69 Facts About Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington has been honored with the Cecil B DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.

Denzel Washington first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series St Elsewhere, and in the war film A Soldier's Story.

Denzel Washington won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in the war drama Glory and for Best Actor for playing a corrupt police officer in the crime thriller Training Day.

Denzel Washington was Oscar-nominated for his roles in Cry Freedom, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Flight, Fences, Roman J Israel, Esq.

Denzel Washington has starred in many commercially successful films, including The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia ; Crimson Tide ; Remember the Titans ; Man on Fire ; Deja Vu, Inside Man ; American Gangster ; Unstoppable, The Book of Eli ; Safe House ; 2 Guns ; The Equalizer trilogy, and Gladiator II.

Denzel Washington has directed the films Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters, Fences, and A Journal for Jordan.

Denzel Washington made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play Checkmates.

Denzel Washington has acted in the Broadway revivals of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Othello, Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, and Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh.

Denzel Washington's mother, Lennis "Lynne", was a beauty parlor owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem, New York.

Denzel Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968.

Denzel Washington participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.

Denzel Washington then attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California, where he stayed for one year before returning to New York to begin a professional acting career.

Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Denzel 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.

Denzel 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.

Denzel Washington was one of only a few African-American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run.

Denzel Washington appeared in several television, motion picture and stage roles, such as the films A Soldier's Story, Hard Lessons and Power.

In 1989, Denzel Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory.

Also that year Denzel Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues.

Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised the chemistry of the two leads writing, "Denzel Washington is an actor of immense and natural charm, and he makes a good match with Sarita Choudhury".

In 1998, Denzel Washington starred in Spike Lee's film He Got Game.

Denzel 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 to sign with the governor's alma mater, Big State.

In 1999, Denzel Washington acted alongside Angelina Jolie in the crime thriller The Bone Collector.

That same year, Denzel Washington starred in The Hurricane, a film about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison.

Denzel Washington received a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his role as Carter.

Denzel Washington was the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963.

Denzel Washington takes the viewer into the mind of a man experiencing confinement and physical deprivation.

Denzel Washington starred in the Antoine Fuqua directed crime thriller Training Day acting opposite Ethan Hawke.

Denzel Washington portrayed Detective Alonzo Harris, a corrupt Los Angeles cop.

Denzel Washington acted opposite James Woods, Robert Duvall, and Ray Liotta.

Between 2003 and 2006, Denzel Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Carl Franklin's Out of Time opposite Eva Mendez and Tony Scott's Man on Fire alongside Dakota Fanning.

Denzel Washington directed and starred in the drama The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker.

Denzel Washington next appeared in Tony Scott's 2009 film The Taking of Pelham 123, where he played New York City subway security chief Walter Garber opposite John Travolta's villain.

Denzel Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play on June 13,2010.

That same year, Denzel Washington starred in The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future.

In 2012, Denzel Washington starred in Flight, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as an alcoholic airline pilot facing investigation for his part in a plane crash.

Denzel Washington co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House, where he prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding.

In 2013, Denzel Washington starred in 2 Guns, alongside Mark Wahlberg.

From April to June 2014, Denzel Washington played the leading role in the Broadway production of Lorraine Hansberry's classic drama A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Kenny Leon.

Denzel Washington reprised his role in his first sequel, The Equalizer 2 and the third and final sequel The Equalizer 3.

In 2016, Denzel Washington starred in The Magnificent Seven, a remake of the 1960 western film of the same name, alongside Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, and Peter Sarsgaard.

Denzel Washington's character was renamed from Chris Adams to Sam Chisolm.

Denzel Washington did not watch Westerns growing up, as it was the end of the Western era in the movies.

Denzel Washington did not view the original film in preparation, but has watched Seven Samurai.

Fuqua flew to New York City to negotiate with Denzel Washington, who accepted the offer.

In 2016, Denzel 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.

Also in 2021, Denzel Washington portrayed the titular character in the 2021 film adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth.

Denzel Washington received universal acclaim for his performance and was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

That same year, Denzel Washington directed the drama A Journal for Jordan, based on the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy.

In 2024, Denzel Washington starred in Ridley Scott's epic historical drama Gladiator II alongside Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and Connie Nielsen.

Denzel Washington's performance was described as scene-stealing and the standout aspect of the film, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination.

In 2025 Denzel Washington returned to Broadway portraying the title role in a revival of William Shakespeare's play Othello starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago.

The production and Denzel Washington's performance earned mixed reviews from critics.

That same year, Denzel Washington reunited with Spike Lee on the police procedural drama film Highest 2 Lowest, a remake of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa film High and Low.

Denzel Washington was cast as Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix film; the decision was controversial in Tunisia.

Denzel Washington has stated that he considers himself a stage actor and not a Hollywood star.

Denzel Washington cited Sidney Poitier as an acting inspiration saying, "He was a mentor, needless to say, an example, a friend".

Denzel Washington has mentioned Morgan Freeman as being an influence.

Denzel Washington has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Silver Bears.

Denzel Washington has received nominations for a Grammy Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Denzel Washington was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.

On June 25,1983, Denzel Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma.

Malcolm made his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, with Denzel Washington producing and John David starring in it.

Denzel Washington is a Pentecostal Evangelical Christian and a member of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ, located in Los Angeles.

Denzel Washington was baptized and received his ministry license from the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ on December 21,2024.

In mid-2004, Denzel Washington visited Brooke Army Medical Center 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.

Denzel Washington 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.

On May 18,1991, Denzel Washington was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University, for having "impressively succeeded in exploring the edge of his multifaceted talent".

Denzel Washington 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 2022, Denzel Washington was supposed to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, but it was delayed.