Wikipedia
Denzel Washington on screen and stage
Denzel Washington is an American actor who made his feature film debut in Carbon Copy (1981).[1] In 1982, Washington made his first appearance in the medical drama St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler. The role proved to be the breakthrough in his career.[2][3] He starred as Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the drama A Soldier's Story (1984). The film was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway play A Soldier's Play (1981–1983) in which Washington had earlier portrayed the same character.[4] In 1987, he played Steve Biko, an anti-apartheid activist in the Richard Attenborough–directed drama Cry Freedom, for which he received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[5][6] Two years later, Washington won the award for playing Trip, a former slave-turned-soldier in Civil War film Glory (1989).[5][7] In 1990, he played the title character in the play The Tragedy of Richard III, and starred in Spike Lee's comedy-drama Mo' Better Blues. Washington received the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival, for playing the eponymous civil rights activist in Lee's Malcolm X (1992).[8]
In 1993, Washington starred in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing, legal thriller The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts, and AIDS drama Philadelphia with Tom Hanks. He appeared in Tony Scott's Crimson Tide in 1995. Washington won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama,[9] and his second Silver Bear for Best Actor for playing wrongly-convicted boxer Rubin Carter in the biographical film The Hurricane (1999).[8][10] He followed this with another biographical role as American football coach Herman Boone in the 2000 sports drama Remember the Titans.[11] For his next role as corrupt cop Alonzo Harris in the crime thriller Training Day (2001),[12] Washington received the Academy Award for Best Actor.[13] By virtue of his win, he became the first African American actor to win two competitive Academy Awards, and the first since Sidney Poitier in 1964 to win the leading actor award.[14][15]
Washington reteamed with Scott on the thriller Man on Fire, and starred with Meryl Streep in The Manchurian Candidate (both in 2004). In 2005, he returned to the stage in the Shakespearean play Julius Caesar. Washington played drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster,[16] and poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters[17] (both in 2007). In 2010, Washington received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Troy Maxson in Fences (six years later, he starred in the film adaptation of the play for which he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role).[18][19] For his portrayal of an alcoholic airline pilot in Flight (2012),[20] he garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.[21] In 2014, Washington appeared in the action thriller The Equalizer, and the play A Raisin in the Sun. He received further nominations for the Best Actor Oscar for Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021).[22]
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Carbon Copy | Roger Porter | [23] | |
| 1984 | A Soldier's Story | Private First Class Melvin Peterson | [24] | |
| 1986 | Power | Arnold Billings | [25] | |
| 1987 | Cry Freedom | Steve Biko | [26] | |
| 1988 | For Queen and Country | Reuben James | [27] | |
| 1989 | The Mighty Quinn | Xavier Quinn | [28] | |
| Glory | Private Silas Trip | [25] | ||
| 1990 | Heart Condition | Napoleon Stone | [29] | |
| Mo' Better Blues | Bleek Gilliam | [30] | ||
| 1991 | Mississippi Masala | Demetrius Williams | [31] | |
| Ricochet | Nick Styles | [32] | ||
| 1992 | Malcolm X | Malcolm X | [25] | |
| 1993 | Much Ado About Nothing | Don Pedro of Aragon | [33] | |
| The Pelican Brief | Gray Grantham | [34] | ||
| Philadelphia | Joe Miller | [35] | ||
| 1995 | Crimson Tide | Lt. Commander Ron Hunter | [36] | |
| Virtuosity | Lt. Parker Barnes | [25] | ||
| Devil in a Blue Dress | Easy Rawlins | [25] | ||
| 1996 | Courage Under Fire | Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling | [25] | |
| The Preacher's Wife | Dudley | [37] | ||
| 1998 | Fallen | Detective John Hobbes | [38] | |
| He Got Game | Jake Shuttlesworth | [25] | ||
| The Siege | Anthony Hubbard | [25] | ||
| 1999 | The Bone Collector | Lincoln Rhyme | [25] | |
| The Hurricane | Rubin Carter | [10] | ||
| 2000 | Remember the Titans | Herman Boone | [11] | |
| 2001 | Training Day | Alonzo Harris | [25] | |
| 2002 | John Q. | John Quincy Archibald | [39] | |
| Antwone Fisher | Dr. Jerome Davenport | Also director and producer | [40] | |
| 2003 | Out of Time | Matt Lee Whitlock | [41] | |
| 2004 | Man on Fire | John W. Creasy | [42] | |
| The Manchurian Candidate | Maj. Ben Marco | [43] | ||
| 2006 | Inside Man | Keith Frazier | [44] | |
| Déjà Vu | Doug Carlin | [45] | ||
| 2007 | American Gangster | Frank Lucas | [25] | |
| The Great Debaters | Melvin B. Tolson | Also director | [25] | |
| 2009 | The Taking of Pelham 123 | Walter Garber | [25] | |
| 2010 | The Book of Eli | Eli | Also producer | [46] |
| Unstoppable | Frank Barnes | [47] | ||
| 2012 | Safe House | Tobin Frost | [48] | |
| Flight | William "Whip" Whitaker Sr. | [49] | ||
| 2013 | 2 Guns | Robert "Bobby" Trench | [25] | |
| 2014 | The Equalizer | Robert McCall | Also producer | [50] |
| 2016 | The Magnificent Seven | Sam Chisolm | [51] | |
| Fences | Troy Maxson | Also director and producer | [52] | |
| 2017 | Roman J. Israel, Esq. | Roman J. Israel | Also producer | [53][54] |
| 2018 | The Equalizer 2 | Robert McCall | Also producer | [55] |
| 2020 | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | — | Producer only | [56] |
| 2021 | The Little Things | Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon | [57] | |
| The Tragedy of Macbeth | Lord Macbeth | [58] | ||
| A Journal for Jordan | — | Director and producer only | [59] | |
| 2023 | The Equalizer 3 | Robert McCall | Also producer | [60] |
| 2024 | Gladiator 2 † | Filming | [61] | |
| TBA | The Piano Lesson † | — | Producer only | [62] |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television edit
| Year(s) | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Wilma Rudolph Story | Robert Eldridge – age 18 | Television film | [63] [64] |
| 1979 | Flesh & Blood | Kirk | Television film | [65] [66] |
| 1982–1988 | St. Elsewhere | Dr. Philip Chandler | 118 episodes | [67] |
| 1984 | License to Kill | Martin Sawyer | Television film | [68] |
| 1986 | The George McKenna Story | George McKenna | Also known as Hard Lessons; Television film | [69] |
| 1992 | Great Performances | Narrator | Episode: "Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway" | [70] |
| 1992 | Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II | Narrator | Documentary film | [71] |
| 1995 1997 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | King Omar / Humpty Dumpty / Crooked Man | Voice, 2 episodes | [72] [73] |
| 2013 | The March | Narrator | Documentary film | [74] |
| 2016 | Grey's Anatomy | — | Director of episode: "The Sound of Silence" | [75] |
Theatre edit
| Year(s) | Production | Role(s) | Theater | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Coriolanus | Aediles / Roman Citizen / Voscian Citizen Roman Soldier / Voscian Soldier | Joseph Papp Public Theater | June 22 − July 22 | [76] |
| 1981 | When the Chickens Came Home to Roost | Malcolm X | New Federal Theatre | [77] | |
| 1981–1983 | A Soldier's Play | Private First Class Melvin Peterson | Theatre Four | Nov. 20, 1981 − Jan. 2, 1983 | [78] |
| 1988 | Checkmates | Sylvester Williams | 46th Street Theatre | August 4 − December 31 | [79] |
| 1990 | The Tragedy of Richard III | Richard III of England | Joseph Papp Public Theater | August 3 − September 2 | [80] |
| 2005 | Julius Caesar | Marcus Brutus | Belasco Theatre | April 3 − June 12 | [81] |
| 2010 | Fences | Troy Maxson | Cort Theatre | April 26 − July 11 | [82] |
| 2014 | A Raisin in the Sun | Walter Lee Younger | Ethel Barrymore Theatre | April 3 − June 15 | [83] |
| 2018 | The Iceman Cometh | Theodore "Hickey" Hickman | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | April 26 − July 1 | [84] |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Cohen, David S. (October 31, 2007). "BAFTA Honors Denzel Washington". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
- ^ Hazlett, Courtney (September 18, 2012). "Denzel Washington opens up about friend Whitney Houston's addiction". Today. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ "Denzel Washington: His Life and Career in Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter. October 31, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Van Gelder, Laawrence (September 14, 1984). "A Soldier s Story (1984) Film: 'Soldier's Story'". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Collins, Glenn (December 28, 1989). "Denzel Washington Takes a Defiant Break From Clean-Cut Roles". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ "The 60th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "Denzel Washington Wins Oscar for 'Glory': Academy Awards: He is named best supporting actor for role in Civil War drama about black soldiers". Los Angeles Times. March 27, 1990. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Hopewell, John (July 23, 2014). "Denzel Washington To Receive San Sebastian Donostia Award". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ . goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (January 7, 2000). "The Hurricane Movie Review & Film Summary (2000)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (September 29, 2000). "Remember The Titans Movie Review (2000)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 5, 2001). "Training Day Movie Review & Film Summary". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ "The 74th Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ "Unforgettable Oscar Moments". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Susman, Gary (March 27, 2002). "Did you notice all of Oscar night's firsts?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ "Frank Lucas, Immortalized In 'American Gangster,' Sentenced To Five Years' Probation". CBS. July 28, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 9, 2009). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2010. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-7407-9218-2.
- ^ . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ McNary, Dave (January 29, 2017). "Denzel Washington Thanks Playwrights, Co-Stars After Winning SAG Best Actor Award for 'Fences'". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Simmons, Russell (November 5, 2012). "Russell Simmons on Denzel Washington's 'Flight': 'Don't Boycott, Take Your Friends'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ "Oscars 2013: Full list of winners". BBC News. February 25, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (February 8, 2022). "Denzel Washington's Best Actor Nomination For The Tragedy of Macbeth Is His Tenth Making Him The Most Nominated Black Actor In Oscar History". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Donalson, Melvin (January 1, 2010). Black Directors in Hollywood. University of Texas Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-292-78224-2. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ "A Soldier's Story (1984)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Denzel Washington Movie Reviews & Film Summaries". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Trucco, Terry (December 26, 1987). "Re-creating Steve Biko's Life". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ C. DiMare, Philip (June 17, 2011). Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 842. ISBN 978-1-59884-297-5. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (2013). . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (February 2, 1990). "Heart Condition (1990) Review/Film; Case of a Haunted Cop With a Second-Hand Heart". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (August 3, 1990). "Mo' Better Blues". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Nickson, Chris (December 15, 1996). Denzel Washington. St. Martin's Press. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-4299-3816-7.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (October 7, 1991). "'Ricochet': flashy thriller". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (May 14, 1993). "Much Ado About Nothing". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 17, 1993). "The Pelican Brief Movie Review (1993)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (December 24, 1993). "Philadelphia". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Nickson, Chris (December 15, 1996). Denzel Washington. St. Martin's Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-4299-3816-7.
- ^ Campbell, Caren Weiner (April 25, 1997). "The Preacher's Wife". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (January 16, 1998). "Fallen (1998) Film Review; Hard to Beat the Devil, a Detective Finds". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 15, 2002). "John Q. Movie Review & Film Summary (2002)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Mitchell, Elvis (October 3, 2003). "Out of Time (2003) Film Review; Everyone's on His Case (Especially His Wife)". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Stratton, David. "At the Movies: Man on Fire". ABC. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Scott, A. O. (July 30, 2004). "The Manchurian Candidate (2004) Film Review; Remembrance of Things Planted". The New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ Travers, Peter (March 24, 2006). "Inside Man". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (December 15, 2006). "Deja Vu". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2016. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (November 12, 2010). "Movie review: 'Unstoppable'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (February 9, 2012). "Safe House: Can Denzel Washington Ever Be a Bad Guy?". Time. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ Puig, Claudia (November 1, 2012). "'Flight': Washington's flawless as a flawed hero". USA Today. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Foundas, Scott (September 7, 2014). "Toronto Film Review: 'The Equalizer'". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Chilton, Martin (May 3, 2016). "Denzel Washington as the lead makes The Magnificent Seven 'more diverse' and true, says director". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
- ^ Viagas, Robert (April 22, 2016). "Denzel Washington's Fences Film Begins Shooting Today". Playbill. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Hans, Simran (February 4, 2018). "Roman J Israel, Esq review – strange but compelling". The Observer. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Roeper, Richard (November 21, 2017). "'Roman J. Israel, Esq.' waylays a winning Denzel Washington character". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (July 17, 2018). "Film Review: Denzel Washington in 'The Equalizer 2'". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ McNary, Dave (June 19, 2019). "Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman Starring in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' for Netflix". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 31, 2019). "Denzel Washington's 'Little Things' Casts John Harlan Kim (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (September 24, 2021). "The Tragedy of Macbeth review – McDormand and Washington deliver noirish nightmare". The Guardian. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (February 2, 2019). "Michael B. Jordan to Star in Denzel Washington's 'Journal for Jordan'". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
- ^ Vivarelli, Nick (November 2, 2022). "'Equalizer 3' Drug Bust: Italian Police Seize 120 Grams of Cocaine From Film's Caterers, Raid Hotel Rooms". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (March 17, 2023). "Denzel Washington Reuniting With Ridley Scott On 'Gladiator' Sequel At Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (April 13, 2023). "Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler & More Set For Netflix's The Piano Lesson; Denzel Washington, Todd Black Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- ^ M. Smith, Maureen (January 1, 2006). Wilma Rudolph: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-313-33307-1. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Wilma Rudolph Story, The (1977)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Nickson, Chris (December 15, 1996). Denzel Washington. St. Martin's Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-4299-3816-7. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "CBS Won't Censor Flesh & Blood". Daily Sitka Sentinel. October 15, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved May 17, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "St. Elsewhere Cast". TV Guide. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Licence to Kill (1984)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Deming, Mark (2015). . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Frym, Michael (November 1, 1992). "Review: 'Great Performances Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway'". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ . British Film Institute. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
- ^ "Denzel Washington". Voice Chasers. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ^ Kelleher, Terry (October 13, 1997). "Picks and Pans Review: Mother Goose: a Rappin' and Rhymin' Special". People. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ de Moraes, Lisa (August 5, 2013). "TCA: Denzel Washington To Narrate PBS' 'The March'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ Nilles, Billy (February 10, 2016). "How Denzel Washington's Wife Helped Him Direct Meredith's Terrifying Grey's Anatomy Attack". E!. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ "Coriolanus". Lortel. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "The Stage: Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad". The New York Times. July 15, 1981. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ "A Soldier's Play". Lortel. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Checkmates". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "The Tragedy of Richard III". Lortel. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Julius Caesar". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "Fences". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ "A Raisin in the Sun". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ^ McPhee, Ryan (July 1, 2018). "The Iceman Cometh, Starring Denzel Washington, Concludes Broadway Run July 1". Playbill. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
External links edit
- Denzel Washington at IMDb