John Shaft I is a fictional character created by screenwriter Ernest Tidyman. He was portrayed by Richard Roundtree in the original 1971 film and in its two sequels, Shaft's Big Score (1972) and Shaft in Africa (1973), with Samuel L. Jackson portraying his nephew (named John Shaft II) in the 2000 version of the film, Roundtree appearing as the original John Shaft. The blurb on the paperback on which the original film is based states Shaft is "Hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt."