Interviewee: Denzel Washington
Interviewer: Tavis Smiley
Date: June 10, 2009

Denzel Washington is a multi-awarded American actor, director, screenwriter and film producer. His versatility has earned him critical acclaim for memorable portrayals of prominent real life figures Malcolm X, Steve Biko, Frank Lucas, Melvin B. Tolson, and Herman Boone. Washington’s career in film is marked by several blockbuster projects, three Golden Globes and two Oscars.

Born on December 28, 1954 as Denzel Jermaine Washington, Jr to a Pentecostal minister and a beauty salon owner, he earned a B.A. in Drama and Journalism at Fordham University in 1977. Generally undecided about his direction in life, Denzel Washington tried acting upon the suggestion of a colleague, and from then on decided to pursue it. He earned a scholarship at San Francisco’s Conservatory Theatre for his graduate studies and made acting his professional career.

Denzel Washington appeared in his first film, A Carbon Copy, in 1981. He did several television movies and off-Broadway projects before finally attaining a starring role in the hit TV medical drama St. Elsewhere from 1982 to 1988. In 1981, Denzel Washington’s acting prowess gained prominence for his portrayal of martyred anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko, giving him his first Oscar nomination in 1987. He won his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for Glory in 1989.

His powerful acting continued to mesmerize audiences in several notable films: Malcolm X (1992); Philadelphia (1993); Crimson Tide (1995); and Courage Under Fire (1996). His performance in Courage Under Fire gave him a Golden Globe.

He grabbed his second Oscar win for the cop drama thriller Training Day in 2001. Washington would continue on with a number of blockbuster films such as Man on Fire (2004), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and Inside Man (2006). He starred opposite Russell Crowe as Frank Lucas in the 2007 film American Gangster. In 2009, he played the role of an MTA dispatcher in the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123.