Denzel Washington

From ArticleWorld

Denzel Washington was born December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. Though his father was an ordained minister, he worked for the Water Department at the local department store. His mother was a hairdresser. As a child, Washington was not allowed to watch movies and he subsequently went through a rebellious stage. Many of his friends ended up in jail and his mother sent him to a prep school and later to Fordham University. In college, he discovered acting and majored in journalism.

Early career

A 1975 made-for-television movie, Wilma, was Washington’s first film role. He starred in the popular television drama, St. Elsewhere, and has the distinction of being one of the only actors to remain on the show for its entire six year run. Washington earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1987 for his role as Steve Bilko, a South African anti-apartheid campaigner. In 1989, he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the film Glory.

Increasing success

The 1990’s saw Washington’s film career heighten with his portrayal of Malcolm X in the 1992 Spike Lee film Malcolm X. This role garnered him an Oscar nomination. He became a respected leading man. He filmed many movies in the ‘90’s including The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts, The Preacher’s Wife with Whitney Houston and, in 1999, he portrayed Robin Hurricane Carter in the film The Hurricane. The millennium bean for Washington with the well-received Disney movie Remember the Titans. The movie was about overcoming racial segregation in the south. He won a Best Actor Oscar in 2001 for his against-type role in Training Day. His usual heroic lead was reverted to a criminal mind. In 2002, he starred in John Q. After he made his directorial debut with Antwone Fisher. Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in Out of Time, Man on Fire and The Manchurian Candidate.