Denzel Washington

Info

Denzel Washington is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his performances on the screen and stage, he has been described as an actor who reconfigured “the concept of classic movie stardom”. He has frequently collaborated with directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua, and Tony Scott. In 2016, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2020, The New York Times ranked him as the greatest actor of the twenty-first century.

Bio

Denzel Washington started his acting career in theatre, acting in performances off-Broadway, including William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in 1979. Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning, the Maryland State play.

Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television film Wilma. He started his acting career in theatre, acting in performances off-Broadway, including William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in 1979. His first Hollywood appearance was in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. He next played Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production A Soldier’s Play in 1981.

A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in NBC’s television hospital drama St. Elsewhere, which ran from 1982 to 1988. He was one of only a few African-American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. He also appeared in several television, motion picture, and stage roles, such as the films A Soldier’s Story in 1984, Hard Lessons in 1986, and Power in 1986. In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Steven Biko in Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom.

In 1989, Washington appeared in the film Glory. That same year, he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn; and in For Queen and Country. In 1990, Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo’ Better Blues. Next year, he starred as Demetrius Williams in the romantic drama Mississippi Masala. Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, the title character of 1992’s Malcolm X.

His performance as the black nationalist leader earned him another nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Also that year, he established the production company Mundy Lane Entertainment. The next year, he played a role in the 1993 film Philadelphia. During the early and mid-1990s, Denzel Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts in 1993, and Crimson Tide with Gene Hackman in 1995, as well as the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

In 1996, he played a role in Courage Under Fire with Meg Ryan. That same year, he appeared with Whitney Houston in the romantic comedy The Preacher’s Wife. Two years later Denzel starred in Spike Lee’s film He Got Game. The film was Washington’s third collaboration with Lee. The same year he starred in Gregory Hoblit’s Fallen with John Goodman and Donald Sutherland.

In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a film about boxer Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. He received a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role. Also in 1999, Washington starred alongside Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector, which although twice as successful at the box office, was not as well-received by critics.

In 2000, Washington appeared in the Disney film Remember the Titans which grossed over $100 million in the U.S. At the 57th Golden Globe Awards, Washington won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his work in

The Hurricane. He was the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963.

Denzel Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2001 cop thriller Training Day. He was the second African-American actor to win the category after Sidney Poitier, who was presented with an Honorary Academy Award the same night. After appearing in 2002’s box office success, the healthcare-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred.

Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Out of Time, Man on Fire, and The Manchurian Candidate. In 2006, he starred in Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, released in March, and Déjà Vu.

In 2007, Washington co-starred with Russell Crowe for the second time in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster. He also directed and starred in the drama The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker. He next appeared in Tony Scott’s 2009 film The Taking of Pelham 123 opposite John Travolta.

In 2010, Washington played Troy Maxson, opposite Viola Davis, in the Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Fences, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He also starred in The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Also, in 2010, he starred in the action film Unstoppable. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott.

In 2012, Washington starred in Flight, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House, where he prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns, alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in The Equalizer, an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua.

In 2016, Washington starred in the remake of the 1960 western film of the same name, The Magnificent Seven, alongside Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.

That same year the actor directed and acted in the film Fences, co-starring Viola Davis and based on Wilson’s play of the same name, with a script by Wilson. For his performance, Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award. The film was nominated for three other Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and won Davis her first Oscar, in the Best Supporting Actress category.

In 2017, Washington starred in the legal drama film Roman J. Israel, Esq.. While the film received mixed reviews, his performance was praised by critics. Next year, Denzel reprised his role of Robert McCall for The Equalizer 2. After a gap of one year, the actor starred in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, opposite Viola Davis. In 2021, the actor appeared in The Little Things and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Denzel Washington will next appear in A Journal for Jordan.

Stats

Date of Birth: 28th December 1954

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 90 kg

Filmography
1981: Carbon Copy
1984: A Soldier’s Story
1986: Power, The George McKenna Story
1987: Cry Freedom
1988: For Queen and Country
1989: The Mighty Quinn, Glory
1990: Heart Condition, Mo’ Better Blues
1991: Mississippi Masala, Ricochet
1992: Malcolm X
1993: Much Ado About Nothing, The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia
1995: Crimson Tide, Virtuosity, Devil in a Blue Dress
1996: Courage Under Fire, The Preacher’s Wife
1998: Fallen, He Got Game, The Siege
1999: The Bone Collector, The Hurricane
2000: Remember the Titans
2001: Training Day
2002: John Q., Antwone Fisher
2003: Out of Time
2004: Man on Fire, The Manchurian Candidate
2006: Inside Man, Déjà Vu
2007: American Gangster, The Great Debaters
2009: The Taking of Pelham 123
2010: The Book of Eli, Unstoppable
2012: Safe House, Flight
2013: 2 Guns
2014: The Equalizer
2016: The Magnificent Seven, Fences
2017: Roman J. Israel, Esq.
2018: The Equalizer 2
2020: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
2021: The Little Things, The Tragedy of Macbeth, A Journal for Jordan

Awards

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama, Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play, Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture

Latest Articles

When Denzel Washington Did Something Which Was ‘Weirdly Uncalled For’ During An Interview With Katie Couric

Denzel Washington Photobombs A Couple’s Wedding Photoshoot In New York & We Are Living For Moments Like These!

Denzel Washington Recalls Suggesting Chadwick Boseman To Marry Taylor Simone Ledward

Controversy

Denzel Washington was under fire due to the controversial ending of his latest film, The Little Things, which shows two policemen killing innocent people. The backlash started due to the timing of the movie’s release, as the tension is high in regard to police brutality.

FAQs

Q. Does Denzel Washington have kids?

A. Yes, Denzel Washington has four kids. Actor John David Washington, director Malcolm Washington, actress Olivia Washington and Katia Washington.

Q. What is Denzel Washington’s net worth?

A. According to Celebrity net worth, the actor’s net worth is $280 million.

Q. Is Denzel Washington married?

A. Yes, Denzel is married to actress Pauletta Washington since 1983.