Samuel L. Jackson Shares Rare Throwback Photos with Wife LaTanya for Her 77th Birthday: ‘My Best Friend, My Love’

Tommy McArdleWed, October 21, 2026 at 7:43 PM UTC

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Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, via Instagram on Oct. 21, 2026Credit: Samuel L Jackson/Instagram -

Samuel L. Jackson shared family photos and throwback images in a loving tribute to LaTanya Richardson Jackson

The actors met in college in Atlanta and married in 1980 before welcoming daughter Zoe in 1982

LaTanya and Samuel have pledged to keep performing as long as life allows

Samuel L. Jackson is celebrating his wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson on her birthday!

LaTanya, who has been married to the actor since 1980, turned 77 on Wednesday, Oct. 21. To mark the occasion, Samuel, also 77, shared a sweet tribute to his wife of 46 years on Instagram.

The post included a photo of the couple cutting a celebratory cake together, along with an undated black-and-white throwback photo from earlier in their relationship. Samuel also shared a family photo featuring the couple with their daughter, Zoe, 44, among other snapshots.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Wife, my Best Friend, my Love, and my Rock. I love you, LOVE YOU, with All my Being‼️ 💕 💐 💍 🌹,” the Pulp Fiction star wrote in a caption to his post.

Viola Davis was among friends of the family who also shared LaTanya well-wishes in the comments of Samuel’s post.

“Oh!!! Happiest of birthdays to our QUEEN!!! Our BEAUTY!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️,” Davis, 61, wrote, while rapper Waka Flocka Flame added, “One of my favorite couples to look up to 💯.”

LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson on June 11, 2023Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

LaTanya’s birthday comes just over two months after she and Samuel celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary on Aug. 18.

“46 years of loving @samuelljackson. ♥️ ♥️ 💍 We thank God every day for blessing us with each other🙏🏾,” she wrote on social media as she shared sweet memories of her relationship with Samuel at that time. “My foundation, My rock, My forever partner. Happy Anniversary, my Love! Here’s to 46 more!! 🙏🏾🥰❤️🥳❤️”

Samuel wrote to LaTanya, “I Love You With All That I Am,” as he shared a photo of the couple that appeared to be snapped on their wedding day on Aug. 18.

The couple met while attending college in Atlanta, as Samuel recalled in a 2009 essay about his family for The Guardian.

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During a 2023 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Samuel revealed that he and LaTanya tied the knot in 1980 because her grandfather wanted to walk her down the aisle before he died.

“That’s probably what happened, because I was on drugs, and I probably didn’t know what the hell was going on at the time, ” Samuel joked, admitting that he had previously remembered LaTanya simply telling him when their wedding would take place.

“So, she’s probably right!” he added.

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Samuel L. Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Zoe Jackson on March 20, 2025Credit: Bruce Glikas/Getty

LaTanya and Samuel welcomed their daughter, Zoe, in 1982 and have remained together for more than four decades while balancing their successful acting careers.

LaTanya most recently appeared in the 2026 movie Diamond, while Samuel has starred in the action films Just Play Dead and The Beast.

LaTanya also earned Tony Award nominations in 2024 and 2025 for producing the Broadway revival of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and her performance in the play Purpose, respectively.

Their daughter, Zoe, followed in her parents’ footsteps into the entertainment industry, working behind the scenes as a producer. She won an Emmy Award in 2021 for her work on the reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race.

In 2025, LaTanya told PEOPLE that she and Samuel have an agreement regarding when they should retire from performing.

“My husband and I — Sam and I — both have said we’re going to do it till the wheels fall off. We both have ... this pact between us that if we see ourselves doing more [than] we [should] be doing, we’ll pull each other in and say, ‘It’s time. Come in the house,’ and do it that way,” she said at the time. “We are just going to do this as long as life allows.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”