Acting
Jesse Jackson
Born October 8, 1941 · Greenville, South Carolina, USA · Died February 17, 2026
Biography
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. (October 8, 1941 — February 17, 2026) was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He founded of both entities that merged to form Rainbow/PUSH. Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. is his eldest son. In an AP-AOL "Black Voices" poll in February 2006, Jackson was voted 'the most important black leader'.
Known for
8.3
The Daily Show
Self
8.0
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host, Self (uncredited)
7.2
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self
8.0
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Self
6.4
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self
8.2
LA 92
Self (archive footage)
8.0
Explained
Self (archive footage)
7.6
Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
Self - Audience Member (uncredited)
6.7
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
Self (archive footage)
7.1
A Different World
Himself
7.3
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic
Self
7.8
4 Little Girls
Self - Founder of the Rainbow Push Coalition
9.2
Baseball
Various (voice)
6.9
BaadAsssss Cinema
Self
8.0
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Self (archive footage)
8.0
Fantastic Lies
Himself (archive footage)
7.7
Wattstax
Self
7.3
Uptight
Self (archive footage)
8.3
Michael Jackson Memorial
Self
7.7
Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special
(archive footage)
Filmography
- 2024Hollywood BlackSelf (archive footage)Series
- 2023South to Black PowerSelfMovie
- 2022LoudmouthSelf - Civil Rights Activist/Self - Baptist Minister (archive footage)Movie
- 2022El otro Rey de ChicagoSelfMovie
- 2021Punch 9 for Harold WashingtonMovie
- 2021Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me OverSelfMovie
- 2021Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect UnionSelfSeries
- 2021Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)SelfMovie
- 2021September First, Twenty-TwentyHimselfMovie
- 2021Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel StorySelfMovie
- 2021Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame StreetSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2021Killing Martin Luther King Jr.SelfMovie
- 2021Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & ConspiracySelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2020ObamaSelfSeries
- 2020Bernie BlackoutSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2020Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman StorySelfMovie
- 2020Someday We'll all Be Free: The Donny Hathaway StorySelfMovie
- 2019Stax, le label soul légendaireSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2019Chicago at the CrossroadSelfMovie
- 2018Shut Up and DribbleSelf - Civil Rights LeaderSeries
- 2018The Road to Mass IncarcerationSelfMovie
- 2018ExplainedSelf (archive footage)Series
- 2018I Am MLK Jr.SelfMovie
- 2018Rise Up: The Movement that Changed AmericaSelfMovie
- 2018Hope & Fury: MLK, the Movement and the MediaSelfMovie
- 2017VelshiSelf (archive footage)Series
- 2017LA 92Self (archive footage)Movie
- 2016'85: The Greatest Team in Football HistorySelfMovie
- 2016Crashing the PartySelfMovie
- 2016Fantastic LiesHimself (archive footage)Movie
- 2014We Are ManySelfMovie
- 2013Richard Pryor: Omit the LogicSelfMovie
- 2012MLK: The Assassination TapesSelf (archive Footage)Movie
- 2011A Man's StorySelfMovie
- 2009Joan Baez: How Sweet the SoundSelfMovie
- 2009Joy Behar: Say Anything!Series
- 2009Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and RebelSelfMovie
- 2009Michael Jackson MemorialSelfMovie
- 2009The Nine Lives of Marion BarrySelfMovie
- 2009Anecdotes about FidelMovie
- 2008The Day the Troubles BeganSelfMovie
- 2008BallouHimselfMovie
- 2007King: Man of Peace in a Time of WarSelfMovie
- 2006RobinsSelf - GuestSeries
- 2005The Situation Room with Wolf BlitzerSeries
- 2004Tanner on TannerSelfSeries
- 2003Real Time with Bill MaherSelfSeries
- 2003Jimmy Kimmel Live!SelfSeries
- 2002Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part HarmonySelf (archive footage)Movie
- 2002BaadAsssss CinemaSelfMovie
- 2001Last Party 2000SelfMovie
- 2001Democracy Now!Self (archive footage)Series
- 1999Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special(archive footage)Movie
- 1999The Subtext of a Yale EducationSelfMovie
- 1999University, Inc.Self (Archive Footage)Movie
- 19974 Little GirlsSelf - Founder of the Rainbow Push CoalitionMovie
- 1997The Chris Rock ShowSelfSeries
- 1997Mahalia Jackson: The Power and the GloryMovie
- 1996The Daily ShowSelfSeries
- 1996The Journey of the African-American AthleteSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 1995Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildCocky Locky (voice)Series
- 1994BaseballVarious (voice)Series
- 1994The Soul of StaxSelfMovie
- 1993Crusade: The Life of Billy GrahamSelfMovie
- 1992America's Political Parties: Power and PrincipleSelfMovie
- 1989DecadeSelfMovie
- 1989Route One/USASelfMovie
- 1988Jackie Robinson: An American JourneyOn Screen NarratorMovie
- 1988Tanner '88Himself (uncredited)Series
- 1987A Different WorldHimselfSeries
- 1986In Remembrance of MartinSelfMovie
- 1983Not Necessarily the NewsSelf (archive footage)Series
- 1983Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a ControversySelfMovie
- 1982Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset StripSelf - Audience Member (uncredited)Movie
- 1980A Decade of StruggleSelfMovie
- 1980A Matter of RespectMovie
- 1975Saturday Night LiveSelf - Host, Self (uncredited)Series
- 1974Dinah!SelfSeries
- 1973Contradictory America. Faith, hope, love and hate. Film 2Self/Cameo (archive footage)Movie
- 1973Save the ChildrenSelfMovie
- 1973WattstaxSelfMovie
- 1972Nationtime: GarySelfMovie
- 1971We Are UniversalMovie
- 1970King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to MemphisSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 1969Operation BreadbasketSelfMovie
- 1968UptightSelf (archive footage)Movie
- 1963World in ActionSeries
- —Dear Mister PresidentSelfMovie