Washington attendedPennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he was 14, his parents divorced and his mother sent him to the private preparatory schoolOakland Military Academy inNew Windsor, New York. Washington later said, "That decision changed my life, 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."[15] After Oakland, he attendedMainland High School inDaytona Beach, Florida, from 1970 to 1971.[11]
He was interested in attendingTexas Tech University: "I grew up in theBoys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech inLubbock just because they were called theRed Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours."[16] Instead, he earned aBA in Drama and Journalism fromFordham University in 1977.[17] At Fordham, he playedcollegiate basketball as aguard[18] under coachP. J. Carlesimo.[19] After a period of indecision on which major to study and taking a semester off, Washington worked as creative arts director of the overnight summer camp at Camp Sloane YMCA inLakeville, Connecticut. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting.[20]
Returning to Fordham that fall with a renewed purpose, Washington enrolled at the Lincoln Center campus to study acting, where he was cast in the title roles inEugene O'Neill'sThe Emperor Jones andShakespeare'sOthello. He then attended graduate school at theAmerican Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California, where he stayed for one year before returning to New York to begin a professional acting career.[21]
Washington spent the summer of 1976 inSt. Mary's City, Maryland, insummer stock theater performingWings of the Morning,[22][23] the Maryland State play, which was written for him by incorporating an African-American character/narrator based loosely on the historical figure from early colonial Maryland,Mathias de Sousa.[22]
Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television filmWilma which was adocudrama about sprinterWilma Rudolph, and made his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 filmCarbon Copy. He shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble PerformanceObie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in theOff-BroadwayNegro Ensemble Company productionA Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981.[24]
A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler inNBC's television hospital dramaSt. Elsewhere, which ran from 1982 to 1988. He was one of only a few African-American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. He also appeared in several television, motion picture and stage roles, such as the filmsA Soldier's Story (1984),Hard Lessons (1986) andPower (1986). In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activistStephen Biko inRichard Attenborough'sCry Freedom, for which he received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 1989, Washington won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the filmGlory. That same year, he appeared in the filmThe Mighty Quinn; and inFor Queen and Country, where he played 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 lead to vigilantism and violence.
In the summer of 1990, Washington had appeared in thetitle role of thePublic Theater's production ofWilliam Shakespeare'sRichard III. Mel Gussow ofThe New York Times praised Washington as "an actor of range and intensity, is expert at projecting a feeling of controlled rage".[25] Also that year Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in theSpike Lee filmMo' Better Blues. Charles Murray ofEmpire praised Washington's performance as a "taut portrayal of the driven musician" and "like all Lee’s film, Mo’ Better Blues is a real ensemble piece, and the standard of the performances is uniformly excellent: but Washington [and] Lee deserve extra plaudits."[26] In 1991, he starred as Demetrius Williams in theMira Nair directed romantic dramaMississippi Masala oppositeSarita Choudhury. Set primarily inrural Mississippi, the film exploresinterracial romance between African Americans andIndian Americans. CriticRoger Ebert ofThe Chicago Sun-Times praised the chemistry of the two leads writing, "Washington is an actor of immense and natural charm, and he makes a good match with Sarita Choudhury".[27]
Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, thetitle character of the historical epicMalcolm X (1992).The New York Times gave the film its Critic's Pick withVincent Canby declaring, "In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for "Malcolm X" whatBen Kingsley did for "Gandhi." Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement".[28] His performance as theBlack nationalist leader earned him another nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actor. Also that year, he established the production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.[29] The next year, he played the lawyer defending a gay man with AIDS played byTom Hanks in theJonathan Demme filmPhiladelphia (1993).Sight & Sound wrote, "Casting Washington in the lead guaranteed the film the black audience that otherwise might not have had much interest in the problems of a rich white homosexual with Aids. But Aids is rampant in inner cities, where it attacks not just gay men, but IV drug users and women."[30]
During the early and mid-1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, includingThe Pelican Brief withJulia Roberts in 1993, andCrimson Tide withGene Hackman in 1995, as well as the Shakespearean comedyMuch Ado About Nothing directed byKenneth Branagh. In 1996, he played a U.S. Army officer who investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor inCourage Under Fire, oppositeMeg Ryan.Variety wrote, "All of [the] predicaments are palpably and convincingly registered through Washington’s probing, reserved and sensitively drawn performance in a role that, in another era, might have been played by the likes of aMontgomery Clift orWilliam Holden."[31]
In 1999, Washington acted alongsideAngelina Jolie in the crime thrillerThe Bone Collector. That same year, Washington starred inThe Hurricane, a film aboutboxerRubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. Although less successful at the box office thanThe Bone Collector,Hurricane had a better reception from critics.[35] He received a Silver Bear Award at theBerlin International Film Festival for his role as Carter.Roger Ebert, film critic forThe Chicago Sun-Times, wrote of Washington's performance, "This is one of Denzel Washington's great performances, on a par with his work inMalcolm X."[36]
2000–2009: Established actor and action roles
Washington in 2000
At the57th Golden Globe Awards in 2000, Washington won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his work inThe Hurricane. He was the first black actor to win the award sinceSidney Poitier in 1963.[37][38] Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle declared, "Washington gives a penetrating portrait of life at its most extreme. He takes the viewer into the mind of a man experiencing confinement and physical deprivation. More profoundly, he shows what it's like to deal every day with the torments of wild rage and impotence, despair and hope."[39] In 2000, he portrayedHerman Boone, the high school football coach in the Disney sports drama filmRemember the Titans which grossed over US$100 million in the U.S.[40] Andrew O'Hehir ofSalon wrote, "Washington is of course the linchpin ofRemember the Titans; he's a commanding actor in a commanding role, and as memorable as he was inThe Hurricane.[41]
In 2002, he starred in theNick Cassavettes directed healthcare-themed dramaJohn Q. (2002) portraying John Quincy Archibald. Washington acted oppositeJames Woods,Robert Duvall, andRay Liotta. The film was a financial success but received mixed reviews with critics praising Washington's performances.BBC film critic Neil Smith wrote, "What credibility there is comes from Washington's intense, humane performance and the supporting players' sterling attempts to rise above the stereotypical roles with which they have been saddled."[44] That same year Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama calledAntwone Fisher (2002), in which he also co-starred as a Navy psychiatrist. Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times praised his direction writing, "Mr. Washington shows a confident grasp of cinematic narrative in a hearty meat-and-potatoes style. But the most remarkable aspect of his behind-the-camera debut is his brilliantly surefooted handling of actors." He also praised his acting adding, "[He] is so sensitively reactive that his performance seems more lived than acted".[45]
Washington after a performance ofJulius Caesar in May 2005
Washington returned to Broadway playing Troy Maxson, oppositeViola Davis, in the revival ofAugust Wilson'sFences (2010).Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times wrote, "Mr. Washington has the fluid naturalness we associate with good screen actors... face and stance alone provide fascinating (and damning) glimpses into Troy’s attitudes toward his son from an earlier relationships".[51] Washington won theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play on June 13, 2010.[52] That same year, Washington starred inThe Book of Eli (2010), a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Also in 2010, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action filmUnstoppable, about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, followingCrimson Tide (1995),Man on Fire (2004),Déjà Vu (2006) andThe Taking of Pelham 123 (2009).
In 2016, Washington directed the filmFences, co-starringViola Davis andStephen McKinley Henderson and based onAugust Wilson'splay of the same name, with a script by Wilson. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Washington plays a former Negro league baseball player working as a garbage collector who struggles to provide for his family and come to terms with the events of his life. The film was released on December 16, 2016, byParamount Pictures. Owen Gleiberman ofVariety wrote, "Washington, as both actor and director, gets the conversation humming with a speed and alacrity that keeps the audience jazzed...Washington tears through it with a joyful ferocity, like a man possessed."[64] For his performance, Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for aGolden Globe Award, aScreen Actors Guild Award, and anAcademy Award. The film was nominated for three other Oscars, includingBest Picture andBest Adapted Screenplay, and won Davis her first Oscar, in theBest Supporting Actress category.
The following year, Washington starred in thelegal drama filmRoman J. Israel, Esq. (2017).Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian wrote, "[He]'s a star player, styling out his character’s complicated and tricky mix of attributes...However contrived, this character is always fully and comfortably inhabited, and Washington brings off the funny moments".[65] While the film received mixed reviews, his performance was praised by critics and led to nominations for aGolden Globe Award, aScreen Actors Guild Award and anAcademy Award, Washington's ninth Oscar nomination overall, and his sixth for Best Actor.
Beginning March 22, 2018, Washington starred as Theodore "Hickey" Hickman in a Broadway revival ofEugene O'Neill'sThe Iceman Cometh. The production, directed byGeorge C. Wolfe, began regular performances April 26 and ran for 14 weeks.[66] Washington received positive reviews with Alexis Soloski ofThe Guardian writing, "For most of it, Washington is playing Washington, letting his good looks and irrepressible charm do most of the character work, though the play’s most exciting moments are when he lets that charm falter (something he’s also been exploring in his recent film work, too) showing something uglier and more ravaged underneath."[67]
In 2025 Washington returned to Broadway portraying thetitle role in a revival ofWilliam Shakespeare's playOthello starring oppositeJake Gyllenhaal asIago.Kenny Leon will helm over the production, having previously directed Washington in the Broadway revivals ofFences andA Raisin in the Sun.[73] The production and Washington's performance earned mixed reviews from critics.[74] Adrian Horton fromThe Guardian described the production as "underwhelming" and wrote of his performance, "[He] has moments of sublime melody...the kind of rhapsodic deliveries that feel worth whatever price of admission, but the overall tone of his performance is one of perfunctory hyper-competence."[75] David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter noted Washington'sHollywood "magnetism" and "swaggering authority" but added, "there’s little evidence of a driving force behind his performance, which is symptomatic of the production overall."[76]
Washington has stated that he considers himself astage actor and not aHollywood star.[82] He has also citedJames Earl Jones as an influence saying, "he is who I wanted to be" adding "He’s my hero. My college theater career started because of [Jones]".[83] Washington also citedSidney Poitier as an acting inspiration saying, "He was a mentor, needless to say, an example, a friend".[84]
Washington is aPentecostalEvangelical Christian and a member of theWest Angeles Church of God in Christ, located in Los Angeles.[106] He has considered becoming a preacher.[107] 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."[108] In 1995, he donatedUS$2.5million to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles.[109][110] Washington says he reads the Bible daily.[111] Washington was baptized and received his ministry license from the Kelly TempleChurch of God in Christ on December 21, 2024.[112]
Washington has served as the national spokesman forBoys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993[113] and has appeared in public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization.[114] In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995.[115] In 2006, for the organization's 100 anniversary, helped put together together with Daniel Paisner, a book that underscores the lesson: “If you want to change the world, start by changing the life of a child”. "A hand to guide me" features examples from leaders as they tell their life-changing stories of mentorship, when as youngsters they were guided by a caring adult, which shaped the rest of their life, including over 70 of America's leading personalities in theater, sports, business, and politics such as PresidentsJimmy Carter andBill Clinton,Whoopi Goldberg,Muhammad Ali,Yogi Berra,Toni Morrison,Cal Ripken Jr. andColin Powell.[116]
In mid-2004, Washington visitedBrooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) atFort Sam Houston, where he participated in aPurple Heart ceremony, presenting medals to three Army soldiers recovering from wounds they received while stationed in Iraq. He also visited the fort'sFisher House facilities, and after learning that it had exceeded its capacity, made a substantial donation to theFisher House Foundation; this program focuses on building and providing homes for military personnel and their families free of charge while they receive medical care. Washington's other charitable contributions includeUS$1million toNelson Mandela's Children's Fund in 1995[117] andUS$1million toWiley College to resuscitate the college's debate team.[118]
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".[121] In 2011, he donated US$2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well asUS$250,000 to establish a theater-specific scholarship at the school. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities fromMorehouse College on May 20, 2007[122] and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011.[123]
On October 11, 2021, theUnited States Army made Washington the 2021 Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army at the Annual Association of the U.S. Army conference for his work with the Fisher House Foundation (providing free homes for military families while receiving medical care).Sergeant Major of the ArmyMichael A. Grinston presented Washington with the award and said that Washington represented everything he was looking for in this year's honoree: humility, dedication to soldiers, and respect for the Army.[124] In 2022, Washington was supposed to receive thePresidential Medal of Freedom, but it was delayed.[125] Consequently, he received it in 2025.[7]
Notes
^Washington was supposed to receive the award in 2022 but had to skip the ceremony after testing positive forCOVID-19.[5]
References
^Mitchell, Jerry (December 28, 2024)."On this day in 1954".Mississippi Today.Archived from the original on December 28, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 15, 2025.
^"Sidney Poitier".Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. September 27, 2014.Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2018.
^"John Q".BBC.Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 27, 2023.
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