Birthdate: December 28, 1954
Birthplace: Mount Vernon, New York
Occupations: Actor, Director, Producer
Quote: "Acting is not life, those children are life...I don't
want to be that person who says, 'Oh, God, I wasn't there. I was more
thinking about me than them.' My career has been enhanced by family,
stability, having birthday parties. If I didn't have a family, what
would I be doing this weekend?" - USA Weekend, January 9-11, 1998
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Claim to Fame: Played Dr. Phillip Chandler, an insecure young resident,
on the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982-88)
Significant Other(s):
Wife: Pauletta Pearson (aka Paulette Washington), actress, singer, pianist; born
1951; married 1983; renewed vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu
officiating (1995)
Family:
Father: Denzel Washington, reverend with Church of God in Christ; divorced
Washington's mother
Mother: Lynne Washington, beautician; divorced
Sister: Lorice; older
Brother: David
Son: John David, actor; born 1984
Daughter: Katia; born 1987
Son: Malcolm; born April 10, 1991; named after Malcolm X; twin of Olivia
Daughter: Olivia; twin of Malcolm
Biography
With his matinee idol looks and finely honed acting skills, the stage-trained
Washington worked steadily in TV before emerging in the 1990s as one of
Hollywood's elite society of bankable black film stars. He first received notice
playing Dr. Phillip Chandler, an insecure young resident, on the well-regarded
medical drama series, St. Elsewhere (NBC, 1982-88). Washington's film career,
after an inauspicious debut as George Segal's illegitimate son in the inane
comedy Carbon Copy (1981), was spurred by his riveting performance as the
outspoken recruit in A Soldier's Story (1984). He garnered additional kudos
playing the supporting role of South African activist Steven Biko in Cry Freedom
(1987), resulting in his first Academy Award nomination.
Filmography
We All Have Tales: Anansi
John Q. (2002)
Half Past Autumn: The Life and Art of Gordon Parks (2001)
Training Day (2001)
Remember The Titans (2000)
The Bone Collector (1999)
The Hurricane (1999)
Fallen (1998)
He Got Game (1998)
The Siege (1998)
Courage Under Fire (1996)
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
Crimson Tide (1995)
Virtuosity (1995)
Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream (1995)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1994)
Rabbit Ears: John Henry (1993)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Philadelphia (1993)
Liberators (1992)
Malcolm X (1992)
Anansi (1991)
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Ricochet (1991)
Heart Condition (1990)
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
St. Elsewhere Special Release, Vol. 1 (198?)
St. Elsewhere, Vol. 2 (198?)
Glory (1989)
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
For Queen and Country (1989)
National Geographic Video: Baka - People of the Forest (1988)
Cry Freedom (1987)
The George McKenna Story (1986)
Power (1986)
License to Kill (1984)
A Soldier's Story (1984)
St. Elsewhere, Vol. 1 (1982)
Carbon Copy (1981)
Flesh and Blood (1979)
Wilma (1977)
The Wilma Rudolph Story (1977)
Awards:
1981: Audelco Award: When the Chicken Comes Home to Roost
1981: Obie: Distinguished Ensemble Performance, A Soldier's Play
1989: Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Glory
1989: Oscar: Best Supporting Actor, Glory
1992: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Actor, Malcolm X
1992: Boston Film Critics Association: Best Actor, Malcolm X
1992: NAACP Image: Best Actor, Mississippi Masala
1992: Berlin Film Festival: Silver Bear Award: Best Actor, Malcolm X
1993: MTV Movie Award: Best Male Performance, Malcom X
1996: NAACP Image: Best Performance in an Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or
Children's Series/Special, Happily Ever After: Rumpelstiltskin
1996: NAACP Image: Best Motion-Picture Actor, Crimson Tide
1996: NAACP Image: Entertainer of the Year
1997: ShoWest Actor of the Year
1997: NAACP Image: Best Motion-Picture Actor, Courage Under Fire
1997: NAACP Image: Entertainer of the Year
1997: NAACP Image: Best Performance in an Animated/Live-Action/Dramatic Youth or
Children's Series/Special, Happily Ever After: Mother Goose
1999: Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), The Hurricane
2000: NAACP Image Award: Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, The Hurricane
Factoids:
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People (1990)
Education:
Fordham University, Bronx, New York; B.A., journalism, 1977
American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco, California; studied for one year,
then moved to L.A.
Studied acting with Wynn Handman
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