Denzel Jermaine Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American film actor and occasional director and stage actor. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Early career 1.3 Career: 1990s 1.4 Career: 2000s 1.5 Personal life 2 Selected filmography 3 Academy Awards and nominations 4 Physical Appearance and Symmetry 5 Trivia 6 Notes [edit] Biography [edit] Early life Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York to African-American parents; he has an older sister, Lorice, and a younger brother. Although his father, Dillwyn, Virginia-born Reverend Denzel Washington, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, he worked for the Water Department and at a local department store, "S. Klein". His mother, Lennis, a beauty parlor owner, was born in Georgia and raised in Harlem. Washington was banned from watching movies by his parents, who divorced when he was fourteen. He subsequently went through a rebellious stage, at the end of which several of his friends were sentenced to prison. His mother's reaction to his behavioral problems was to send him to preparatory school, and later on he was sent to Fordham University, where he discovered acting and earned a degree in journalism. [edit] Early career Washington's first film role was in the 1975 made-for-television movie, Wilma. His big break came when he starred in the popular television hospital drama, St. Elsewhere. 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 theatrical films 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 black man who turned from British Army paratrooper to vigilante to situate the neighborhoods in England in For Queen and Country. [edit] Career: 1990s 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 man with AIDS in the movie Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks, although it was a big risk for Hanks to play the lawyer 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 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. 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. [edit] Career: 2000s Denzel Washington at press conference of The Hurricane, 2000 Berlinale, photo by JaudIn 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 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. 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 [2]. His film, Inside Man, a Spike Lee-directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen, opened on March 24, 2006. He is currently in New Orleans for the filming of the upcoming film Deja Vu. His name has most recently become attached to the role of Harvey Dent in the sequel to 2005's summer blockbuster Batman Begins, entitled The Dark Knight. [edit] 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 has four children: John David (b. 1983), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 after playing college ball at Morehouse [2]; Katia (b. 1987), who is attending Yale University, Olivia (b. 1991) and Malcolm (b. 1991) (named after Malcolm X). In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating. [edit] Selected filmography Year Title Role Other notes 2008 The Great Debaters In production 2007 American Gangster Frank Lucas 2006 Deja Vu Doug Carlin 2006 Inside Man Keith Frazier 2004 The Manchurian Candidate Ben Marco 2004 Man on Fire John Creasy 2003 Out of Time Matthias Lee Whitlock 2002 Antwone Fisher Dr. Jerome Davenport also as director 2002 John Q John Quincy Archibald 2001 Training Day Detective Alonzo Harris Academy Award, Best Actor 2000 Remember the Titans Coach Herman Boone 1999 The Hurricane Rubin "Hurricane" Carter 1999 The Bone Collector Lincoln Rhyme 1998 The Siege Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard 1998 He Got Game Jake Shuttlesworth 1998 Fallen Det. John Hobbes 1996 The Preacher's Wife Dudley 1996 Courage Under Fire Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling 1995 Devil in a Blue Dress Easy Rawlins 1995 Virtuosity Lt. Parker Barnes 1995 Crimson Tide Lt. Commander Ron Hunter 1993 Philadelphia Joe Miller 1993 The Pelican Brief Gray Grantham 1993 Much Ado About Nothing Don Pedro of Aragon 1992 Malcolm X Malcolm X 1992 Mississippi Masala Demetrius Williams 1991 Ricochet Nick Styles 1990 Mo' Better Blues Bleek Gilliam 1990 Heart Condition Napoleon Stone 1989 Glory Pvt. Trip Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor 1989 For Queen and Country Reuben James 1989 The Mighty Quinn Xavier Quinn 1987 Cry Freedom Steve Biko 1984 A Soldier's Story Pfc. Peterson 1981 Carbon Copy Roger Porter [edit] 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 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: Russell Crowe for Gladiator Academy Award for Best Actor 2001 for Training Day Succeeded by: Adrien Brody for The Pianist [edit] Physical Appearance and Symmetry Denzel Washington is often cited as an example of human physical attractiveness due to the symmetry of his facial features.[3][4] [edit] Trivia He is the second African-American performer 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. Both had previously received Academy Awards. Washington noted in his acceptance speech that he was always following in Poitier footsteps - even when he won another Oscar, Poitier had done so too. However, Washington is the only actor of African descent to have won two Academy Awards in competitive categories, and to have the most acting nominations (five times) for an African American performer. He has garnered much critical acclaim for his portrayals of several individuals who actually existed, including Steve Biko (Cry Freedom), Malcolm X (Malcolm X), Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (The Hurricane), and Herman Boone (Remember the Titans). At the age of nine, Denzel Washington's son John David Washington made a cameo appearance in the film Malcolm X as a student in a Harlem classroom. On May 1, 2006, John (age 22) signed with the St. Louis Rams of the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent. His name is an ongoing use in the animated hit sitcom Proud Family. His name is shouted out while Lizzie and her mom are throwing pots in an episode of Lizzie McGuire. It is rumored that he is in talks with Peter Jackson in New Zealand to discuss his possible involvement in the upcoming movie based on the video game Halo. Although this hasn't been confirmed, many believe he will play the character Sgt. Johnson. Denzel and his family recently visited soldiers at the Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. While there, Denzel made the generous donation of providing full funding for one of the Fisher Houses, small hotels that provide rooms for soldiers' families while the soldiers are hospitalized.