1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
2. Joe Viterelli to Orson Welles

Denzel Washington Biography (1954-)

Born December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, NY; son of Denzel (a Pentecostal minister) and Lennis "Lynne" (a beauty shop owner and operator) Washington; married Pauletta Pearson (an actress and singer), 1982; renewed wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating; children: John David, Katia, Malcolm and Olivia (twins).

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Actor

Birth Details

December 28, 1954

Mount Vernon, New York, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Appearances
• Aediles, Coriolanus, New York Shakespeare Festival, Delacorte Theatre, New York City, 1979
• Tommy Paul, One Tiger to a Hill, Manhattan Theatre Club, New YorkCity, 1980
• Malcolm Shabazz (Malcolm X), When the Chickens Came Home to Roost(double-bill with Zora), Louis Abrons Arts for Living Center, New Federal Theatre, New York City, 1981
• Private first class Melvin Peterson, A Soldier's Play, Negro Ensemble Company, Theatre Four, New York City, 1981-82, then Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, 1982-83, and Center Theatre Group, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1982-83
• Frank, Every Goodbye Ain't Gone, Louis Abrons Arts for Living Center, New Federal Theatre, 1984
• Sylvester Williams, Checkmates, 46th Street Theatre, New York City, 1988-89
• Title role, Richard III, New York Shakespeare Festival, DelacorteTheatre, 1991
• Carousel, Lincoln Center Theatre, New York City, 1994
• Hymn, City Center Theatre, New York City, 1994
• Showdown at New Federal Theatre (benefit performance), New FederalTheatre, 2001
• Made off-Broadway debut in The Emperor Jones; appeared in Checkmates, Westwood Playhouse, Los Angeles; appeared in Man and Superman and Moonchildren, both American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA; also appeared in Beckett, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, Mighty Gents, Othello, Spell #7, and Split Second.
• Film Appearances
• Roger Porter, Carbon Copy, Avco-Embassy, 1981
• Private first class Melvin Peterson, A Soldier's Story, Columbia,1984
• Arnold Billings, Power, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1986
• Stephen "Steve" Biko, Cry Freedom, Universal, 1987
• Reuben James, For Queen and Country, Atlantic, 1988
• Reunion, 1988
• Bleek Gilliam and performer of song "Pop Top 40," Mo' Better Blues, Universal, 1990
• Napoleon Stone, Heart Condition, New Line Cinema, 1990
• Private Trip, Glory, TriStar, 1990
• Xavier Quinn and performer of song "Cakewalk into Town," The Mighty Quinn, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1990
• Nick Styles, Ricochet, Warner Bros., 1991
• Demetrius, Mississippi Masala, Paramount, 1992
• Title role, Malcolm X, Warner Bros., 1992
• Don Pedro (Prince of Aragon), Much Ado about Nothing, Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1993
• Gray Grantham, The Pelican Brief, Warner Bros., 1993
• Joe Miller, Philadelphia, TriStar, 1993
• Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins and narrator, Devil in a Blue Dress (also known as Le diable en robe bleue), TriStar, 1995
• Lieutenant commander Jim Hunter (some sources cite Ron Hunter), Crimson Tide, Buena Vista, 1995
• Lieutenant Parker Barnes, Virtuosity, Paramount, 1995
• Dudley ("Dud"), The Preacher's Wife, Buena Vista, 1996
• Lieutenant colonel Nathaniel Serling, Courage under Fire, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1996
• Detective John Hobbes, Fallen, Warner Bros., 1997
• Anthony "Hub" Hubbard, The Siege, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1998
• Jake Shuttleworth, He Got Game, Buena Vista, 1998
• Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, Universal, 1999
• Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, The Hurricane, Universal, 1999
• Coach Herman Boone, Remember the Titans, Buena Vista, 2000
• Malcolm X (in archival footage), Bamboozled, New Line Cinema, 2000
• Alonzo Harris, Training Day, Warner Bros., 2001
• Title role, John Q, New Line Cinema, 2001
• Antwone Fisher, Finding Fish, 2002
• Film Work
• Director
• Finding Fish, 2002
• Television Appearances
• Series
• Dr. Phillip Chandler, St. Elsewhere, NBC, 1982-88
• Narrator, American Heroes and Legends, Showtime, 1992
• Miniseries
• Kirk, Flesh and Blood, CBS, 1979
• Movies
• Robert Eldridge at the age of eighteen, Wilma, NBC, 1977
• Martin Sawyer, License to Kill, CBS, 1984
• George McKenna, The George McKenna Story, CBS, 1986
• Specials
• Freedomfest: Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Celebration, FBC, 1988
• Narrator, "Baka: People of the Forest," National Geographic Specials, PBS, 1989
• Motown 30: What's Goin' On!, CBS, 1990
• Narrator, "Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway," Great Performances, PBS, 1992
• Narrator, "Liberators--Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II," The American Experience, PBS, 1992
• Muhammad Ali's 50th Birthday Celebration, ABC, 1992
• The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 1993
• Hollywood Stars: A Century of Cinema, The Disney Channel, 1995
• Awards Presentations
• The 19th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1987
• Presenter, The 62nd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1990
• The 22nd Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1990
• Host, The 23rd Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1991
• Presenter, The 63rd Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1991
• Host, The Essence Awards, CBS, 1992
• The AFI Salute to Sidney Poitier (also known as The 20th AnnualAmerican Film Institute Life Achievement Award), NBC, 1992
• Presenter, The MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 1993
• Presenter, The 19th Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 1993
• Presenter, The 65th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1993
• The Essence Awards, Fox, 1994
• The 26th Annual NAACP Image Awards, NBC, 1994
• Presenter, The 67th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1995
• Presenter, The Third Annual Trumpet Awards Ceremony, TBS, 1995
• Host, The 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 1996
• The ESPY Awards, ABC, 1996
• Episodic
• Narrator, "Anansi," We All Have Tales, Showtime, 1991
• Narrator, "John Henry," American Heroes and Legends, Showtime, 1992
• Voice, "Humpty Dumpty," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, c. 1995
• Voice, "Rumpelstiltskin," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, 1995
• Voice, "Mother Goose," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated), HBO, c. 1997
• Television Work
• Executive Producer; With Others; Specials
• Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream, TBS, 1995
• Producer; With Others; Specials
• Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks, HBO, 2000
• RECORDINGS
• Music Videos; Director
• "In Harm's Way," by BeBe Winans, 1997
• WRITINGS
• Nonfiction
• (With Spike Lee and Ralph Wiley) By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X (based on the life and work ofMalcolm X), Hyperion (New York City), 1992

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Brode, Douglas, Denzel Washington: His Films and Career, Carol Publishing Group (Secaucus, NJ), 1997
• Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 16, Gale, 1997
• International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, St. James Press, 1996
• Notable Black American Men, Gale, 1998
• Who's Who among African Americans, 12th edition, Gale, 1998

Periodicals

• Ebony, April, 2000, p. 154
• Empire, Issue 35, 1992, pp. 52-53; Issue 89, 1986, pp. 80-82, 84
• Entertainment Weekly, July 19, 1996
• Essence, December, 1996
• Hollywood Reporter, February 1, 1988; March 5, 1997, pp. S1-12
• Jet, January 13, 1994, pp. 54, 56
• Neon, May, 1998
• New York, August 13, 1990
• New York Times, December 26, 1987; October 25, 1992
• People Weekly, July 29, 1996, pp. 56, 59-60, 62, 64; May 8, 2000,p. 100
• Premiere, August, 1990
• Rolling Stone, December 3, 1987; November 26, 1992
• Sunday Star-Ledger, November 29, 1987
• Sun-Times (Chicago), January 21, 1998
• USA Weekend, January 11, 1998
• Vanity Fair, October, 1995, pp. 242-46, 299-301