Denzel Washington

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Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington is a famous American actor who also doubles up as a director and producer. Throughout his career spanning decades, he has won several awards including a Tony Award, Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Some of his most recognizable roles include Malcolm X in the film by the same name in 1992 and Melvin in the 2007 film The Great Debaters. Washington’s career began in the 1980s, and since then he has gathered multiple awards and critical acclaims for his work both as an actor and a director and producer.

Denzel Washington was born on the 28th of December in New York to Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. and his wife, Lennis Lynne. He attended elementary school in Mount Vernon until his parents divorced when he was fourteen. His mother then sent him to Oakland Military School, a decision that Washington says changed his life as he had begun to keep the wrong company (Baron). His friends at the time spent years in prison. He graduated from Fordham University with an arts degree in Drama and Journalism, which is the basis of his acting career. After this, he went to the American Conservatory Theatre for graduate studies in California. His first television film was Wilma, and his first Hollywood film was Carbon Copy in 1981.

Throughout the 80s and 90s he appeared in multiple films and his first award, a Golden Globe, came in 1999 from the role of boxer Robin Carter in the movie The Hurricane. Other awards include the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role of Detective Alonzo in the 2001 film, Training Day (Baron). He has also had parts in theatre such as Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun which received a Tony Award in 2014 for Best Revival of a play. He also appeared as Richard III in 1990 in the Shakespeare play by the same name. With so many awards under his belt, Washington is no doubt one of the best actors.

Works Cited

Baron, Cynthia. Denzel Washington. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2017.