17 May, 2012 (updated 10 minutes ago).
| Denzel Washington | |
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 Denzel Washington in 2000 |
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| Born | Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. December 28, 1954 Mount Vernon, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, director, producer |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouse | Pauletta Washington (1983–present) |
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, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas and Herman Boone.
Washington has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, and a Tony Award.[1] He is notable for winning the Best Supporting Actor for Glory in 1989; and the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in the film Training Day.[2]
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Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, near New York City, 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. His father, Reverend Denzel Hayes Washington, Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, served as an ordained Pentecostal minister, and also worked for the Water Department and a local department store, S. Klein.[3][4][5]
Washington attended grammar school at Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he was 14, his parents' marriage fell apart and his mother sent him to a private preparatory school, Oakland Military Academy, in New Windsor, New York. "That decision changed my life," Washington later said, "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."[6] After Oakland, Washington next attended Mainland High School, a public high school in Daytona Beach, Florida, from 1970–71.[3] Washington 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."[7] Washington earned a B.A. in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977.[8] At Fordham he played collegiate basketball as a freshman guard[9] under coach P. J. Carlesimo.[10] After a period of indecision on which major to study and dropping out of school for a semester, Washington worked as a counselor at an overnight summer camp, Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.[11]
Returning to Fordham that fall with a renewed purpose and focus, he enrolled at the Lincoln Center campus to study acting and was given the title roles in both Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones and Shakespeare's Othello. Upon graduation he attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, where he stayed for one year before returning to New York to begin a professional acting career.[12]
Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning, the Maryland State play. He also filmed a series of commercials in the Fruit of the Loom ensemble, as Grapes. Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his professional acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television film Wilma with his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. Washington shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981.[13]
A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in the television hospital drama St. Elsewhere which ran from 1982 to 1988 on NBC. He was one of only a few African American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. Washington also appeared in several television, film and stage roles such as the films A Soldier's Story (1984), Hard Lessons (1986) and Power (1986). In 1987 Washington starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Steven Biko in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1989 Washington won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a defiant self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory. Also that year he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn, and as 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 leads to vigilantism and violence in For Queen and Country.
1991, Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues. In 1992, he starred as Demetrius Williams in the romantic drama Mississippi Masala. Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles as the title character of 1992's Malcolm X. His performance as the black nationalist leader earned him another nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The next year he played the lawyer of a gay man with AIDS in the 1993 film Philadelphia. During the early and mid 1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief and Crimson Tide, as well as in comedy Much Ado About Nothing and alongside Whitney Houston in the romantic drama The Preacher's Wife.[citation needed]
In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film, He Got Game. Washington played a father serving a six year prison term who is propositioned by the warden to a temporary parole on the terms that he must convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son (Ray Allen), into signing with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film also marked the third time that Spike Lee and Washington worked on a film together.[14]
In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane a film about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison. A former reporter who was angry at seeing the film portray Carter as innocent despite the overturned conviction began a campaign to pressure Academy Award voters not to award the film Oscars.[15] Washington did receive a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role.
He also presented the Arthur Ashe ESPY Award to Loretta Claiborne for her courage and appeared as himself in the end of The Loretta Claiborne Story film.[citation needed]
In 2000, Washington appeared in the Disney film Remember the Titans which grossed over $100 million at the United States box office.[16]
When Washington won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Movie in 2000, as he noted: "No African-American has won best actor in the Golden Globes since Sidney Poitier, until I did".[17] That made him the first Black actor to win the award in 36 years.[18]
He won an Academy Award for Best Actor in his next film, the 2001 cop thriller Training Day as Detective Alonzo Harris, a rogue Los Angeles cop with questionable law-enforcement tactics. Washington was the second African-American performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, the first being Sidney Poitier who happened to receive an Honorary Academy Award the same night that Washington won. Washington holds the record (five so far) for most Oscar nominations by an actor of African descent, along with Morgan Freeman since 2009.
After appearing in 2002's box office success, the health care-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred.
Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Out of Time, Man on Fire, and The Manchurian Candidate.[19] In 2006, he starred in Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, and Déjà Vu released in November 2006.
In 2006, Denzel worked alongside multi-talented Irish off-rock band The Script on their new project combining music and Hollywood. The hybrid of genres was critically acclaimed but didn't receive much mainstream attention due to a legal conflicts between The Script's record label and Denzel's studio commitments.
In 2007, he co-starred with Russell Crowe in American Gangster. Washington directed and starred in the drama The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker. Washington next appeared in the 2009 film The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a remake of the 1974 thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, directed by Tony Scott as New York City subway security chief Walter Garber opposite John Travolta.[20]
Washington was last seen onstage in the summer of 1990 in the title role of the Public Theater's production of Shakespeare's Richard III and in 2005, after a 15-year hiatus, he appeared onstage again in another Shakespeare play as Marcus Brutus in Julius Caesar on Broadway. The production's limited run was a consistent sell-out averaging over 100% attendance capacity nightly despite receiving mixed reviews.[21]
In February 2009, Washington began filming The Book of Eli, a post-Apocalyptic drama set in the near future which was released in January 2010. Also the same year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable, about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying a dangerous cargo. The film was directed by Tony Scott, and was the fifth collaboration between the two, after previous films Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009).
On June 13, 2010, Washington won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his role in the play Fences.[22][23] Washington co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in the 2012 film Safe House, and will star in The Matarese Circle.
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), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 and is currently playing with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (John David also played college football at Morehouse);[24] Katia (b. November 27, 1987), who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelors of Arts in 2010; and twins Olivia and Malcolm (b. April 10, 1991) (Malcolm attends the University of Pennsylvania). In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.[25]
Washington is a devout Christian,[26] 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.”[27] In 1995 he donated 2.5 million dollars to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles.[28]
Washington has served as the national spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993.[29] As such, he has been featured in several public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization.[30] In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.
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 that the group had held captive from 2003 to 2008.[31]
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".[32] 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. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007.[33]
In 2008, Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African American artists in honor of the Jewish state's 60th birthday.[34]
Washington is a fan of the New York Yankees. He is good friends with former manager Joe Torre. He is also good friends with comedians Jerry Seinfeld and George Wallace.
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Denzel Washington winning an Oscar - Best Actor, "Training Day" - 74th Annual Academy Awards®
Denzel Washington, internationally renowned actor and director, delivered the address at the University of Pennsylvania's 255th Commencement on Monday, May 16. Washington is one of the nation's preeminent performing artists, having achieved wide acclaim for his film, theatrical and television performances, as well as his accomplishments in film directing and television production. Washington has received the most distinguished accolades of his art, including two Academy Awards and a Tony Award. At Commencement, Washington received an honorary doctor of arts degree.
Penn upenn University of Pennsylvania Commencement
Safe House Trailer When a CIA-operated safe house is targeted by a group of bad guys, the facility's house-sitter is tasked with the dangerous job of moving the criminal who is being hidden there to another secure location. "Safe House 2012" "Safe House HD" "Brendan Gleeson" "Denzel Washington" "Vera Farminga" "Ryan Reynolds" "Robert Patrick" "Sam Shepard" "Daniel Espinosa" "David Guggenheim" "no one is safe"
Safe House 2012 Safe House HD Brendan Gleeson Denzel Washington
this is a scene from the movie malcom x
Denzel Washington american ganster
Read the Transcript: to.pbs.org The NewsHour launches a new series this week examining America's high school dropout crisis. On Wednesday, actor Denzel Washington talks about making a difference in lives of at-risk youth.
PBS newshour Denzel Washington Dropouts High School
Denzel on the Jonathan Ross show july 2009
denzel washington jonathan ross
Ryan Reynolds speaks with CBSNews.com's Ken Lombardi about working alongside Oscar-winner Denzel Washington in the new action thriller, "Safe House."
Denzel Washington is without a doubt one of the most respected actors in modern Hollywood; but how did this son of a minister & beautician go from wanting to work as a journalist, to become a double Oscar winner..?
Scene from a 1998 film that uncannily illustrates the amorality of a then-unthinkable, now ever-developing Police State.
Siege The 1998 Denzel Washington
The great Denzel Washington was here, and he told Ellen the story of his first Oscar, and how his mom decided to commemorate the event!
ellen degeneres denzel washington interview oscar
Denzel Washington speaks with CBSNews.com's Ken Lombardi about his new starring role in the action-packed "Safe House," also starring Ryan Reynolds.
denzel washington interview safe
Geena Davis presenting Denzel Washington with the Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Glory" at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards® in 1990.
Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in Harlem. Malcolm X speaks of the white men. Denzel Washington portrays Malcolm X 1992?
denzel washington malcolm legacy
Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with the cast of American Gangsta on www.BlackTree.TV AMERICAN GANGSTER Scheduled for release: November 2, 2007 Genre: Drama Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Carla Gugino, John Hawkes, Ted Levine, RZA, TI, Yul Vazquez Directed by: Ridley Scott Writer: Steve Zaillian Produced by: Brian Grazer Executive Producers: Nick Pileggi, Steve Zaillian, Branko Lustig, Karen Kehela Sherwood, James Whitaker, Michael Costigan Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Brian Grazer, Steve Zaillian and Ridley Scott team to tell the true juggernaut success story of a cult hero from the streets of 1970s Harlem in American Gangster. Nobody used to notice Frank Lucas (Oscar® winner Washington), the quiet driver to one of the inner city's leading black crime bosses. But when his boss suddenly dies, Frank exploits the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the American Dream. Through ingenuity and a strict business ethic, he comes to rule the inner-city drug trade, flooding the streets with a purer product at a better price. Lucas outplays all of the leading crime syndicates and becomes not only one of the city's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of legit civic superstars. Richie Roberts (Oscar® winner Crowe) is an outcast cop close enough to the streets to feel a shift of control in the drug underworld. Roberts believes someone is climbing the rungs above the known Mafia ...
Denzel Washington & Will Smith Answer the question Why on the first episode of "Behind the Actor" Denzel Explains to the interviewer the harsh conditions smith provided for him. Will takes the whole situation lightly and explains his case.
datdrumaboyAj: Denzel Washington should have got an Oscar for John Q
cirajisiq: The Book of Eli [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray): Eli walks alone in post-apocalyptic America. He heads west along the Highwa... http://t.co/0NCysvmd
NRipper: @cjpro3 is the next Denzel Washington
Elsynbp: Deja Vu: Academy Award(R) winner Denzel Washington (Best Actor, TRAINING DAY, 2001) joins forces with blockbuste... http://t.co/Wj3CaJf8
RayGemini: denzel washington is so fucking sick its unreal!!
aidanoregan: Watching American Gangster - what a film! Masterclass in acting from Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
ar_olaniyi: I swear"@Tobaby94: Why didn't Denzel Washington get an Oscar for his role in John Q? That movie had a very powerful message"
Tobaby94: Why didn't Denzel Washington get an Oscar for his role in John Q? That movie had a very powerful message
dontworry_illw8: @AnthroChick2013 smh..from the movie with denzel washington called OUT OF TIME
Benjaminosaurus: Ms. Fields, I'm pretty sure Denzel Washington plays an African-American in ALL his movies.
benbizuneh: "Aw you a Pillow Bitah? Booty Snatchah? RUMP ROASTAH!?" - Denzel Washington in "Philidelphia" asking someone if they're gay.
puffer27: @dannymasterson When did Denzel Washington start moonlighting as a bodyguard?
travvygee: Here is said Denzel Washington collection, obviously stops at Inception. http://t.co/ckAai3C3
fevuhifyq: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (DVD): Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) is a New York City subway dispatcher whose o... http://t.co/QjjWjkB5
DRAE94: Denzel Washington has a very handsome smile
Kev_Ruane: Denzel Washington is the shit #rememberthetitans
Michael Rhea: Watch this movie. Denzel Washington.
James Fraser: You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it. -Denzel Washington
Marc Boucher: Its whateva its whateva the fuck eva (denzel washington) cause my pool open ....fuckin a gus dj rickymarc
Ricky Brown: The "luckiest/bless men in the World are those men who are dating Tiger's, Michael's, and Kobe's wives!!! That hit the lotto! Why does "money" cause divorces! Give it up to Dr. J, Denzel Washington, Magic Johnson. They weathered the Storms.
Rahulan Chandran: I am certain that 10 pound of these thousands are mine :P ...What next Govind Chandran? I'm glad u asked. The true story of the life of the 4th Chandran brother. Starring Morgan Freeman/Denzel Washington. I have a few titles in mind "4 out of 5" or "There and back again" ...I'm just saying, it would be big =) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-17875376
Tomas Gonzalez: No for an awesome Denzel Washington movie!
Brvcx Wilsxn: 1. Tom Hanks 2. Christopher Walken 3. Denzel Washington 4. Robert Deniro 5. Morgan Freeman 6. Bruce Willis 7. Jim Carey 8. Harvey Keitel 9. Lawerence Olivier 10. Anthony Hopkins
Aimee Foxx: Want to go to sleep.... But im so into this movie... I cant sleep... I MUST finish it. Its called "Philadelphia." Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Madein 1993. Really great movie so far. :) like i said... Must finish it. :) :)
Taylor DeLayne Smith: Watching Denzel Washington talk about his craft and seeing how passionate he is about his art is truly amazing. You make sure you are taking notes when this man speaks. "Inspiration" does not even cut it when I talk about Denzel Washington. #motivation
Tresor Mukunzi Wa Mugunga: Denzel Washington's film «OUT OF TIME». lesson: never ever trust the woman you love!!
Janine Norman: Denzel Washington = man on fire Celtics = team on fire #team green
Mayra Zaragoza-Roman: I love Denzel Washington's movies! John Q just made me cry! LOL!
Gerardo Ofwgkta Montes: Dammmmn.. "I AM NOT GONNA BAIRY MY SON! MY SON IS GONNA BAIRY ME!" - Denzel Washington
Gloria Mendoza: Enjoying a good Denzel Washington movie.. :) :)
Marie Schneider: I KNEW I LOVED THIS GUY!!!!
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 ...
Actor: American Gangster (2007) · Training Day (2001) · Man on Fire (2004) · Inside Man (2006). Tall, strikingly handsome leading man of films and television in ...
Find the complete movie career of Denzel Washington, including filmography, awards and biography on Yahoo! Movies. After winning an Oscar for his performance in the ...
Tall, strikingly handsome leading man of films and television in the 1980s and 1990s, Denzel Washington was born in 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He was the middle ...
Biography.com presents the life and work of actor Denzel Washington, two-time Oscar winner and star of such films as Malcolm X , The Hurricane , and ...
The Denzel Washington-Ryan Reynolds starrer Safe House topped the box office in its second weekend, earning another $24 million. The thriller is expected to finish ...
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Denzel Washington's official profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates.
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A Fan Site ... Congratulations on your Oscar for Best Actor Denzel Washington
Bowles bowled us all Business Mirror Denzel Bowles here. Denzel Bowles there. Denzel Bowles everywhere. If I ever get to hear Denzel Washington from the Oscar-winning ...
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See the latest news, videos, trailers, photos and biography for Denzel Washington on MTV.com.
Denzel Washington is an Academy Award-winning actor and director who is well known for his performance in films such as Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Antoine Fuqua's ...
