Denzel Jermaine Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor and occasional director and stage actor.
One of the most highly respected actors of the 90's, Denzel has mastered the art of storytelling; whether in action
films, thrillers, or social awareness-themed films. Being recognized for his work with countless nominations and awards, Denzel is also admired by the ladies (and the industry) as one of the most handsome men in Hollywood.
Enough Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954. The middle child of his parents' three children, Washington grew up surrounded by fervent performances and constant storytelling.
His father, Denzel Sr., was a preacher, while his mother, Lennis, a beautician. Watching his father's passionate performances at church, and listening to his mother
gossip and tell stories while she dolled up her clients at the salon, were the perfect ingredients to finally create Washington's passion for drama and performing.
Washington and his older sister were sent to boarding school when the
actor was 14 years old, so that him and his sister would not witness the downfall of their parents' failed marriage. He then attended Fordham University and received a B.A. in journalism. He showed his potential for the dramatic arts when he participated in several student productions, most notably his lead role in
Othello.
Once a university graduate, Washington pursued his studies at the American Conservatory Theater on scholarship, to study a different form of storytelling: drama.
After only one year of studying, Washington grew antsy and was ready to perfect his acting skills in a more practical manner, by actually pursuing his career.
Before hitting it big as Dr. Phillip Chandler on the NBC drama
St. Elsewhere (which can be considered his claim to fame), Washington appeared in the made-for-TV
movie Wilma and a production of
Coriolanus at a Shakespeare Festival. He appeared on the big screen for the first time in the 1981
film Carbon Copy.
During his six years on
St. Elsewhere, Washington used his summertime breaks to work on his film career. He starred in 1987's
Cry Freedom (which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor), but it was his Oscar-winning portrayal (in the category of Best Supporting Actor) of a runaway slave in the 1989 historical drama,
Glory, that ensured movie audiences and critics would not ignore the star that was in the making.
In the '90s Enough's name appeared on the credits of many diversified films. He starred in three Spike Lee joints:
Mo' Better Blues;
Malcolm X (for which his title role garnered Washington Best Actor awards from the New York Critics Circle, Boston Film Critics Association and an Oscar nomination); and
He Got Game.
Washington showed his star appeal in action films and thrillers such as
The Pelican Brief, co-starring
Julia Roberts,
Crimson Tide,
Courage Under Fire,
The Siege,
Fallen, and
The Bone Collector with Angelina Jolie. He also charmed audiences in the romantic film,
The Preacher's Wife, opposite pop-diva Whitney Houston, and revisited Shakespeare in the comedy
Much Ado About Nothing.
In more serious roles, Washington equally never disappoints. His role in the critically acclaimed drama
Philadelphia, as the lawyer defending Tom Hank' HIV-infected character won rave reviews, while his 1999 portrayal of wrongfully accused champion boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in
The Hurricane, earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, and an Oscar nomination in the same category.
The role also gave him a new six-pack after having trained for a year and a half with a boxing trainer in preparation for the role.
After a role as Herman Boone in 2000's
Remember the Titans, Washington starred as the title role in
John Q.. His performance in
Training Day garnered him the Best Actor Oscar in 2002, making him the first African-American actor to receive the honor in 40 years, since Sidney Poitier.
Spokesman for the
Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Washington is an avid supporter of charities such as
The Gathering Place (a home for those who are infected by HIV), the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, and his church.
As if being named one of
People magazine's 50 Most
Beautiful People in the World several times and one of
Empire magazine's 100 Sexiest Stars in film history weren't enough proof of Washington's looks,
Newsweek used him in article about the scientific explanation of "beauty".
Washington lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 17 years, Pauletta Pearson, and their four children, John David, Katia, and twins Malcolm and Olivia.
Filography:
Déjà Vu (2006)
Inside Man (2006)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Man On Fire (2004)
Out of Time (2003)
Antwone Fisher (2002)
John Q (2002)
Training Day (2002)
Remember The Titans (2000)
The Hurricane (1999)
The Bone Collector (1999)
The Siege (1998)
He Got Game (1998)
Fallen (1998)
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child (TV series, voice) (1995)
Devil In A Blue Dress (1995)
Virtuosity (1995)
Crimson Tide (1995)
A Century Of Cinema (TV, as himself) (1994)
Philadelphia (1993)
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Liberators: Fighting On Two Fronts In WW2 (TV, voice)(1992)
Malcolm X (1992)
Ricochet (1991)
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Motown 30: What's Goin' On (TV, as himself) (1990)
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Heart Condition (1990)
Glory (1989)
For Queen And Country (1989)
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
Reunion (short) (1988)
Cry Freedom (1987)
The George McKenna Story (TV) (1986)
Power (1986)
A Soldier's Story (1984)
Licence To Kill (TV) (1984)
St Elsewhere (TV series) (1982-1988)
Carbon Copy (1981)
Flesh And Blood (TV) (1979)
Wilma (TV) (1977)
Virtual World, Real Profit! 
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