diff --git "a/00255b3e-abb0-4a1d-9222-866460a52962.json" "b/00255b3e-abb0-4a1d-9222-866460a52962.json"
new file mode 100644--- /dev/null
+++ "b/00255b3e-abb0-4a1d-9222-866460a52962.json"
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+{
+ "interaction_id": "00255b3e-abb0-4a1d-9222-866460a52962",
+ "search_results": [
+ {
+ "page_name": "Denzel Washington | Fordham",
+ "page_url": "https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/hall-of-honor/denzel-washington/",
+ "page_snippet": "Fordham University Hall of Honor member.Fordham University Hall of Honor member.",
+ "page_result": "\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Denzel Washington | Fordham\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n
\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n
Denzel Washington
\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n\t
\r\n \r\n
\n
Denzel Washington Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Class of 1977 Academy Award-Winning Actor (Inducted in 2012)
\n
When Denzel Washington commits to something, his commitment endures\u2014whether it be to a role, a charity, his alma mater, or his family.
\n
Not only has he become a tremendous box-office star and one of the great actors of our time, but he is a dedicated father and husband, a longtime spokesman for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and a champion of theater education at Fordham. The two-time Oscar winner served on the University\u2019s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2000, and returns occasionally to the Lincoln Center campus to inspire theater students with his advice and success. In 2011, he established the Denzel Washington Endowed Chair in Theatre with a $2 million gift to Fordham, and made a $250,000 gift to establish a scholarship fund for theater students.
\n
In creating the endowed professorship and scholarship, the Mt. Vernon, New York, native said he hoped to \u201coffer the next generation of students positive influences,\u201d like the kind he received from his Fordham mentor, the late actor Robinson Stone, Ph.D. Washington carries with him on location a recommendation letter written by the English professor and theater teacher, in which Stone predicts the actor\u2019s talent will \u201cbe among the most exciting and fulfilling of our time.\u201d
\n
Washington clearly proved him right. The year he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in theater from Fordham, he was cast in the television film Wilma. But it was his stage performance in A Soldier\u2019s Play that impressed NBC\u2019s St. Elsewhere producers, who cast him as Dr. Phillip Chandler in the hit series.
\n
In 1991, Fordham awarded Washington an honorary doctorate for \u201cexploring the edge of his multifaceted talent,\u201d and he went on to push those edges even further. His career includes five Oscar nominations and two wins\u2014for Training Day and Glory\u2014among dozens of other acting and directing accolades, including several for his powerful portrayal of civil rights leader Malcolm X in Spike Lee\u2019s 1992 film.
\n
Critics routinely describe his work with words like electric, high voltage, and fiery. When he wants to \u201cget better,\u201d he told Fordham students in 2005, he returns to the stage, where he won a Tony Award for Fences in 2010.
\n
As national spokesman for the Boys and Girls Clubs since 1992, Washington wrote the introduction for A Hand to Guide Me, a 2006 book on mentorship celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Clubs. \u201cA single blessing is all the bounty in the world,\u201d he wrote, \u201cand if you\u2019ve been blessed at all you\u2019re meant to pass some of that on.\u201d
\n
\r\n\t
\r\n \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n\r\n\r\n",
+ "page_last_modified": ""
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Denzel Washington - Wikipedia",
+ "page_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzel_Washington",
+ "page_snippet": "He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: "I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours."His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department, and worked at a local S. Klein department store. Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. The New York Times gave the film it's Critic's Pick with Vincent Canby declaring, \"In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for \"Malcolm X\" what Ben Kingsley did for \"Gandhi\". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement\". He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: \"I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours.\" Instead, he earned a BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977. At Fordham, he played collegiate basketball as a guard under coach P. J. Carlesimo. Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. In a career spanning over four decades, Washington has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954. His mother, Lennis \"Lynne\", was a beauty parlor owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem, New York. His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department, and worked at a local S. Klein department store.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\nDenzel Washington - Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJump to content\n
Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he was 14, his parents divorced and his mother sent him to the private preparatory school Oakland Military Academy in New Windsor, New York. Washington later said, \"That decision changed my life, because I wouldn't have survived in the direction I was going. The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them.\"[8] After Oakland, he attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1970 to 1971.[5] \n
He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: \"I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours.\"[9] Instead, he earned a BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977.[10] At Fordham, he played collegiate basketball as a guard[11] under coach P. J. Carlesimo.[12] After a period of indecision on which major to study and taking a semester off, Washington worked as creative arts director of the overnight summer camp at Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.[13]\n
1976\u20131989: Early roles and rise to prominence
\n
Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning,[15][16] the Maryland State play, which was written for him by incorporating an African-American character/narrator based loosely on the historical figure from early colonial Maryland, Mathias de Sousa.[15]\n
\nShortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television film Wilma which was a docudrama about sprinter Wilma Rudolph, and made his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. He shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-BroadwayNegro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981.[17]
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 (1984), Hard Lessons (1986) and Power (1986). In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Stephen Biko in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.\n
In 1989, Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory. That same year, he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn; and in For Queen and Country, where he played the conflicted and disillusioned Reuben James, a British soldier who, despite a distinguished military career, returns to a civilian life where racism and inner city life lead to vigilantism and violence.\n
\n
1990\u20131999: Hollywood stardom and acclaim
\n
In the summer of 1990, Washington had appeared in the title role of the Public Theater's production of William Shakespeare's Richard III. Mel Gussow of The New York Times praised Washington as \"an actor of range and intensity, is expert at projecting a feeling of controlled rage\".[18] Also that year Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues. Charles Murray of Empire praised Washington's performance as a \"taut portrayal of the driven musician\" and \"like all Lee\u2019s film, Mo\u2019 Better Blues is a real ensemble piece, and the standard of the performances is uniformly excellent: but Washington [and] Lee deserve extra plaudits.\"[19]\n
Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, the title character of the historical epic Malcolm X (1992). The New York Times gave the film it's Critic's Pick with Vincent Canby declaring, \"In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for \"Malcolm X\" what Ben Kingsley did for \"Gandhi\". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement\".[21] 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.[22] The next year, he played the lawyer defending a gay man with AIDS played by Tom Hanks in the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia (1993). Sight & Sound wrote, \"Casting Washington in the lead guaranteed the film the black audience that otherwise might not have had much interest in the problems of a rich white homosexual with Aids. But Aids is rampant in inner cities, where it attacks not just gay men, but IV drug users and women.\"[23]\n
During the early and mid-1990s, 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 directed by Kenneth Branagh. In 1996, he played a U.S. Army officer who investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor in Courage Under Fire, opposite Meg Ryan. Variety wrote, \"All of [the] predicaments are palpably and convincingly registered through Washington\u2019s probing, reserved and sensitively drawn performance in a role that, in another era, might have been played by the likes of a Montgomery Clift or William Holden.\"[24] \n
In 1996, he appeared with Whitney Houston in the romantic comedy The Preacher's Wife.[25] In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film He Got Game. Washington played a father serving a six-year prison term when the prison warden offers him a temporary parole to convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son (Ray Allen) to sign with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film was Washington's third collaboration with Lee.[26] The same year he starred in Gregory Hoblit's supernatural horror film Fallen, with John Goodman, James Gandolfini, and Donald Sutherland.\n
In 1999, Washington starred alongside Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector. Also in 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a film about boxerRubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. Although less successful at the box office than The Bone Collector, Hurricane had a better reception from critics.[27] He received a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his role as Carter. Roger Ebert, film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, wrote of Washington's performance, \"This is one of Denzel Washington's great performances, on a par with his work in Malcolm X.\"[28]\n
\n
2000\u20132009: Established actor and action roles
\nWashington in 2000\n
At the 57th Golden Globe Awards in 2000, Washington won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor \u2013 Motion Picture Drama for his work in The Hurricane. He was the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963.[29][30] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle declared, \"Washington gives a penetrating portrait of life at its most extreme. He takes the viewer into the mind of a man experiencing confinement and physical deprivation. More profoundly, he shows what it's like to deal every day with the torments of wild rage and impotence, despair and hope.\"[31] In 200o, he portrayed Herman Boone, the high school football coach in the Disney sports drama film Remember the Titans which grossed over US$100 million in the U.S.[32] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon wrote, \"Washington is of course the linchpin of Remember the Titans; he's a commanding actor in a commanding role, and as memorable as he was in The Hurricane.[33] \n
In 2002, he starred in the Nick Cassavettes directed healthcare-themed drama John Q. (2002) portraying John Quincy Archibald. Washington acted opposite James Woods, Robert Duvall, and Ray Liotta. The film was a financial success but received mixed reviews with critics praising Washington's performances. BBC film critic Neil Smith wrote, \"What credibility there is comes from Washington's intense, humane performance and the supporting players' sterling attempts to rise above the stereotypical roles with which they have been saddled.\"[36] That same year Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher (2002), in which he also co-starred as a Navy psychiatrist. Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised his direction writing, \"Mr. Washington shows a confident grasp of cinematic narrative in a hearty meat-and-potatoes style. But the most remarkable aspect of his behind-the-camera debut is his brilliantly surefooted handling of actors.\" He also praised his acting adding, \"[He] is so sensitively reactive that his performance seems more lived than acted\".[37]\n
\nWashington after a performance of Julius Caesar in May 2005\n
In 2005, he was back onstage again as Brutus in a Broadway production of Julius Caesar. Theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, \"Washington does not embarrass himself, as leading citizens of Hollywood have been known to do on Broadway. But even brilliantined in the glow of his inescapable fame, he can't help getting lost amid the wandering, mismatched crowd and the heavy topical artillery that have been assembled here.\"[40] Despite mixed reviews, the production's limited run was a consistent sell-out.[41] \n
Washington returned to Broadway playing Troy Maxson, opposite Viola Davis, in the revival of August Wilson's Fences (2010). Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, \"Mr. Washington has the fluid naturalness we associate with good screen actors... face and stance alone provide fascinating (and damning) glimpses into Troy\u2019s attitudes toward his son from an earlier relationships\".[43] Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play on June 13, 2010.[44] That same year, Washington starred in The Book of Eli (2010), a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Also in 2010, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable, about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009).\n
\nWashington at the premiere of The Equalizer in 2014\n
In 2016, Washington directed the film Fences, co-starring Viola Davis and Stephen McKinley Henderson and based on August Wilson's play of the same name, with a script by Wilson. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Washington plays a former Negro league baseball player working as a garbage collector who struggles to provide for his family and come to terms with the events of his life. The film was released on December 16, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, \"Washington, as both actor and director, gets the conversation humming with a speed and alacrity that keeps the audience jazzed...Washington tears through it with a joyful ferocity, like a man possessed.\"[56] For his performance, Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild 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. \n
The following year, Washington starred in the legal drama film Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, \"[He]'s a star player, styling out his character\u2019s complicated and tricky mix of attributes...However contrived, this character is always fully and comfortably inhabited, and Washington brings off the funny moments\".[57] While the film received mixed reviews, his performance was praised by critics and led to nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award, Washington's ninth Oscar nomination overall, and his sixth for Best Actor.\n
Beginning March 22, 2018, Washington starred as Theodore \"Hickey\" Hickman in a Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. The production, directed by George C. Wolfe, began regular performances April 26 and ran for 14 weeks.[58] Washington received positive reviews with Alexis Soloski of The Guardian writing, \" For most of it, Washington is playing Washington, letting his good looks and irrepressible charm do most of the character work, though the play\u2019s most exciting moments are when he lets that charm falter (something he\u2019s also been exploring in his recent film work, too) showing something uglier and more ravaged underneath.\"[59]\n
On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma. They have four children: John David (born July 28, 1984), also an actor and a former football player,[65][66] Katia (born November 27, 1986) who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2010, and twins Olivia and Malcolm (born 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. Malcolm is set to make his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, with Denzel producing and John David starring in it.[67] In 1995, Washington and his wife renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Desmond Tutu officiating.[68]\n
\n
Religious beliefs
\n
He is PentecostalEvangelical Christian and a member of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, located in Los Angeles.[69] He has considered becoming a preacher.[70] 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.\"[71] In 1995, he donated US$2.5million to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles.[72][73] Washington says he reads the Bible daily.[74]\n
\n
Service and recognition
\n
Washington has served as the national spokesman for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993[75] and has appeared in public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization.[76] In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.[77] Due to his philanthropic work with the Boys & Girls Club, PS 17X, a New York City Elementary School decided to officially name their school after Washington.\n
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; this program focuses on building and providing homes for military personnel and their families free of charge while they receive medical care. Washington's other charitable contributions include US$1million to Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund in 1995[78] and US$1million to Wiley College to resuscitate the college's debate team.[79]\n
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\".[82] In 2011, he donated US$2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well as US$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[83] and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011.[84]\n
On October 11, 2021, the United States Army made Washington the 2021 Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army at the Annual Association of the U.S. Army conference for his work with the Fisher House Foundation (providing free homes for military families while receiving medical care). Sergeant Major of the ArmyMichael A. Grinston presented Washington with the award and said that Washington represented everything he was looking for in this year's honoree: humility, dedication to soldiers, and respect for the Army.[85] In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[86]\n
\n\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": " Tue, 12 Mar 2024 09:08:46 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Denzel Washington went to university to become a doctor. He landed ...",
+ "page_url": "https://www.mamamia.com.au/denzel-washington-movies/",
+ "page_snippet": "Born in 1954 in New York City to a middle class family, Denzel Washington went to university to study medicine. "I went to college to be a doctor," he told PopEater, via Digital Spy.Boseman was one of the students who had auditioned and been accepted into the program, but would not be attending because he couldn't afford it. At the 47th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony celebrating Washington, Boseman recounted the story. \"Imagine receiving the letter than your tuition that summer was paid for, and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet,\" the late actor said. \"There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.\" Born in 1954 in New York City to a middle class family, Denzel Washington went to university to study medicine. \"I went to college to be a doctor,\" he told PopEater, via Digital Spy. Denzel Washington engages you through his ability to get inside each character he plays and truly bring them to life so much that you care about their journey. He oozes charisma and has a smile that simply draws you in - as an actor and person. Later that night, while accepting the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, Smith shared what Washington had said to him. \"What I loved was, Denzel said to me a few moments ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful, that\u2019s when the devil comes for you,'\" he recalled.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n Denzel Washington: A look back at his career and family.\n\n\n
During the commercial break following \"the slap\", Washington reportedly joined fellow actors Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper in speaking to an emotional\nSmith.
Later that night, while accepting the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, Smith shared what Washington had said to\nhim.
\"What I loved was, Denzel said to me a few moments ago, he said, 'At your highest moment, be careful, that\u2019s when the devil comes for you,'\" he recalled.
Denzel Washington was also nominated for the award Smith won for his role in The Tragedy of Macbeth.
It was his 10th Academy Award nomination, making him the most nominated Black actor in Oscar history.
Watch the trailer for The Tragedy of Macbeth here. Post continues below.
\n
\n
\n
\n
Video via Apple TV+
\n
\n
\n
But it turns out, becoming an actor was never his plan.
Born in 1954 in New York City to a middle class family, Denzel Washington went to university to study medicine.
\"I went to college to be a doctor,\" he told PopEater, via Digital Spy.
\"I just took a class in acting because they said you can get an easy and good grade in it and I just liked getting good grades easily. It's still true!\"
Taking that class, quite literally, changed his life.
Washington switched his focus and graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Journalism in 1977.
Shortly after graduating, Washington made his acting debut in the made-for-television film Wilma, a biopic about the Olympic gold medallist sprinter Wilma Rudolph.
It was then he met his wife, Pauletta Pearson.
Denzel Washington and Pauletta Pearson in 1990. Image: Getty.\n\n
ADVERTISEMENT
Washington and Pearson both played supporting roles in the film - he portrayed the husband of Rudolph, while she played one of the runners.
It wasn't until the following year they connected, first meeting at a party and then having their own real-life meet-cute at a play.
In a 1996 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Pearson recalled running late to a play and sneaking\nin while the lights were down, sitting in the first available seat.
\"At intermission, the lights came up, and we were sitting next to each other,\" Pearson told Winfrey.
The couple married on June 25, 1983, and have been together ever since.
The year before the couple wed, Washington got his breakthrough role playing Dr. Philip Chandler on the 80s hit medical series St. Elsewhere. He played the doctor for six seasons, from 1982 to 1988.
ADVERTISEMENT
Denzel Washington in St. Elsewhere. Image: 20th Television.\n\n
While working on the series, Washington starred in several motion pictures including A Soldier's Story and Power.
In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Steven Biko in Cry Freedom, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two years later, he won Best Supporting Actor for playing a Civil War pirate in Glory.
From there, Washington's career soared. He's appeared in over 50 movies and has won widespread critical acclaim for his portrayal of real-life figures.
Most notably, playing Muslim minster and human rights activist Malcolm X in the eponymous Spike Lee biopic, football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans, and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster.
Denzel Washington in Malcolm X. Image: Warner Bros.\n\n
ADVERTISEMENT
He also carved out a niche, appearing in action movies and crime thrillers including Training Day (for which he won an Academy Award for), Inside Man and The Equalizer films.
Washington admits there's one role he turned down that he regrets.
Speaking to Jamie Foxx on Off Script, the actor shared that he passed on playing David Mills (Brad Pitt's character) in the cult classic\npsychological thriller, Seven.
\"I thought the script was too demonic,\" he said. \"Then, I saw the movie and thought, 'Oh. I blew it.'\"
Washington has also stepped behind the camera, directing films Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters and Fences, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and performed on stage, winning a Tony Award for his performance\nin the Broadway revival of Fences (before turning into a film).
He says he prefers directing over acting.
\"I\u2019m more interested in directing because I\u2019m more interested in helping others,\" he told The New York Times in\n2021.
\"What I do, what I make, what I made \u2014 all of that \u2014 is that going to help me on the last day of my life? It\u2019s about, 'Who have you lifted up? Who have we made better?'\"
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite a staggeringly impressive career and critical appraise, Washington admits his job comes second to his wife and kids.
\"Acting is just a way of making a living, but family is life. When you experience a child, you know that's life,\" he told The Washington Post.
He and Pearson have four children - John David, Katia, and twins, Olivia and Malcolm. All of them have followed in their parent's footsteps, in one way or another.
John David Washington, Pauletta Washington and Denzel Washington in 2010. Image: Getty.\n\n
ADVERTISEMENT
Katia is a producer who worked on her father's film Fences, and dramas including Pieces of a Woman and Malcolm & Marie.
Olivia is an actor who has appeared in films including The Butler and The Little Things, and Malcolm is a director, producer and writer who's worked on the film Chef.
And most notably, John David has become a leading man himself, starring in motion pictures including BlacKkKlansman, Tenet, and Malcolm & Marie.
John David Washington in Christopher Nolan's Tenet. Image: Warner Bros. Pictures.\n\n
ADVERTISEMENT
Washington, now 67, is also a devout Christian and a true believer in giving back to the community.
The actor famously paid for Chadwick Boseman to attend the prestigious Midsummer program held by the British American Drama Academy back when the future Black Panther star was a student at Howard University.
Boseman was one of the students who had auditioned and been accepted into the program, but would not be attending because he couldn't afford it.
At the 47th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony celebrating Washington, Boseman recounted the story.
\"Imagine receiving the letter than your tuition that summer was paid for, and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet,\" the late actorsaid.
\"There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington.\"
Feature Image: 20th Television and Getty.
Love watching TV and movies? Take our survey now to go in the running to win a $100 gift voucher.
Denzel Washington engages you through his ability to get inside each character he plays and truly bring them to life so much that you care about their journey. He oozes charisma and has a smile that simply draws you in - as an actor and person.
\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": ""
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Denzel Washington - Movies, Age & Son",
+ "page_url": "https://www.biography.com/actors/denzel-washington",
+ "page_snippet": "Denzel Washington first studied journalism at Fordham University but then discovered an interest in acting. He made his feature film debut in the comedy A Carbon Copy (1981) and was cast on the hit TV medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982-88). He went on to appear in several hit movies, including ...Actor Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in an array of feature films, including 'Glory,' 'Malcolm X,' 'Training Day' and 'Fences.' ... Denzel Washington first studied journalism at Fordham University but then discovered an interest in acting. Denzel Washington first studied journalism at Fordham University but then discovered an interest in acting. He made his feature film debut in the comedy A Carbon Copy (1981) and was cast on the hit TV medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982-88). He went on to appear in several hit movies, including Philadelphia, Man on Fire, The Book of Eli, American Gangster and Flight, and won Oscars for his roles in Glory and Training Day. Washington married actress Pauletta Pearson in 1983; they have four children. Their oldest son, John David, was drafted in 2006 by the NFL's St. Louis Rams and pursued a career in professional football, before following his dad's footsteps into acting. Their other children are daughter Katia and twins Olivia and Malcolm. ... Best Known For: Actor Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in an array of feature films, including 'Glory,' 'Malcolm X,' 'Training Day' and 'Fences.' Washington went to Fordham University, but he proved to be a poor student initially. After taking some time away from college, he returned to the university with a new interest in acting and graduated with a B.A. in Drama and Journalism in 1977. Washington later won a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and afterward worked with the Shakespeare in the Park ensemble.",
+ "page_result": "Denzel Washington - Movies, Age & Son
Actor Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in an array of feature films, including 'Glory,' 'Malcolm X,' 'Training Day' and 'Fences.'
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
(1954-)
Who Is Denzel Washington?
Denzel Washington first studied journalism at Fordham University but then discovered an interest in acting. He made his feature film debut in the comedy A Carbon Copy (1981) and was cast on the hit TV medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982-88). He went on to appear in several hit movies, including Philadelphia, Man on Fire, The Book of Eli, American Gangster and Flight, and won Oscars for his roles in Glory and Training Day. He received an Oscar nomination for his starring role in 2016's Fences, an adaptation of August Wilson's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play, and for the 2017 film Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Early Life and Acting Career
Washington was born on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the son of a Pentecostal minister and a beauty shop owner and has two siblings. Washington first took the stage around the age of seven, appearing in a talent show at his local Boys & Girls Club. The club provided him with a safe place to be and to keep him out of trouble. At 14, his parents divorced and he and his older sister were sent away to boarding school.
Washington went to Fordham University, but he proved to be a poor student initially. After taking some time away from college, he returned to the university with a new interest in acting and graduated with a B.A. in Drama and Journalism in 1977. Washington later won a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and afterward worked with the Shakespeare in the Park ensemble.
Movies and TV
Washington made his feature film debut in the comedy A Carbon Copy (1981). He also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions and in television movies before being cast in a starring role in the hit television medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982\u201388). Washington grabbed his first of five Oscar nominations for Cry Freedom (1987), playing real-life South African apartheid martyr Steve Biko. He later won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Glory (1989).
Washington appeared in several notable films throughout the 1990s, including Spike Lee collaborations like the jazz outing Mo\u2019 Better Blues (1990) and biopic Malcolm X (1992), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Other projects from this era included The Pelican Brief (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), Courage Under Fire (1996) and The Hurricane (1999), for which he received a Golden Globe for best actor and another Oscar nomination.
In 2001, Washington received his second Oscar (this time in a leading role) for the cop thriller Training Day. The following year, he directed his first film, the biographical drama Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred. Several hits followed, including Man on Fire (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and Lee's Inside Man (2006), which co-starred Jodie Foster and Clive Owen.
Washington once again stepped behind the camera for the historical The Great Debaters (2007), which profiled a winning African American debate team. That same year, he portrayed Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin from Harlem, in American Gangster, opposite Russell Crowe. In 2009, Washington starred as MTA Dispatcher Walter Garber in the remake of the classic film The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, opposite John Travolta.
Continuing to explore a range of roles, Washington starred in the 2010 futuristic tale The Book of Eli. That same year, he won a Tony Award for his work in Fences, a revival of the August Wilson classic drama. He landed a $20 million payday for the 2012 action thriller Safe House, in which he played a CIA agent gone rogue, and the film grossed more than $200 million worldwide.
Washington also headlined the comparatively low-budget drama Flight in 2012, earning accolades and his sixth Oscar nomination for his performance as a pilot with substance abuse problems. He then teamed up with Mark Wahlberg for the 2013 crime drama 2 Guns and scored another action hit in 2014 with The Equalizer.
In early 2016, Washington received the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at its annual Golden Globe telecast. Later that year, he directed and starred in the film adaptation of Fences. For his on-screen role in the film, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actor.
The following year, Washington was credited with helping to hold together the uneven Roman J. Israel, Esq., earning Golden Globe and Oscar nods for Best Actor. In July 2018, Washington reprised his Equalizer role for its sequel, The Equalizer 2.
Recent Theater Work
Besides his work in Fences in 2010, Washington played the leading role in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway in 2014, to critical acclaim. Continuing his work on stage, he starred in the Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh in 2018, playing Theodore "Hickey" Hickman.
Wife and Children
Washington married actress Pauletta Pearson in 1983; they have four children. Their oldest son, John David, was drafted in 2006 by the NFL's St. Louis Rams and pursued a career in professional football, before following his dad's footsteps into acting. Their other children are daughter Katia and twins Olivia and Malcolm.
QUICK FACTS
Name: Denzel Washington
Birth Year: 1954
Birth date: December 28, 1954
Birth State: New York
Birth City: Mount Vernon
Birth Country: United States
Gender: Male
Best Known For: Actor Denzel Washington has earned popular and critical acclaim for his roles in an array of feature films, including 'Glory,' 'Malcolm X,' 'Training Day' and 'Fences.'
Industries
Action
Drama
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Schools
Fordham University
American Conservatory Theater
Fact Check
We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us!
No matter how big a movie is, I never want it to be just another gig.
I think we all have some point in our lives where we\u2019ve gone too far and you have to come back.
My professional work is being a better actor. I don't know how to be a celebrity.
I called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was like, 'Does that mean I can never have wine again?'
I'm not a liberal or a conservative completely. Who is? Or why do you have to be? You assess the pros, the cons, of both sides and you make an intelligent decision.
Acting is just a way of making a living, the family is life.
Acting's like someone asking you for years to write the characters, but they write the book.
Man gives you the award but God gives you the reward.
If I am a cup maker, I'm interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.
If you don't trust the pilot, don't go.
Do what you got to do so that you can do what you want to do. And fail big.
",
+ "page_last_modified": ""
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Denzel Washington - Wikipedia",
+ "page_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzel_Washington",
+ "page_snippet": "He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: "I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours."His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department, and worked at a local S. Klein department store. Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. The New York Times gave the film it's Critic's Pick with Vincent Canby declaring, \"In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for \"Malcolm X\" what Ben Kingsley did for \"Gandhi\". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement\". He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: \"I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours.\" Instead, he earned a BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977. At Fordham, he played collegiate basketball as a guard under coach P. J. Carlesimo. Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. In a career spanning over four decades, Washington has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954. His mother, Lennis \"Lynne\", was a beauty parlor owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem, New York. His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department, and worked at a local S. Klein department store.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\nDenzel Washington - Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJump to content\n
Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he was 14, his parents divorced and his mother sent him to the private preparatory school Oakland Military Academy in New Windsor, New York. Washington later said, \"That decision changed my life, because I wouldn't have survived in the direction I was going. The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them.\"[8] After Oakland, he attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1970 to 1971.[5] \n
He was interested in attending Texas Tech University: \"I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours.\"[9] Instead, he earned a BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977.[10] At Fordham, he played collegiate basketball as a guard[11] under coach P. J. Carlesimo.[12] After a period of indecision on which major to study and taking a semester off, Washington worked as creative arts director of the overnight summer camp at Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.[13]\n
1976\u20131989: Early roles and rise to prominence
\n
Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning,[15][16] the Maryland State play, which was written for him by incorporating an African-American character/narrator based loosely on the historical figure from early colonial Maryland, Mathias de Sousa.[15]\n
\nShortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television film Wilma which was a docudrama about sprinter Wilma Rudolph, and made his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. He shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-BroadwayNegro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981.[17]
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 (1984), Hard Lessons (1986) and Power (1986). In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Stephen Biko in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom, for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.\n
In 1989, Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory. That same year, he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn; and in For Queen and Country, where he played the conflicted and disillusioned Reuben James, a British soldier who, despite a distinguished military career, returns to a civilian life where racism and inner city life lead to vigilantism and violence.\n
\n
1990\u20131999: Hollywood stardom and acclaim
\n
In the summer of 1990, Washington had appeared in the title role of the Public Theater's production of William Shakespeare's Richard III. Mel Gussow of The New York Times praised Washington as \"an actor of range and intensity, is expert at projecting a feeling of controlled rage\".[18] Also that year Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues. Charles Murray of Empire praised Washington's performance as a \"taut portrayal of the driven musician\" and \"like all Lee\u2019s film, Mo\u2019 Better Blues is a real ensemble piece, and the standard of the performances is uniformly excellent: but Washington [and] Lee deserve extra plaudits.\"[19]\n
Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, the title character of the historical epic Malcolm X (1992). The New York Times gave the film it's Critic's Pick with Vincent Canby declaring, \"In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for \"Malcolm X\" what Ben Kingsley did for \"Gandhi\". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement\".[21] 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.[22] The next year, he played the lawyer defending a gay man with AIDS played by Tom Hanks in the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia (1993). Sight & Sound wrote, \"Casting Washington in the lead guaranteed the film the black audience that otherwise might not have had much interest in the problems of a rich white homosexual with Aids. But Aids is rampant in inner cities, where it attacks not just gay men, but IV drug users and women.\"[23]\n
During the early and mid-1990s, 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 directed by Kenneth Branagh. In 1996, he played a U.S. Army officer who investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor in Courage Under Fire, opposite Meg Ryan. Variety wrote, \"All of [the] predicaments are palpably and convincingly registered through Washington\u2019s probing, reserved and sensitively drawn performance in a role that, in another era, might have been played by the likes of a Montgomery Clift or William Holden.\"[24] \n
In 1996, he appeared with Whitney Houston in the romantic comedy The Preacher's Wife.[25] In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film He Got Game. Washington played a father serving a six-year prison term when the prison warden offers him a temporary parole to convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son (Ray Allen) to sign with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film was Washington's third collaboration with Lee.[26] The same year he starred in Gregory Hoblit's supernatural horror film Fallen, with John Goodman, James Gandolfini, and Donald Sutherland.\n
In 1999, Washington starred alongside Angelina Jolie in The Bone Collector. Also in 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a film about boxerRubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. Although less successful at the box office than The Bone Collector, Hurricane had a better reception from critics.[27] He received a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his role as Carter. Roger Ebert, film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, wrote of Washington's performance, \"This is one of Denzel Washington's great performances, on a par with his work in Malcolm X.\"[28]\n
\n
2000\u20132009: Established actor and action roles
\nWashington in 2000\n
At the 57th Golden Globe Awards in 2000, Washington won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor \u2013 Motion Picture Drama for his work in The Hurricane. He was the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963.[29][30] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle declared, \"Washington gives a penetrating portrait of life at its most extreme. He takes the viewer into the mind of a man experiencing confinement and physical deprivation. More profoundly, he shows what it's like to deal every day with the torments of wild rage and impotence, despair and hope.\"[31] In 200o, he portrayed Herman Boone, the high school football coach in the Disney sports drama film Remember the Titans which grossed over US$100 million in the U.S.[32] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon wrote, \"Washington is of course the linchpin of Remember the Titans; he's a commanding actor in a commanding role, and as memorable as he was in The Hurricane.[33] \n
In 2002, he starred in the Nick Cassavettes directed healthcare-themed drama John Q. (2002) portraying John Quincy Archibald. Washington acted opposite James Woods, Robert Duvall, and Ray Liotta. The film was a financial success but received mixed reviews with critics praising Washington's performances. BBC film critic Neil Smith wrote, \"What credibility there is comes from Washington's intense, humane performance and the supporting players' sterling attempts to rise above the stereotypical roles with which they have been saddled.\"[36] That same year Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher (2002), in which he also co-starred as a Navy psychiatrist. Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised his direction writing, \"Mr. Washington shows a confident grasp of cinematic narrative in a hearty meat-and-potatoes style. But the most remarkable aspect of his behind-the-camera debut is his brilliantly surefooted handling of actors.\" He also praised his acting adding, \"[He] is so sensitively reactive that his performance seems more lived than acted\".[37]\n
\nWashington after a performance of Julius Caesar in May 2005\n
In 2005, he was back onstage again as Brutus in a Broadway production of Julius Caesar. Theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, \"Washington does not embarrass himself, as leading citizens of Hollywood have been known to do on Broadway. But even brilliantined in the glow of his inescapable fame, he can't help getting lost amid the wandering, mismatched crowd and the heavy topical artillery that have been assembled here.\"[40] Despite mixed reviews, the production's limited run was a consistent sell-out.[41] \n
Washington returned to Broadway playing Troy Maxson, opposite Viola Davis, in the revival of August Wilson's Fences (2010). Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, \"Mr. Washington has the fluid naturalness we associate with good screen actors... face and stance alone provide fascinating (and damning) glimpses into Troy\u2019s attitudes toward his son from an earlier relationships\".[43] Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play on June 13, 2010.[44] That same year, Washington starred in The Book of Eli (2010), a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Also in 2010, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable, about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009).\n
\nWashington at the premiere of The Equalizer in 2014\n
In 2016, Washington directed the film Fences, co-starring Viola Davis and Stephen McKinley Henderson and based on August Wilson's play of the same name, with a script by Wilson. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Washington plays a former Negro league baseball player working as a garbage collector who struggles to provide for his family and come to terms with the events of his life. The film was released on December 16, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, \"Washington, as both actor and director, gets the conversation humming with a speed and alacrity that keeps the audience jazzed...Washington tears through it with a joyful ferocity, like a man possessed.\"[56] For his performance, Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild 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. \n
The following year, Washington starred in the legal drama film Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, \"[He]'s a star player, styling out his character\u2019s complicated and tricky mix of attributes...However contrived, this character is always fully and comfortably inhabited, and Washington brings off the funny moments\".[57] While the film received mixed reviews, his performance was praised by critics and led to nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award, Washington's ninth Oscar nomination overall, and his sixth for Best Actor.\n
Beginning March 22, 2018, Washington starred as Theodore \"Hickey\" Hickman in a Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. The production, directed by George C. Wolfe, began regular performances April 26 and ran for 14 weeks.[58] Washington received positive reviews with Alexis Soloski of The Guardian writing, \" For most of it, Washington is playing Washington, letting his good looks and irrepressible charm do most of the character work, though the play\u2019s most exciting moments are when he lets that charm falter (something he\u2019s also been exploring in his recent film work, too) showing something uglier and more ravaged underneath.\"[59]\n
On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma. They have four children: John David (born July 28, 1984), also an actor and a former football player,[65][66] Katia (born November 27, 1986) who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2010, and twins Olivia and Malcolm (born 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. Malcolm is set to make his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, with Denzel producing and John David starring in it.[67] In 1995, Washington and his wife renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Desmond Tutu officiating.[68]\n
\n
Religious beliefs
\n
He is PentecostalEvangelical Christian and a member of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, located in Los Angeles.[69] He has considered becoming a preacher.[70] 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.\"[71] In 1995, he donated US$2.5million to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles.[72][73] Washington says he reads the Bible daily.[74]\n
\n
Service and recognition
\n
Washington has served as the national spokesman for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993[75] and has appeared in public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization.[76] In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.[77] Due to his philanthropic work with the Boys & Girls Club, PS 17X, a New York City Elementary School decided to officially name their school after Washington.\n
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; this program focuses on building and providing homes for military personnel and their families free of charge while they receive medical care. Washington's other charitable contributions include US$1million to Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund in 1995[78] and US$1million to Wiley College to resuscitate the college's debate team.[79]\n
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\".[82] In 2011, he donated US$2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well as US$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[83] and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011.[84]\n
On October 11, 2021, the United States Army made Washington the 2021 Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army at the Annual Association of the U.S. Army conference for his work with the Fisher House Foundation (providing free homes for military families while receiving medical care). Sergeant Major of the ArmyMichael A. Grinston presented Washington with the award and said that Washington represented everything he was looking for in this year's honoree: humility, dedication to soldiers, and respect for the Army.[85] In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[86]\n
![\"Denzel](\"/media/review/content-assets/migrated/images/Denzel_Washington.jpg\")
Denzel Washington![\"\"](\"/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png\"){kind=icon}
\n\t![\"Wikipedia\"](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg\")
\n\t\t![\"The](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg\")
\n\t![\"Page](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/Semi-protection-shackle.svg/20px-Semi-protection-shackle.svg.png\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Denzel_Washington_2018.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Denzel_Washington.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Denzel_Washington_cropped_02.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:DenzelWashingtonMay05.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Denzel_Washington_og_Anne_Hathaway_IMG_6550b.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:The_Equalizer_08_(15310534581).jpg\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png\"){kind=logo}
![\"Edit](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\"){kind=icon}
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/1200x800-687291332240.jpg\")
![](\"https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/2b745da0-f611-404c-9c4d-ad7a002f9e4d/0784a128-fade-473f-b795-af4d005cabcd/image.jpg?size=Medium\")
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/2220x3132.0000000000005-655391236968.jpg\")
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/1370x1826.6666666666667-240528205005.jpg\")
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/900x600-463166645775.jpg\")
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/3600x2294-424428431000.jpg\")
![](\"https://new-cdn.mamamia.com.au/mamamia-pwa.appspot.com/cms_images/variations/2081.75x1387.8333333333333-535411413505.jpg\")
![](\"/assets/img/icon-email-graphic.2b2c8fd.svg\"){kind=icon}
![\"Denzel](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-645661872.jpg?resize=1200:*\" "\\"Denzel")
![\"pinterest\"](\"//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.biography.com/actors/denzel-washington&description=&media=https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-645661872.jpg?resize=1600:*\")
![\"ava](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/ava-duvernay-shutterstock_238417279-600x600.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.997xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Ava")
![\"octavia](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/octavia-spencer-20724237-1-402.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"octavia")
![\"inventor](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/cribdisaster02-65d6403bb24bc.jpg?crop=0.775xw:1.00xh;0.0637xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Garrett")
![\"beyonce](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/beyonc-c3-a9-performs-onstage-during-the-renaissance-world-tour-news-photo-1708535456.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.167xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Beyonce")
![\"frederick](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/frederick-mckinley-jones-chief-engineer-for-thermo-control-news-photo-1707934600.jpg?crop=0.837xw:0.683xh;0.00814xw,0.0876xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"Frederick")
![\"lonnie](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/hfc9g9-65cf77a4cb657.jpg?crop=0.559xw:0.833xh;0.341xw,0.0738xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"Lonnie")
![\"bob](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-78683778.jpg?crop=0.987xw:0.987xh;0.0128xw,0.0128xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"Bob")
![\"james](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/james-baldwin-photo-by-ted-thaithe-life-picture-collectiongetty-images.jpg?crop=0.655xw:0.965xh;0.120xw,0.0354xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"James")
![\"black](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-3090585.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Benjamin")
![\"josephine](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/josephine-baker-1906---1975-lying-on-a-tiger-rug-in-a-silk-evening-gown-and-diamond-earrings-photo-by-hulton-archivegetty-images.jpg?crop=0.748xw:1.00xh;0.125xw,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Josephine")
![\"lewis](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/lewis-latimer-public-domain-64653aba9aafc.png?crop=1.00xw:0.613xh;0,0.0577xh&resize=360:*\" "\\"lewis")
![\"jackie](\"https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-645857858.jpg?crop=1.00xw:1.00xh;0,0&resize=360:*\" "\\"Jackie")
\nTop Comments\n