Denzel Washington - A Class Act
One of the most talented actors in Hollywood today is Denzel Washington. Despite all of his success, Denzel Washington has remained humble and doesn’t fit the sometimes snotty and cocky Hollywood image.
Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York. His father held two jobs working for the local water department and a local department store and was also an ordained Pentecostal minister. His mother owned and operated a beauty parlor. His parents divorced when he was fourteen, at which time he began to rebel. His mother reacted by sending him to prep school. He later went on to Fordham University where he earned a degree in journalism and discovered acting. In 1983, he married actress Pauletta Pearson whom he met on the set of his first screen role, Wilma.” They have four children.
The first big break came when he landed a role on the television hospital drama, St. Elsewhere, on which he appeared for the show’s entire six-year run. In 1987, Denzel Washington starred in the movie Cry Freedom as South African anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko, a role in which he received the first of his four Oscar nominations. In 1989, he starred as a defiant slave in the Civil War-era film Glory which also starred Matthew Broderick. It was this role that earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
His star continued to rise with the his critically acclaimed performance in 1992’s Malcolm X, playing the title role. The movie was hailed as one of the ten best movies of the 1990s, and the role again earned him an Oscar nomination. It was this role that turned Denzel Washington into more than a star–he now had become one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. Several movies followed in the 1990s including The Pelican Brief, Crimson Tide, and The Preacher’s Wife.
In 1999, Denzel Washington starred in The Hurricane, a movie about boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he had spent almost twenty years in prison. He received his third Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for this role.
In 2000, Denzel Washington appeared in the Disney film, Remember the Titans, which did very well at the box office earning over $100 million. In 2001, he starred in the cop thriller, Training Day, in the role of the villain, which is quite a shift from the heroic characters he previously played. Denzel Washington won his second Oscar for this role. Films that followed include John Q, Antwone Fisher, and Man On Fire. His most recent movie is Inside Man, a thriller about a bank heist co-starring Jodie Foster. He is currently filming the upcoming Déjà vu.
It is safe to bet that if Denzel Washington is starring in a film, it will garner at least some success, and you can guarantee that his performance will be well worth the price of a ticket.