Denzel Washington: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 27, 2026

News •

Denzel Washington, Christopher McQuarrie Team for Original Thriller at Amazon MGM, United Artists • Oct. 20, 2026, 6:20 PM ET (The Hollywood Reporter)

Facts

Also Known As	Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr.
Born	December 28, 1954 (age 71) • Mount Vernon • New York
Awards And Honors	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025) • Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022) • Tony Awards (2010) • Academy Award (2002) • Academy Award (1990) • Academy Award (2002): Actor in a Leading Role • Academy Award (1990): Actor in a Supporting Role • Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016) • Golden Globe Award (2000): Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama • Golden Globe Award (1990): Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture • Tony Award (2010): Best Actor in a Play
Notable Works	“A Journal for Jordan” • “Antwone Fisher” • “Fences” • “The Great Debaters”
Married To	Pauletta Washington (1983–present)
Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In)	"Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995) • "Fallen" (1998) • "Training Day" (2001) • "Unstoppable" (2010) • "Cry Freedom" (1987) • "John Q" (2002) • "The Magnificent Seven" (2016) • "Fences" (2016) • "Remember the Titans" (2000) • "The Equalizer" (2014) • "The Equalizer 2" (2018) • "Crimson Tide" (1995) • "Great Performances" (1992) • "Out of Time" (2003) • "The Mighty Quinn" (1989) • "Roman J. Israel, Esq." (2017) • "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993) • "Courage Under Fire" (1996) • "Philadelphia" (1993) • "Man on Fire" (2004) • "Safe House" (2012) • "The Hurricane" (1999) • "A Soldier's Story" (1984) • "2 Guns" (2013) • "He Got Game" (1998) • "Flight" (2012) • "The Great Debaters" (2007) • "Malcolm X" (1992) • "The Manchurian Candidate" (2004) • "Carbon Copy" (1981) • "Mo' Better Blues" (1990) • "The Pelican Brief" (1993) • "Antwone Fisher" (2002) • "The Preacher's Wife" (1996) • "Power" (1986) • "Deja Vu" (2006) • "For Queen & Country" (1988) • "The Siege" (1998) • "The Taking of Pelham 123" (2009) • "Ricochet" (1991) • "Glory" (1989) • "American Gangster" (2007) • "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995–1997) • "Virtuosity" (1995) • "St. Elsewhere" (1982–1988) • "Inside Man" (2006) • "The Book of Eli" (2010) • "The Bone Collector" (1999) • "Mississippi Masala" (1991) • "Heart Condition" (1990)
Movies/Tv Shows (Directed)	"Antwone Fisher" (2002) • "The Great Debaters" (2007) • "Fences" (2016) • "Grey's Anatomy" (2016)

Top Questions

Is Denzel Washington married?

Pauletta Washington (1983–present)

When was Denzel Washington born?

Denzel Washington was born on December 28, 1954.

Where was Denzel Washington born?

Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, United States.

Photos

Denzel Washington

Much Ado About Nothing

Denzel Washington as Malcolm X stands at a podium with microphones, wearing a dark coat and hat, in front of the Apollo Theater marquee and an American flag in the film Malcolm X.

Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth gestures while speaking to Ray Allen as Jesus Shuttlesworth, who holds a basketball, on an outdoor court at night in He Got Game.

Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris in Training Day, wearing a black leather coat and layered necklaces, with a serious expression outdoors.

Denzel Washington and Christopher Plummer stand facing each other in a wood-paneled office, separated by a large desk, in a scene from the film Inside Man.

Stephen McKinley Henderson as Jim Bono and Denzel Washington as Troy Maxson stand beside a garbage truck in work clothes in a 1950s Pittsburgh alley in the film Fences.

Viola Davis as Rose Maxson stands outside in a checked dress and patterned apron, leaning on a railing next to a brick wall in a scene from the film Fences.

Sarita Choudhury and Denzel Washington stand together at the water's edge, with Choudhury's hand resting on Washington's chest, in a scene from the film Mississippi Masala.

Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris wearing a black leather coat and necklaces in a scene from the film Training Day.

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Kevin Spacey, wearing a tuxedo, stands onstage smiling and speaking at a microphone during the 2017 British Academy Britannia Awards in Beverly Hills.

Kevin Spacey

American actor

Viola Davis stands at a microphone in a white and black gown, holding her Emmy Award while accepting the outstanding lead actress in a drama series honor.

Viola Davis

American actress

Argo

Alan Arkin

American actor

Kevin Kline

Kevin Kline

American actor

Jason Robards in Julia

Jason Robards

American actor

Morgan Freeman stands onstage in a suit jacket and white shirt, facing the audience and smiling, with a microphone visible in the foreground.

Morgan Freeman

American actor

James Earl Jones smiling and wearing a black tuxedo with a bow tie and glasses at an event in 1997.

James Earl Jones

American actor

Cuba Gooding, Jr. smiles at the camera wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt, against a blurred, multicolored background.

Cuba Gooding, Jr.

American actor

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

American actor and director

Sidney Poitier smiling and wearing a light gray suit, blue shirt, and patterned tie at an event.

Sidney Poitier

Bahamanian American actor

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson

American actress

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

American actor, director, and novelist

Matthew Broderick wearing glasses, a dark suit, white shirt, and striped tie, smiling at the camera in a formal portrait taken in 2017.

Matthew Broderick

American actor

Jeffrey Wright wearing glasses and a dark jacket, looking at the camera with a slight smile against a dark background.

Jeffrey Wright

American actor

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall, wearing a black cap and dark fur-trimmed cloak, standing against a plain background.

Mark Rylance

British actor and director

Plummer, Christopher

Christopher Plummer

Canadian actor

Mel Brooks in a tuxedo smiles widely and points at his Emmy Award trophy while posing in front of a blue Emmy Awards backdrop.

Mel Brooks

American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor

Robert Redford as Bill McKay stands at a microphone in a suit and striped tie, with a large campaign poster of himself in the background, in the film The Candidate.

Robert Redford

American actor and director

Al Pacino, wearing glasses and dark clothing, stands in dramatic lighting with a blurred face visible on a screen in the background in a scene from The Insider.

Al Pacino

American actor

George Clooney wearing a black suit and shirt, smiling outdoors with palm trees and a bright sky in the background at the Cannes Film Festival.

George Clooney

American actor and director

USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood

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