Career
Born in Henderson, North Carolina, Jackson wished to be an actor and moved to California working as a shipping clerk but was contracted to Warner Brothers where he appeared saying one line in the film He appeared in the syndicated American Civil War drama Gray Ghost and on the Warner Brothers Television series 77 Sunset Strip starring Efrem Zimbalist, Junior., and in the television series Maverick, opposite James Garner. When Jackson read that Warner Brothers was going to produce a 1964 American Broadcasting Company television sitcom,, he wrote directly to Jack L. Warner saying that he was the best choice for the role and asked Warner to examine a certain Maverick episode as proof. Ten days later Jackson was told to come to the studio to test for the role.
The series was produced by George Burns"s production company and shown in the United Kingdom on Independent Television from 1965 to 1969.
lieutenant also preceded Burns" own Wendy and Maine sitcom, with Connie Stevens, which aired on the Monday night American Broadcasting Company schedule. In 1966 Jackson starred in unsold television pilots in the title role of Li"l Abner and also playing alongside Groucho Marx in 1967"s Rhubarb.
With film roles for "hillbillies" drying up, Jackson began working on-air in radio in 1968 while also acting in a number of motion pictures and doing guest roles in television series. Television writer Larry Brody recalled meeting Jackson and writing a television pilot for him.
In the 1980s, Jackson worked for a radio station in Las Vegas and briefly played non-country music on KMPC, Los Los Angeles
In 1992, he appeared in the pilot film, Casino (not to be confused with the better-known movie, Casino). Sammy Jackson died of heart failure at the age of 57 in 1995.