Two-time Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington is one of Hollywood’s sexiest and most talented leading men. From his small-screen start in the 1977 TV film “Wilma” to this year’s “Inside Man,” Washington never fails to provide rousing, watchable performances that resound for a wide array of diverse audiences.
Born in Mount Vernon, New York on December 28, 1954, Washington was the second of three children, and his father was an ordained Pentecostal minister. His parents divorced when he was 14, and afterwards he lived primarily with his mother, who sent him to prep school after he began showing behavioral problems as a teenager. He went on to receive a journalism degree from Fordham University in New York City, where he also found an interest in the dramatic arts.
Though times weren’t as rough for black actors in the late 70s as they were when Washington was born, it was still an extremely difficult business for African-American thesps, who had difficulty finding roles in film and television – let alone ones existing outside of established stereotype. Washington nonetheless found fairly steady work with bit parts on television, and got a big break in 1982 after being cast as a supporting series regular on the medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” with which he remained until 1988. On the big screen, Washington had appeared in Norman Jewison’s 1984 drama “A Soldier’s Story” before making a splash in Richard Attenborough’s “Cry Freedom,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Washington was on the move, and scored an Oscar statue for one of his next films, the acclaimed Civil War movie “Glory”, which starred Matthew Broderick.
After “Glory” and Washington’s similarly terrific performance in “For Queen and Country,” he was quickly becoming one of the most sought-after performers in the business. His legendary string of collaborations with Spike Lee began in 1990 with “Mo’ Better Blues,” and after starring in Mira Nair’s lovely romantic drama “Mississippi Masala,” Washington gave one of his best performances to date in Lee’s “Malcolm X.” Washington won the prestigious Silver Bear at the 1992 Berlinale for the film, but lost the Oscar to Al Pacino for “Scent of a Woman.” His domination of the 90s was matched only by Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, and Tom Hanks, and Washington starred in some of the decade’s great entertainments – among them “Crimson Tide,” “Courage Under Fire,” “The Pelican Brief” (a mega-hit with Julia Roberts), “The Siege,” and the groundbreaking drama “Philadelphia.” His performance in 1999’s “The Hurricane” is counted by many as one of the best of the decade.
The 2000s have seen Washington win another Oscar (for “Training Day”) and star in a string of hit thrillers, including “Out of Time,” “Man on Fire,” and this year’s “Deja Vu.” He continues to receive wide acclaim for many of his roles, particularly alongside Meryl Streep in “The Manchurian Candidate,” and with Jodie Foster and Clive Owen in the overwhelmingly satisfying crime thriller “Inside Man.” Washington made his directorial debut in 2002 with “Antwone Fisher,” a powerful true-life drama starring Derek Luke. His next role will come in 2007 with Ridley Scott’s promising crime drama “American Gangster,” which co-stars Russell Crowe and Chiwetel Ejiofor.