Date of Birth
28 December 1954, Mount Vernon, New York, USABirth Name
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.Nickname
DHeight
6' 0½" (1.84 m)Mini Biography
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 child of the 3 children of a Pentecostal minister father and a beautician mother. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University intent on a career in journalism. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. He left A.C.T. after only 1 year to seek work as an actor. With his acting versatility and powerful sexual presence, he had no difficulty finding work in numerous television productions. He made his first big screen appearance in Carbon Copy (1981) with George Segal. Through the 1980s, he worked in both movies and television and was chosen for the plum role of "Dr. Chandler" in NBC's hit medical series "St. Elsewhere" (1982), a role that he would play for 6 years. In 1989, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of "Tripp", the runaway slave in Edward Zwick's powerful historical masterpiece Glory (1989).Through the 1990s, Denzel co-starred in such big budget productions as The Pelican Brief (1993); Philadelphia (1993); Crimson Tide (1995); The Preacher's Wife (1996) and Courage Under Fire (1996) - a role for which he was paid $10 million. He lives quietly in Los Angeles with his wife, Pauletta Washington, and their 4 children. Cerebral and meticulous in his film work, he made his debut as a director in 2002 with Antwone Fisher (2002).
Spouse
| Pauletta Washington | (25 June 1983 - present) 4 children |
Trade Mark
Often portrays real people: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992),Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), Frank Lucasin American Gangster (2007), Steve Biko in_Cry Freedom (1987)_ and Melvin Tolson in_The Great Debaters (2007)_.Frequently plays military men and law enforcement officers.
In almost all the films - e.g. Man on Fire (2004),American Gangster (2007), John Q (2002) - where hehandles or uses sidearms (usually a 9mm Beretta or similar pistols),there's a scene of him swiftly ejecting a bullet from the loaded chamber by pulling back the slide assembly and subsequently catchingthe bullet before it falls to the ground.
Trivia
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#77). [1995]Children: John David Washington (b. July 28, 1984), Katia (b. 1987), and twins Malcolm and Olivia Washington (b. 1991).
Son, Malcolm, was named in honor of Malcolm X.
To prepare for his role as boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Washington worked out for a year with L.A. boxing trainer Terry Claybon.
Attended Fordham University, receiving a B.A. in Journalism.
1996 Harvard Foundation Award
In a Newsweek cover story about the biological basis of the perception of beauty, he was used as a key example in a scientific explanation why he is considered an extremely handsome man.
Chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world [1990]
