Samuel L. Jackson is a man that most people know from the many movies he has starred in. He is one of the highest-grossing actors ever and one of the most popular actors of his time. However, there was another side of this actor and producer that many never knew about. That’s because Samuel L.

Jackson battled addiction and gives credit to his wife of 40 years, actress LaTanya Richardson, for the life that he has now. After threatening to leave him for the hell they were living in, she saw him through the worst moments of his life.

Samuel L. Jackson and wife LaTanya Richardson have been married since 1980

Actors LaTanya Richardson and Samuel L. Jackson | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Samuel L. Jackson and his wife have made it through the long haul, despite trying to be a married couple in Hollywood. It is a feat that many actors have not achieved and, if not for their ultimate devotion to one another, these two may have also lost their battle for happiness together.

In the beginning, Richardson, who graduated from Spelman College, met Jackson while he was attending Morehouse College. The year was 1970. It would take them 10 years to actually tie the knot, which happened on Aug. 18, 1980. Their only daughter, Zoe Jackson, was born in 1982.

In 2020, Richardson told Essence the secret to keeping their marriage good. What it boils down to is keeping “the Lord” in their home, having a mantra that both partners can stand by, and “never letting the sun go down on your wrath.” Samuel L. Jackson’s wife went on to say that couples need to have a little amnesia and do what they can to keep themselves lifted.