Date of Birth
28 December 1954, Mount Vernon, New York, USA
Birth Name
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.
Nickname
D
Height
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).A popular black actor, Denzel Washington somewhat filled the gap created when Sidney Poitier went into semi-retirement. His defining role was in GLORY.Denzel Washington received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in CRY FREEDOM and the Oscar two years later for GLORY. His other notable films include MO’ BETTER BLUES, THE PELICAN BRIEF, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, CRIMSON TIDE, REMEMBER THE TITANS, JOHN Q, ANTWONE FISHER, and OUT OF TIME.In 2002 Denzel Washington won the Best Actor Oscar for TRAINING DAY. Denzel seems to pick his film projects better than many stars, frequently appearing in projects that are popular and critical successes.
