One of Sam Jackson's performances was so good that Cannes created an award for him!
Samuel L. Jackson has had really illustrious career; however, in the 1990s he had a really rough patch where he combatted drug addiction. At some point he overdosed in heroin several times, and then switched to cocaine. His family entered him into rehab when they say the effects of his addiction.
Soon after he completed rehab, Jackson appeared in a movie called Jungle Fever. He played a supporting role as a crack cocaine addict. You'd think this would be traumatic for someone who just recovered from addiction, but he called the role 'cathartic.'
His performance was so acclaimed that when the movie was shown in the 1991 Cannes Film Festival, a special "Supporting Actor" award was created just for him.