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)
; "Denzel Washington")
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