He] brought it to me. That’s how I got it.”

Acclaimed Career and Achievements

A celebrated actress herself, LaTanya received a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play in 2014 for A Raisin in the Sun. Her other Broadway credits include Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (2009) and To Kill a Mockingbird (2018–2019).

Her film work includes Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and The Fighting Temptations (2003). On television, she has appeared in 100 Centre Street, Blue Bloods, Luke Cage and Grey’s Anatomy.

The Jacksons have also shared the screen in Losing Isaiah (1995), Freedomland (2006) and Mother and Child (2009). Together, they co-produced the documentary Enslaved (2020) and the limited series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2021). “I’m amazed at how busy we are in our seventh decade,” LaTanya told PEOPLE in 2022. “I’m grateful because I think of all the things that could be.”

Early Life and Education

Born and raised in Atlanta, LaTanya began acting at 15 and attended Spelman College, the oldest private HBCU liberal arts college for women. “I got to work with such luminous actresses as Diana Sands in Macbeth,” she told Variety in 2017.

She met Samuel at Morehouse College, where they performed together in the Morehouse Spelman Players. In 2021, the Jacksons donated $5 million to Spelman College — the largest alumni donation in the school’s history. The campus theater was later renamed the LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center when it reopened in 2024.

A Nontraditional Engagement

During a 2020 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Samuel admitted he couldn’t recall proposing. LaTanya clarified that her ill grandfather wanted to see her married, so Samuel had to ask both her and her grandfather for her hand. “It was semantical,” she said, while Samuel called it “romantic.”

In 2023, Samuel joked on The Jennifer Hudson Show that LaTanya’s version was likely true. “I was on drugs, and I probably didn’t know what the hell was going on at the time,” he said.

Philanthropy and Advocacy

In 1999, the couple co-founded the Samuel L. and LaTanya R. Jackson Foundation, which supports educational, arts and health causes. They also contributed to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

After touring the museum site, LaTanya told The Washington Post, “It was the most emotional moment for me. I knew it was an idea whose time had finally come.”

The Jacksons have also been vocal about social justice, using social media to advocate for causes like justice for Breonna Taylor and voting rights in Georgia.

Family Time and Friendships

Every July, the couple takes time off to travel with family and friends, often aboard luxury yachts. Samuel’s one rule for these trips is simple: “Don’t wake anybody up. You sleep when you sleep. Then we come together and eat.”

In 2023, they spent time in Greece, Italy and France with Magic Johnson and Judge Greg Mathis. During their stop in Capri, they dined with Michael Jordan and his wife, Yvette Prieto.

LaTanya’s close circle also includes Julianne Moore — whom she affectionately calls “J. Mo” — as well as friends Magic and Cookie Johnson, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, and Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee.

Standing by Each Other

One of the couple’s biggest challenges came when Samuel battled addiction early in their marriage. LaTanya helped him enter rehab, and he has now been sober for over 30 years. “She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be,” he told PEOPLE.

Marking their 40th anniversary in 2020, Samuel shared a heartfelt message on Instagram: “50 years ago we started dancing, it was all fun & games. 40 years ago today, s— got real! … We finally found that rhythm where there was no leader, we moved as one. We’re still glued together, hip to hip, holding each other up.”

Celebrating Milestones

In April 2024, Samuel and LaTanya attended the Pulp Fiction 30th anniversary celebration at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles, joining Uma Thurman and John Travolta for the reunion — another memorable moment in their remarkable journey together.

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