Samuel L. Jackson and his wife Latania Richardson meet at the 2022 Tony Awards.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson directs August Wilson's Piano lessons' upcoming Broadway revival with their wife Samuel L. Jackson.
Samuel L. Jackson and La Tanya Richardson Jackson have a memorable night on Sunday.
The couple, who have been marry for 41 years, attended the 75th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York and posed on the red carpet before fighting for the Best Game Revival award. (Take Me Out, starring new Tony winner Jesse Tyler Ferguson, won the category.)
During his time on stage, 73-year-old Samuel even took the time to honor his 72-year-old wife, LaTanya, for leading her in the upcoming Broadway revival of August Wilson's Piano Lessons.
"My first job on Broadway was 32 years ago as a backup at August Wilson's Piano Lessons. So I'm excited to be back in September for a Piano Lesson revival — not as a backup — this time directed by my wife LaTanya," he said, adding that she was the first woman to be in Broadway-directed Augusts Play Wilson.
"We are proud to bring to life one of his extraordinary masterpieces," says Samuel. LaTanya adds, "In dealing with classics, artists respect the author's intent and strive to create something new and unexpected for contemporary audiences."
In the March cover story, Samuel and LaTanya - parents of Zoe's 39-year-old daughter - tell PEOPLE how they met in college and have been together ever since: "In the beginning, we always said that the most revolutionary thing was black people. can do just living together, raising their kids to the core of having a mom and dad because everyone likes to pretend that's not an African American family dynamic. "We knew it was wrong," LaTanya said, "about this changing story, we decided to say, 'We'll stick together no matter what.
"Given the species, we come from and the people who raised us, we learn that we are no better than anyone else," says Samuel. "Work is work. We are lucky to have jobs."
LaTanya added, "I'm amazed at how busy we are in our seventh decade. I'm grateful I thought about all the things that could have happened."
As for the secret to their successful long marriage? "Two people who respect, love, and care for each other," explains Samuel.