Twenty interesting factoids about the Oscar-winning actor and director.
Denzel Washington became well-known in the role of Dr. Philip Chandler on the 1980s NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere.
Washington was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York.
Washington won two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor in the 1989 film Glory; Best Actor for his role in the film Training Day. He is the first African American actor to hold such an honor.
Washington's father was a Pentecostal minister, while his mother was a beautician.
Washington studied acting at San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater.
Washington's first starring role in a film was playing George Segal's son in the 1981 movie Carbon Copy.
Washington made his directorial debut in the 2002 film “Antwone Fisher.”
Washington married actress Pauletta Washington in 1983. They have four children.
Washington has a B.A. in journalism from Fordham University.
Washington was used as a model to explain perceptions of beauty in a Newsweek article.
In 1990 and 2002, Washington was named by People magazine as one of “50 Most Beautiful People.”
On the set of the film Crimson Tide, in which Washington had a starring role, the actor confronted Quentin Tarantino, who scripted the thriller, over his depictions of African Americans in his films.
Washington was named after his father, who was named after a doctor who delivered him.
Washington portrayed Malcolm X twice in his life: once in the 1992 Spike Lee film and earlier on the stage in the play “When Chickens Come Home to Roost.”
In 2001, the E channel voted Washington as one of the “Top Entertainers” list.
Washington met his wife Pauletta on the set of the 1977 TV film drama “Wilma,” about African American race track phenom, Wilma Randolph.
As a child, Washington was a member of the Boys and Girls Club of America. He is now its spokesman.
CBS anchorman Ukee Washington is Washington's cousin.
Football players Jim Brown and Gayle Sayers were once childhood role models of Washington's.
When he was a boy, a fortune teller reportedly told Washington's mother that one day he was going to entertain millions.
