Denzel Washington
Biography
Denzel Washington is an American actor and producer who trained at the American Conservatory Theater before beginning his career in off-Broadway theater. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, he first came to prominence as Dr. Phillip Chandler in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988 and in the film A Soldier's Story (1984). He won Academy Awards for Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001), and he was nominated for Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012), Fences (2016), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). His other films include Philadelphia (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), Remember the Titans (2000), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), American Gangster (2007), The Equalizer (2014), and Gladiator II (2024). He directed Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), and Fences (2016), and he won a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in Fences in 2010.
71years old
Turns 72 on December 28in 70 days
- Born Mount Vernon
- Star sign: CapricornThe sign runs December 22 to January 19
- Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (birth name)Also credited as Denzel Washington Jr.
Movie Career
- Films
- 55
- Career span
- 48 years1977 to 2025
Genres
First and latest
Photos
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First role
Denzel Washington got his start in summer stock in 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland, performing in Wings of the Morning, a Maryland State play written for him with an African-American narrator based on Mathias de Sousa.
Early training
Washington went to graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California. He stayed there for one year, then went back to New York to start acting professionally.
Getting ready for a role
Washington co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House, and he got ready for his part by putting himself through a torture session that included waterboarding.
Denzel Washington movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Antoine Fuqua directed five of these films, Tony Scott five and Spike Lee five. Six actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
John Turturro's page
Melissa Leo's page
Ethan Suplee's page
James Gandolfini's page
Spike Lee's page
Kimberly Elise's page
All films by Antoine Fuqua
All films by Tony Scott
Box office
What Denzel Washington's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$5.0 billion
51 of the 55 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 55 films: 51 worldwide figure; 1 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas.
- 51Worldwide figure
- 1US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 39% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$462M9.3% of the total
- 2$270M5.4% of the total
- 3$208M4.2% of the total
- 4$207M4.2% of the total
- 5$195M3.9% of the total
- 6$192M3.9% of the total
- 7$191M3.9% of the total
- 8$190M3.8% of the total
$3.0 billionfrom the other 43 films with a worldwide figure, 61% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1990 to 2025, seven of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 2002 | Best Actor | Training Day | Won |
| 1990 | Best Supporting Actor | Glory | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 2000 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | The Hurricane | Won |
| 1990 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Glory | Won |
| Berlin Film Festival | |||
| 2000 | Silver Bear for Best Actor | The Hurricane | Won |
| 1993 | Silver Bear for Best Actor | Malcolm X | Won |
| Tony Awards | |||
| 2010 | Best Actor in a Play | Fences | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2025 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Won | |
| 2022 | Presidential Medal of Freedom | Won | |
| 2014 | Donostia Award | Won | |
| 2009 | Horatio Alger Award | Won | |
| Honorary Palme d'Or | Honorary | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.