The most well-connected actor in Hollywood history, according to science

A statistical analysis of Hollywood’s casting network identifies Samuel L Jackson as the industry’s best-connected actor, rather than Kevin Bacon, whose name inspired the “Six Degrees” game. The finding highlights how prolific careers and appearances in major ensemble films can link actors across the industry.

The analysis used graph theory and a measure called eigenvector centrality to assess connections among actors. Jackson has appeared in more than 200 films over five decades, including the Marvel, Star Wars and Kingsman franchises; Robert De Niro ranked second and Morgan Freeman third. Pulp Fiction was identified as the film with the most connections between cast members, while Bacon did not make the top 12.