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Denzel Washington(I)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 50047
Denzel Washington
When a titan music mogul is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. A reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City.
Play trailer0:52
Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. 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 one year to seek work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in a summer stock theater stage production in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The play was "Wings of the Morning", which is about the founding of the colony of Maryland (now the state of Maryland) and the early days of the Maryland colonial assembly (a legislative body). He played the part of a real historical character, Mathias Da Sousa, although much of the dialogue was created. Afterwards he began to pursue screen roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful 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. Philip Chandler in NBC's hit medical series St. Elsewhere (1982), a role that he would play for six years. In 1989, his film career began to take precedence when 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).

Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1990s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). Malcolm X and The Hurricane garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Actor, before he finally won that statuette in 2002 for his lead role in Training Day (2001).

Through the 1990s, Denzel also 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 continued to define his onscreen persona as the tough, no-nonsense hero through the 2000s in films like Out of Time (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). Cerebral and meticulous in his film work, he made his debut as a director with Antwone Fisher (2002); he also directed The Great Debaters (2007) and Fences (2016).

In 2010, Washington headlined The Book of Eli (2010), a post-Apocalyptic drama. Later that year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable (2010), about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. He has also been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of director Spike Lee.

In 2012, Washington starred in Flight (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012), and prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns (2013), alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in The Equalizer (2014), an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward. During this time period, he also took on the role of producer for some of his films, including The Book of Eli and Safe House.

In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Pauletta Washington, and their four children.
BornDecember 28, 1954
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornDecember 28, 1954
IMDbProStarmeterTop 50047
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 92 wins & 248 nominations total

    Denzel Washington on His Best-Known Roles

    Denzel Washington on His Best-Known Roles

    Denzel Washington, star of The Equalizer 2, looks back on four of his best-known movies including Training Day, Malcolm X, The Book of Eli, and Fences.
    Watch Denzel discuss his previous movies
    Editorial Image
    2:57

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    Known for

    Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences (2016)
    Fences
    7.2
    • Troy Maxson
    • 2016
    Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli (2010)
    The Book of Eli
    6.8
    • Eli
    • 2010
    Denzel Washington and Derek Luke in Antwone Fisher (2002)
    Antwone Fisher
    7.3
    • Dr. Jerome Davenport
    • 2002
    Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington in Training Day (2001)
    Training Day
    7.8
    • Alonzo
    • 2001

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Untitled Denzel Washington Project
      • Pre-production
    • Here Comes the Flood
      • Pre-production



    • Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
      Highest 2 Lowest
      7.5
      • David King
      • 2025
    • Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, and Paul Mescal in Gladiator II (2024)
      Gladiator II
      6.5
      • Macrinus
      • 2024
    • Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3 (2023)
      The Equalizer 3
      6.8
      • Robert McCall
      • 2023
    • The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
      The Tragedy of Macbeth
      7.1
      • Macbeth
      • 2021
    • Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, and Rami Malek in The Little Things (2021)
      The Little Things
      6.3
      • Joe 'Deke' Deacon
      • 2021
    • Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Ashton Sanders in The Equalizer 2 (2018)
      The Equalizer 2
      6.7
      • Robert McCall
      • 2018
    • Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
      Roman J. Israel, Esq.
      6.5
      • Roman J. Israel, Esq.
      • 2017
    • Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences (2016)
      Fences
      7.2
      • Troy Maxson
      • 2016
    • Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Chris Pratt, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier in The Magnificent Seven (2016)
      The Magnificent Seven
      6.9
      • Chisolm
      • 2016
    • Denzel Washington in The Equalizer (2014)
      The Equalizer
      7.3
      • Robert McCall
      • 2014
    • Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington in 2 Guns (2013)
      2 Guns
      6.7
      • Bobby
      • 2013
    • Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, and Jacqueline Marie Zwick in Flight (2012)
      Flight
      7.3
      • Whip Whitaker
      • 2012
    • Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012)
      Safe House
      6.7
      • Tobin Frost
      • 2012
    • Denzel Washington and Chris Pine in Unstoppable (2010)
      Unstoppable
      6.8
      • Frank
      • 2010
    • Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli (2010)
      The Book of Eli
      6.8
      • Eli
      • 2010

    Producer



    • Untitled Denzel Washington Project
      • producer
      • Pre-production



    • The Piano Lesson (2024)
      The Piano Lesson
      6.2
      • producer (p.g.a)
      • 2024
    • Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3 (2023)
      The Equalizer 3
      6.8
      • producer (produced by)
      • 2023
    • A Journal for Jordan (2021)
      A Journal for Jordan
      6.0
      • producer (produced by, p.g.a.)
      • 2021
    • Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
      Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
      6.9
      • producer (p.g.a.)
      • 2020
    • Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Ashton Sanders in The Equalizer 2 (2018)
      The Equalizer 2
      6.7
      • producer (produced by)
      • 2018
    • Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
      Roman J. Israel, Esq.
      6.5
      • producer (produced by, p.g.a.)
      • 2017
    • Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences (2016)
      Fences
      7.2
      • producer (produced by)
      • 2016
    • Tyrese Gibson: Shame (2015)
      Tyrese Gibson: Shame
      7.7
      Music Video
      • producer
      • 2015
    • Denzel Washington in The Equalizer (2014)
      The Equalizer
      7.3
      • producer
      • 2014
    • Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012)
      Safe House
      6.7
      • executive producer
      • 2012
    • Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli (2010)
      The Book of Eli
      6.8
      • producer
      • 2010
    • Denzel Washington and Derek Luke in Antwone Fisher (2002)
      Antwone Fisher
      7.3
      • producer
      • 2002
    • Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks (2000)
      Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks
      8.1
      TV Movie
      • producer
      • 2000
    • Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream (1995)
      Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream
      7.5
      • executive producer
      • 1995

    Director



    • A Journal for Jordan (2021)
      A Journal for Jordan
      6.0
      • Director (directed by)
      • 2021
    • Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in Fences (2016)
      Fences
      7.2
      • Director (directed by)
      • 2016
    • James Pickens Jr., Ellen Pompeo, and Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy (2005)
      Grey's Anatomy
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Director
      • 2016
    • Denzel Washington in The Great Debaters (2007)
      The Great Debaters
      7.5
      • Director
      • 2007
    • Denzel Washington and Derek Luke in Antwone Fisher (2002)
      Antwone Fisher
      7.3
      • Director
      • 2002

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos183

    Denzel Washington: "Theater Is An Actor's Medium"
    Clip 0:40
    Denzel Washington: "Theater Is An Actor's Medium"
    What 'Gladiator II' Stars Think of Ridley Scott's Directing Style
    Clip 4:55
    What 'Gladiator II' Stars Think of Ridley Scott's Directing Style
    What 'Gladiator II' Stars Think of Ridley Scott's Directing Style
    Clip 4:55
    What 'Gladiator II' Stars Think of Ridley Scott's Directing Style
    Issa Rae and Aldis Hodge Celebrate Denzel Washington's Legacy
    Clip 3:20
    Issa Rae and Aldis Hodge Celebrate Denzel Washington's Legacy
    Denzel Washington Career Retrospective
    Clip 2:05
    Denzel Washington Career Retrospective
    All About 'Gladiator 2'
    Clip 2:09
    All About 'Gladiator 2'
    'Training Day' vs. 'The Equalizer'? Director Antoine Fuqua on Directing Denzel
    Clip 3:37
    'Training Day' vs. 'The Equalizer'? Director Antoine Fuqua on Directing Denzel

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Denzel Washington Jr.
    • Height
      • 6′ 0½″ (1.84 m)
    • Born
      • December 28, 1954
      • Mount Vernon, New York, USA
    • Spouse
      • Pauletta WashingtonJune 25, 1983 - present (4 children)
    • Children
        Katia Washington
    • Parents
        Lennis Washington
    • Relatives
      • Ukee Washington(Cousin)
    • Other works
      TV commercial (PSA): Boys/Girls Clubs of America
    • Publicity listings
      • 3 Print Biographies
      • 16 Interviews
      • 33 Articles
      • 9 Pictorials
      • 22 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tom Hanks said working with Washington on Philadelphia (1993) was like "going to film school". Hanks said he learned more about acting by watching Denzel than from anyone else.
    • Quotes
      (In 1998) Acting's like someone asking you for years to write the characters, but they write the book.
    • Trademarks
        Has often portrayed real people: Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007) and Melvin Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007).
    • Nickname
      • D
    • Salaries
        The Equalizer 3
        (2023)
        $20,000,000

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is Denzel Washington?
      70 years old
    • When was Denzel Washington born?
      December 28, 1954
    • Where was Denzel Washington born?
      Mount Vernon, New York, USA
    • What is Denzel Washington's birth name?
      Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.
    • How tall is Denzel Washington?
      6 feet 1 inch, or 1.84 meters

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