Denzel Washington TV and Movie Video Spotlight!

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Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is a two-time Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and director. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his portrayals of several real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.

 

Early life

Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York. His father, Dillwyn, Virginia-born Reverend Denzel Washington, was an ordained Pentecostal minister and also worked for the Water Department and at a local department store, "S. Klein". His mother, Lennis, was a beauty parlor owner born in Georgia and raised in Harlem. When Washington was fourteen, his parents' marriage took a turn for the worse, and he, his older sister and younger brother were sent away to boarding school so that they would not be exposed to their parents' eventual divorce. He attended grammar school at Pennington Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon.

Washington went on to college, attaining a B.A. in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977. At Fordham he played collegiate basketball under coach P. J. Carlesimo. He still found time to pursue his interest in acting, and after graduation he went to San Francisco, where he won a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theatre.

Early career

Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his professional acting debut in the 1977 made-for-television movie Wilma. He made his film debut in the 1981 film Carbon Copy. His big break came when he starred in the popular television hospital drama, St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988. He was one of a few actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. In 1987, after appearing in several minor television, film and stage roles, Washington starred as South African anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko in Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom, a role for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1989, Washington won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave in the film Glory. Also that same year, he gave a powerful performance as Reuben James, a Caribbean-born man who turned from a British Army paratrooper into a vigilante in For Queen and Country.

Career: 1990s

In the Summer of 1990 he starred in a movie called Mississippi Masala in Greenwood, MS, where he played Demetrius Williams. Washington played one of his most critically acclaimed roles in 1992's Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee. His performance as the Black Nationalist leader earned him an Oscar nomination. Both the influential film critic Roger Ebert and the highly acclaimed film director Martin Scorsese called the movie one of the ten best films made during the 1990s.

Malcolm X transformed Washington's career, turning him, practically overnight, into one of Hollywood's most respected actors. He turned down several similar roles, such as an offer to play Martin Luther King, Jr., because he wanted to avoid being typecast. The next year, in 1993, he took another risk in his career by playing Joe Miller, the homophobic lawyer of a homosexual man with AIDS in the movie Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks. Although it was a big risk for Hanks to play a man with AIDS, critics agreed it was also a risk for Washington to play the homophobic Miller. During the early and mid 1990s, Washington became a renowned Hollywood leading man, starring in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief and Crimson Tide, as well as comedies (Much Ado About Nothing) and romantic dramas (The Preacher's Wife).

While filming the 1995 film, Virtuosity, Washington refused to kiss his white female co-star, Kelly Lynch, during a romantic scene between their characters. During an interview, Lynch stated that while she wanted to, "Denzel felt very strongly about it. I felt there is no problem with interracial romance. But Denzel felt strongly that the white males, who were the target audience of this movie, would not want to see him kiss a white woman." Lynch further stated, "That's a shame. I feel badly about it. I keep thinking that the world's changed, but it hasn't changed quick enough".[1] A similar situation also occurred during the filming of The Pelican Brief when Julia Roberts expressed in an interview her desire to have her character in the film engaged in a romantic relationship with Washington's character. And an additional occurrence was in the 1989 film The Mighty Quinn where Washington's Quinn character did not kiss Mimi Rogers' alluring Hadley character. However, in 1998, Washington starred in a scene of a sexual nature with actress Milla Jovovich, in Spike Lee's He Got Game.

In 1999, Washington starred in The Hurricane, a movie about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost 20 years in prison. Various newspaper articles have suggested that the controversy over the film's accuracy may have cost Washington an Oscar for which he was nominated. Washington did receive a Golden Globe Award in 2000 and a 'Silberner Bär' (Silver Berlin Bear) at the Berlin International Film Festival for the role.

He also presented the Arthur Ashe ESPY Award to Loretta Claiborne for her courage. He appeared as himself in the end of "The Loretta Claiborne Story" movie. Washington is often cited as an example of human physical attractiveness due to the symmetry of his facial features.[2][3]

Career: 2000s

In 2000, Washington appeared in the crowd-pleasing Disney film, Remember the Titans, which grossed over $100 million at the United States box office. He was nominated and won an Oscar for Best Actor for his next film, the 2001 cop thriller, Training Day, which was considered a change of pace for Washington, as he played a villainous character after many roles as a heroic lead. Washington was the second African-American performer ever to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Actor (for Training Day), the first being Sidney Poitier, who happened to receive an Honorary Academy Award the same night that Washington won for Best Actor. Washington is the only actor of African descent to have acting nominations (five times) for an African-American performer.

After appearing in 2002's box office success, the Health care-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred.

Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at the box office, including Out of Time, Man on Fire and The Manchurian Candidate.[4] In 2006 he starred in Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, and Déjà Vu released in November 2006. Next he was working with Russell Crowe in the film American Gangster.

Washington made a rare stage appearance in 2005 as Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar on Broadway. The production's limited run was a sell-out despite receiving universally terrible reviews.

Personal life

In 1983, Washington married actress Pauletta Pearson (now Pauletta Washington), whom he met on the set of his first screen role, Wilma. The couple have four children: John David (b. July 28, 1984), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 after playing college football at Morehouse;[5] Katia (b. November 1987), who is attending Yale University, and twins Olivia and Malcolm (b. April 10, 1991). In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.

Washington and his family visited soldiers at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He later made a sizable donation to the Fisher Houses, small hotels that provide rooms for soldiers' families while the soldiers are hospitalized. In October 2006, he published a bestseller entitled Hand to Guide Me, featuring actors, politicians, athletes, and other public figures recalling their childhood mentors. The book was published in commemoration of the Boys and Girls Club of America's centennial anniversary. Denzel had participated in the club as a child.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia named Washington as one of three people (the others being directors Oliver Stone and Michael Moore) they want to negotiate with for the release of three defense contractors that the group has held captive since 2003.[6]

On May 20, 2007 Washington received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Morehouse College.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Carbon Copy Roger Porter  
1984 A Soldier's Story Pfc. Peterson  
1986 Hard Lessons George McKenna   Power Arnold Billing  
1987 Cry Freedom Steve Biko  
1989 The Mighty Quinn Xavier Quinn   For Queen and Country Reuben James   Glory Pvt. Trip Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor
1990 Heart Condition Napoleon Stone   Mo' Better Blues Bleek Gilliam  
1991 Ricochet Nick Styles  
1992 Mississippi Masala Demetrius Williams   Malcolm X Malcolm X Title role, Academy Award Nomination 1993 Much Ado About Nothing Don Pedro of Aragon   The Pelican Brief Gray Grantham   Philadelphia Joe Miller  
1995 Crimson Tide Lt. Commander Ron Hunter   Virtuosity Lt. Parker Barnes   Devil in a Blue Dress Easy Rawlins  
1996 Courage Under Fire Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling   The Preacher's Wife Dudley  
1998 Fallen Detective John Hobbes   He Got Game Jake Shuttlesworth   The Siege Special Agent Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard  
1999 The Bone Collector Lincoln Rhyme   The Hurricane Rubin "Hurricane" Carter 
2000 Remember the Titans Coach Herman Boone   The Loretta Claiborne Story Himself  
2001 Training Day Detective Alonzo Harris Academy Award, Best Actor
2002 John Q John Quincy Archibald   Antwone Fisher Dr. Jerome Davenport also as director
2003 Out of Time Police Chief Matthias Lee Whitlock  
2004 Man on Fire John Creasy   The Manchurian Candidate Major Ben Marco  
2006 Inside Man Detective Keith Frazier   Déjà Vu Special Agent Doug Carlin 
2007 American Gangster Frank Lucas  
2008 The Great Debaters Melvin B. Tolson Post-production

Academy Awards and nominations

• 1987 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Cry Freedom
• 1989 - Won - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Glory
• 1992 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Malcolm X
• 1999 - Nominated - Best Actor in a Leading Role - The Hurricane
• 2001 - Won - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Training Day

Awards Preceded by
Kevin Kline
for A Fish Called Wanda Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1989
for Glory Succeeded by
Joe Pesci
for Goodfellas Preceded by
Martin Landau
for Tucker: The Man and His Dream Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1990
for Glory Succeeded by
Bruce Davison
for Longtime Companion Preceded by
Jim Carrey
for The Truman Show Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
2000
for The Hurricane Succeeded by
Tom Hanks
for Cast Away Preceded by
Russell Crowe
for Gladiator Academy Award for Best Actor
2001
for Training Day Succeeded by
Adrien Brody
for The Pianist

Awards/nominations

• 1993 - won Silver Bear (Best Actor) for Malcolm X at the Berlin International Film Festival
• 2000 - won Silver Bear (Best Actor) for The Hurricane at the Berlin International Film Festival

Academy Award Year Category Film Result 2002 Best Actor in a Leading Role Training Day Won 2000 Best Actor in a Leading Role The Hurricane Nominated 1993 Best Actor in a Leading Role Malcolm X Nominated 1990 Best Supporting Actor Glory Won 1988 Best Supporting Actor Cry Freedom Nominated

BET Awards Year Category Result 2006 Best Actor Nominated 2001 Best Actor Won 2004 Best Actor Won

Black Movie Award Year Category Film Result 2006 Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor Inside Man Nominated

Black Reel Award Year Category Film Result 2007 Best Actor Inside Man Nominated 2004 Best Actor Out of Time Nominated 2003 Best Supporting Actor Antwone Fisher Nominated Best Director Antwone Fisher Won Best Actor John Q Nominated

 

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