Birth name Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. NationalityUSA Birth 28 december 1954 (69 years) at Mount Vernon (USA) Awards Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award for Best Actor
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received two Golden Globe awards, a Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for the historical drama-war film Glory (1989) and Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001).
Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1990s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). He has been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of directors Spike Lee and the late Tony Scott.
Biography
On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma. The couple have four children: John David (b. July 28, 1984), a former football player with the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions (and before that, college football at Morehouse); Katia (b. November 27, 1986) who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2010; and twins Olivia and Malcolm (b. April 10, 1991). Malcolm graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in film studies, and Olivia played a role in Lee Daniels's film The Butler. In 1995, Denzel and Pauletta renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.
Washington is a devout Christian, and has considered becoming a preacher. He stated in 1999, "A part of me still says, 'Maybe, Denzel, you're supposed to preach. Maybe you're still compromising.' I've had an opportunity to play great men and, through their words, to preach. I take what talent I've been given seriously, and I want to use it for good." In 1995, he donated $2.5 million to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles. Washington says he reads the Bible daily.
Washington has served as the national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993 and has appeared in public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization. In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.
In mid-2004, Washington visited Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston, where he participated in a Purple Heart ceremony, presenting medals to three Army soldiers recovering from wounds they received while stationed in Iraq. He also visited the fort's Fisher House facilities, and after learning that it had exceeded its capacity, made a substantial donation to the Fisher House Foundation. Washington's other charitable contributions include $1 million to the Children's Fund of South Africa and $1 million to Wiley College to resuscitate the college's debate team.
Washington is an Independent voter. He supported Barack Obama in 2008.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia named Washington as one of three people (the others being directors Oliver Stone and Michael Moore) with whom they were willing to negotiate for the release of three defense contractors the group had held captive from 2003 to 2008.
On May 18, 1991, Washington was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University, for having "impressively succeeded in exploring the edge of his multifaceted talent". In 2011, he donated $2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well as $250,000 to establish a theater-specific scholarship at the school. He also received an honorary doctorate of humanities from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007. and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011.
In 2008, Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African-American artists in honor of the state's 60th birthday.
In April 2014, Washington presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Bryan Cranston, Idina Menzel and Fran Drescher, after raising donations at his Broadway show Raisin in the Sun.
, 2h6 Directed byTony Scott OriginUSA GenresScience fiction, Thriller, Fantastic, Action, Spy, Crime ThemesSpy films, Transport films, Time travel films, Road movies, Alternate history films, Chase films ActorsDenzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Bruce Greenwood, Matt Craven, Jim Caviezel, Paula Patton Roles Doug Carlin Rating70% On Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, the ferry Sen. Alvin T. Stumpf is carrying hundreds of U.S. Navy sailors and their families across the Mississippi River from their base to the city. Suddenly, the ferry explodes and sinks, killing 543 passengers and crew. Special Agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) is sent to investigate and discovers evidence of a bomb planted by a domestic terrorist. Arriving at the scene he hears his unique ring tone coming from a nearby body bag. He then meets with local investigators and FBI Special Agent Paul Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer), and informs them of his findings. He later learns about a charred body pulled from the river, identified as Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton). Unlike the other bodies from the ferry, though, this one appears to have been killed before the explosion.
, 2h9 Directed bySpike Lee OriginUSA GenresDrama, Thriller, Crime ThemesHeist films, Gangster films, Escroquerie ActorsDenzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor Roles Keith Frazier Rating75% Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), seated in what appears to be a jail cell, opens the film with a prologue about having carried out the "perfect robbery". A van is driving from Brooklyn to the Wall Street area. Inside is a team of masked robbers, dressed as painters, who call each other by variants of the name "Steve" (i.e. Steve, Stevie, Stevo). They seize control of a Manhattan bank and take the employees and patrons hostage. They divide the hostages into groups and hold them in different rooms, forcing them to strip and don painters' clothes identical to their own. The robbers rotate the hostages between various rooms and occasionally insert themselves covertly into the groups, while also taking turns working on an unspecified project involving demolishing the floor in one of the bank's storage rooms.
, 2h20 Directed byTony Scott OriginUSA GenresDrama, Thriller, Action, Crime ThemesChildren's films ActorsDenzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony Roles John W. Creasy Rating76% In 2003, burnt-out ex-CIA officer and former U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance officer John Creasy (Denzel Washington) looks for work and reunites with old friend and comrade Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken), who runs a security firm in Mexico. Because of the extremely high rate of kidnappings in Mexico City for ransom money, businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) hires Creasy through Rayburn to guard his nine-year-old daughter "Pita" (Dakota Fanning), intending to keep him on for only a short period in order to renew his kidnap and ransom insurance on Pita. Creasy suffers from alcoholism, depression and severe guilt as a result of his past work as a counterinsurgency fighter and assassin, and so works for Samuel at a rate far below what his experience would command. At first Creasy distances himself socially from Pita, but the two soon develop a friendship, which allows Creasy to overcome his demons and to act as a mentor and surrogate father-figure to the girl.
, 2h Directed byDenzel Washington OriginUSA GenresDrama, Biography, Historical, Romance ThemesFilms about children, Seafaring films, Transport films, Films about child abuse, United States Armed Forces in films ActorsDerek Luke, Malcolm David Kelley, Joy Bryant, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Denzel Washington, Kevin Connolly Roles Dr. Jerome Davenport Rating72% The film focuses on Antwone "Fish" Fisher (Derek Luke), a temperamental young man with a violent history who is serving in the U.S. Navy. His father was killed before he was born and his teenage mother, Eva Mae Fisher, ended up arrested soon after and put in jail, where she gave birth to him. He was then placed in an orphanage until such time as she was released and could claim him. Since she had not yet claimed him, at the age of two Antwone was placed in a foster home run by a supposedly religious couple, Mr. and Mrs. Tate (Ellis Williams and Novella Nelson). There, Antwone faced mental and physical abuse by Mrs. Tate for many years until he finally left the home at age fourteen. After living out on the streets for the next few years, he decided to join the U.S. Navy to make something out of his life. However the rough life he had as child caused him to have a violent temper at this point.
, 1h56 Directed byNick Cassavetes OriginUSA GenresDrama, Thriller, Crime ThemesMedical-themed films ActorsDenzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kimberly Elise, Ray Liotta Roles John Quincy Archibald Rating70% Beginning scene start off with a woman driving on a road and she gets into a car crash with a truck driver killing her. John Quincy Archibald and his wife Denise witness their young son Michael collapse at his baseball game. After a series of tests at the hospital, John is informed by Dr. Raymond Turner and Rebecca Payne, a hospital administrator, that Michael has an enlarged heart and will need a transplant. Because the company he works for dropped John from full-time to part-time, his health insurance has been changed, and the new policy does not cover the surgery, leaving them to raise $75,000 to get their son's name on the donor list. The family tries to raise the money but are only able to come up with a third of the necessary payment. The hospital tires of waiting and releases Michael; Denise urges John to do something. Unwilling to let his child die, John walks into the hospital ER with a handgun, gathers hostages, and sets demands: his son's name on the recipient list as soon as possible. The hostage negotiator, Lt. Frank Grimes, stands down to let John cool off.
, 1h53 Directed byBoaz Yakin OriginUSA GenresDrama ThemesFilms about racism, Sports films, American football films, Children's films ActorsDenzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Donald Faison, Ryan Hurst, Nicole Ari Parker Roles Coach Herman Boone Rating77% In 1971, at the desegregated T. C. Williams High School, a black head coach Herman Boone (Washington) is hired to lead the school's football team. Boone takes over from the current coach Bill Yoast (Patton), nominated for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame. As a show of respect, Boone offers an assistant coordinator coaching position to Yoast. Yoast at first refuses Boone's offer, but reconsiders after the white players pledge to boycott the team if he does not participate. Dismayed at the prospect of the students losing their chances at scholarships, Yoast changes his mind and takes up the position of defensive coordinator.
, 2h15 Directed bySpike Lee OriginUSA GenresDrama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Musical ThemesFilms about music and musicians, Films about racism, Films about television, Hip hop films, Musical films ActorsDamon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson, Michael Rapaport, Mos Def Roles (archive footage) Rating66% Pierre Delacroix (whose real name is Peerless Dothan), is an uptight, Harvard University-educated black man, working for the television network CNS. At work, he has to endure torment from his boss Thomas Dunwitty, a tactless, boorish white man. Not only does Dunwitty talk like an urban black man, and use the word "nigger" repeatedly in conversations, he also proudly proclaims that he is more black than Delacroix and that he can use nigger since he is married to a black woman and has two mixed-race children. Dunwitty frequently rejects Delacroix's scripts for television series that portray black people in positive, intelligent scenarios, dismissing them as "Cosby clones".
, 1h58 Directed byPhillip Noyce OriginUSA GenresDrama, Thriller, Crime ThemesMedical-themed films, Serial killer films, Films about disabilities ActorsDenzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, Luis Guzmán, Mike McGlone Roles Lincoln Rhyme Rating67% The film begins in late 1999. Tetraplegic forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) and a patrol cop, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie), team up to solve a string of murders all connected to a serial killer by his signature: a single shard of bone is removed from each of the victims. Rhyme was paralyzed from the neck down in an earlier accident and is bed-bound and completely reliant on machines and his nurse Thelma (Queen Latifah) to function. He communicates with Amelia via headset as she examines the various crime scenes and collects evidence and reports back to him.
, 1h56 Directed byEdward Zwick OriginUSA GenresDrama, War, Thriller, Action, Crime ThemesFilms about terrorism, Political films, Children's films ActorsDenzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, David Proval, Aasif Mandvi Roles Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard Rating63% Following the bombing of an American military installation in the Middle East (the film shows footage from the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing), the U.S. government orchestrates the capture of the mastermind believed to be behind the attack, Sheikh Ahmed bin Talal. In New York City FBI Special Agent Anthony Hubbard (Washington) and his Lebanese-American partner Frank Haddad (Shalhoub) are told of a hijacked bus, fully loaded with passengers and containing an explosive device. The bomb turns out to be a paint bomb and the terrorists manage to escape. The FBI receives demands to release the sheikh.
, 2h14 Directed bySpike Lee OriginUSA GenresDrama ThemesFilms about music and musicians, Prison films, Sports films, Basketball films, Hip hop films, Gangster films ActorsDenzel Washington, Milla Jovovich, Rosario Dawson, Hill Harper, Ned Beatty, Jill Kelly Roles Jake Shuttlesworth Rating68% Jesus Shuttlesworth (Ray Allen), a top-ranked athlete and student at Lincoln High School in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, is being pursued by the top college basketball programs in the nation. His father, Jake (Denzel Washington), is a convicted felon serving time at Attica Correctional Facility for accidentally killing his wife (Jesus' mother) by pushing her while arguing with Jesus at the age of 12. The father is temporarily released by the governor, an influential alum of "Big State," one of the colleges Jesus is considering, so that he might persuade his son to sign with the governor's college; if successful he'll get an early release from prison.