Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Philip Chandler for six years. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s.
In 2008, Denzel Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African American artists in honor of the Jewish state’s 60th birthday. In 2011 he donated $2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theatre department, as well as $250,000 for a theatre-specific scholarship to Fordham.
Denzel Washington is a native of Mt. Vernon, NY, and graduated from Fordham University, where he majored in drama. He spent a year at San Francisco’s prestigious American Conservatory Theatre before beginning his professional acting career. Since then, Washington’s unforgettable performances have garnered him two Academy Awards®, three Golden Globes, and countless other awards.
Denzel Washington’s professional acting career began in New York, where he performed in theatre productions such as “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men” and “Othello.” He rose to fame when he landed the role as Dr. Phillip Chandler on the NBC long-running hit television series, “St. Elsewhere.” His other television credits include “The George McKenna Story,” “License to Kill,” and “Wilma.”
As Washington crossed over into the world of film, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of real life figures. He earned his first Oscar®nomination for Cry Freedom, as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. From there, he went on to portray Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X, boxerRubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane, football coachHerman Boone in Remember the Titans, poet and educatorMelvin B. Tolsonin The Great Debaters, and drug kingpinFrank LucasinAmerican Gangster.
Washington received his first Academy Award® for the historical war drama Glory and his second for his portrayal of the corrupt cop in the crime thriller, Training Day. Washington won a Tony Award for his performance in Fences, during his return to Broadway in the 2000’s.
In Unstoppable, Washington reunited with director Tony Scott for the fifth time, following Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Washington can also be seen in 2 Guns (2013), alongside Mark Walberg, and The Equalizer, an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua (2014).
In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, cementing his legacy in Hollywood.
Denzel Washington Filmography
2017 The Equalizer 2
2016 Fences
2016 The Magnificent Seven
2014 The Equalizer
2013 2 Guns
2012 Flight
2012 Safe House
2010 Unstoppable
2010 The Book of Eli
2009 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
2007 The Great Debaters
2007 American Gangster
2006 Deja Vu
2006 Inside Man
2004 The Manchurian Candidate
2004 Man on Fire
2003 Out of Time
2002 Antwone Fisher
2002 John Q
2001 Training Day
2000 Remember the Titans
1999 The Hurricane
1999 The Bone Collector
1998 The Siege
1998 He Got Game
1998 Fallen
1996 The Preacher’s Wife
1996 Courage Under Fire
1995 Devil in a Blue Dress
1995 Virtuosity
1995 Crimson Tide
1993 Philadelphia
1993 The Pelican Brief
1993 Much Ado About Nothing
1992 Malcolm X
1991 Ricochet
1991 Mississippi Masala
1990 Mo’ Better Blues
1990 Heart Condition
1989 Glory
1989 The Mighty Quinn
1988 For Queen & Country
1987 Cry Freedom
1986 Power
1984 A Soldier’s Story
1984 License to Kill
1981 Carbon Copy
1979 Flesh & Blood
1977 Wilma
1974 Death Wish (uncredited)
