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Denzel Washington Biography

Birth Name:
Denzel Washington Jr.
Birth Place:
Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Profession
Actor, director, producer

Fast Facts

  • In his sophomore year in college, a professor encouraged him to pursue a career in acting
  • In 1978, attended the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco
  • In April 2005, starred as Brutus in a Broadway production of Julius Caesar
  • Was the lead actor in such Spike Lee films as Mo' Better Blues, He Got Game, Inside Man and Malcolm X
  • Real-life characters he played, besides Malcolm X, include another activist, Steve Biko, as well as educator Melvin B
  • Tolson, football coach Herman Boone, crime boss Frank Lucas and boxer Rubin Carter
  • When he and Russell Crowe teamed up in the 2007 crime drama American Gangster, the Oscar-winning actors recalled Crowe's audition for the 1995 film Virtuosity, in which Crowe inadvertently spit on Washington

Awards

  • 2021Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2021Producers Guild Awards-Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: nominated
  • 2021Independent Spirit Awards-Best Feature: nominated
  • 2018Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2017Producers Guild Awards-Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: nominated
  • 2017Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2017IFTA Film & Drama Awards-Best International Actor: nominated
  • 2017Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2017Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2016Oscar-Best Motion Picture of the Year: nominated
  • 2016Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2016Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2016Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: winner
  • 2016Critics' Choice Awards-Best Director: nominated
  • 2016Critics' Choice Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 2013Critics' Choice Movie Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 2013Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2012Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2012Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2008Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2007Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2007Golden Satellite Award-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2006Black Reel Awards-Best Actor: nominated
  • 2003Critics' Choice Awards-Freedom Award: winner
  • 2002Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 2001Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: winner
  • 2001Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 2001Emmy-Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (Informational): nominated
  • 2001American Film Institute-Best Actor: winner
  • 2001Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Actor: winner
  • 2000Berlin Film Festival-Silver Bear for Best Actor: winner
  • 2000Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: winner
  • 1999Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1999Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1995Emmy-Outstanding Informational Special: nominated
  • 1993Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 1993Berlin Film Festival-Silver Bear for Best Actor: winner
  • 1993MTV Movie Awards-Best Actor: winner
  • 1992Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
  • 1992New York Film Critics Circle-Best Actor: winner
  • 1992NAACP Image Awards-Best Actor: winner
  • 1990Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: winner
  • 1989Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: winner
  • 1988Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
  • 1987Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated

Relationships