Denzel Washington Biography

Denzel Washington is an Academy award-winning actor, director and producer best-known for his roles in ‘Glory’, ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘The Hurricane’. As an actor, he is known for his penchant for taking on challenging roles and portraying them to perfection. Growing up in a predominantly African-American suburb, young Denzel had witnessed many of his friends take up the path of drugs, crime and violence. He is certain that he too would have ended up like them had it not been for his mother, a poor single parent, who sent him to Oakland Military Academy to learn some discipline. Determined to make something worthy of his life, the boy completed high school and studied journalism before embarking on a professional acting career. He got his first big break when he was chosen to play the role of Dr. Philip Chandler in the NBC medical drama series, ‘St. Elsewhere’. He played several minor roles in films before ‘Cry Freedom’ happened in 1987. His portrayal of anti-apartheid social activist Steve Biko established him as a talented character actor. More challenging roles followed and the actor went on to earn several Academy award nominations, winning two of them. He frequently collaborated with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott.