The reality is, if it wasnt for his hard-ass mother looking out for his best interests (something he continually acknowledges to this day), he might not have become the Denzel Washington we know and love today. I dont drink anymore, I dont do any of those things," said the actor proudly. He acknowledges that he is what he is today, thanks to his mother, per Preaching Today. Denzel Washington. The Oscar-winning actor is on his media rounds to promote Fences, the August Wilson play . Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC Denzel Washington: I've never seen George's doctor. "She's urban, raised in Harlem. If a young man doesnt have a father figure, hell go find a father figure.. Deborah Simmons can be reached at [email protected]. Text. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. And you cant blame that on The Man or getting frisked. But we didnt play ball, those types of things. While his father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., was a pentecostal preacher who ran two churches and worked another job, his mother, Lennis Washington, owned a beauty parlor. Katia Washington is the daughter of one of the legendary Hollywood actors Denzel Washington.Her father Denzel gained wide recognition after playing Private Silas Trip in the hard-hit war drama movie Glory, for which, the quintessential actor also won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.His second Oscar glory came when Denzel snagged the role of a corrupt detective Alonzo Harris in a 2001 . For sure, Mr. Washington, a married father of four, did not say that Americas justice system is perfect and that blacks are an integral part of the prison-industrial complex, as its been called for sometime. Throughout the 1990s, he established himself as a leading man in such varied films as Spike Lee's biographical film epic Malcolm X (1992), Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Alan J. Pakula's legal thriller The Pelican Brief (1993), Jonathan Demme's drama Philadelphia (1993), and Norman Jewison's legal drama The Hurricane (1999). He continued to define his onscreen persona as the tough, no-nonsense hero through the 2000s in films like Out of Time (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). [36] In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns, alongside Mark Wahlberg. "Im more like my mother. Denzel was born on December 28, 1954, to his parents Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. and Lennis Low. They grew up watching Biblical films instead, like King of Kings and The Ten Commandments, although he has said that he watched portions of the shows Rawhide and Bonanza. Young Denzel Washington and his mom. This split caused Washington's already strained relationship with his father to deteriorate even further. Denzel's ethnicity is made up of African Americans. Glory (1989)94%. God is love." I thought God is love was one word. [32], From April to June 2014, Washington played the leading role in the Broadway production of Lorraine Hansberry's classic drama A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Kenny Leon. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012), and prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. . He once left his dad, Denzel Washington, speechlessand you can watch the moment yourself. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. Previously, there was a single award for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture" but the splitting allowed for recognition of it and the Best Actor - Musical or Comedy. I never did all through the funeral and all that. Washington lost his dad in 1991, while he was filming Malcolm X but it never affected him or bothered him. [57] Due to his philanthropic work with the Boys & Girls Club, PS 17X, a New York City Elementary School decided to officially name their school after Washington. Proverbs 22:6 states, "Train up a child in the way he should go . Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston presented Washington with the award and said that Washington represented everything he was looking for in this year's honoree: humility, dedication to soldiers, and respect for the Army. That sounds like a book or a song. Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. It wasnt like its been for our children, he says, where you take them to all their events. To Denzel, family means everything but the actor did not have an easy childhood. At any rate, what real-life moms and dads say about family is far more compelling that any Hollywood script. Traditional family values, the left has long said, are racist, sexist and chauvinistic. So 70 percent of the year, I was away. His father was a Pentecostal minister who also worked for the water department, and her mother owned a beauty parlor. Nov. 28, 2017 7:10 pm ET. Yet, perhaps most tellingly, he goes on to describe how, when his father died in 1991, he didnt cry: He died in August. The film was Washington's third collaboration with Lee. I was 14 when they divorced. They allowed lies to fester and if you look to your left and look to your right, this is where we are right now. Americans began redefining family long before Bill Clinton tried to redefine s-e-x in 1998. pic.twitter.com/F7tK9scS8O, When Denzel's father died in 1991, while the actor was filming Malcolm X, he did not feel a thing. The award-winning actor Denzel Washington is an icon in the movie biz. Keep the body in tuneits your temple. [66], Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, List of awards and nominations received by Denzel Washington, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Drama, "The Cine-Files Denzel Washington: Notes on the Construction of a Black Matinee Idol", "Five Ways Denzel Can Achieve His EGOT Dream", "Denzel Washington Tops 'New York Times' '25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far)' List", "Denzel Washington, Simone Biles to Receive Presidential Medals of Freedom", Halle Berry, Denzel Washington get historic wins at Oscars, "Denzel Washington Returns to Acting Roots", "Spurs Coach Sticks Neck Out for Carlesimo", "Pro Basketball" Notebook; Chicago's Jordan-Jackson-Pippen Triangle, page 2", "Matthias da Sousa: Colonial Maryland's Black, Jewish Assemblyman", "Going Fourth Denzel Washington And Spike Lee On Their Quartet Of Movies", "Denzel Washington and Halle Berry Win Golden Globe Awards", "Denzel Washington Movie Box Office Results", "A Big-Name Brutus in a Cauldron of Chaos", "2010 Tony Award Nominations: Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson Earn Nods", "Denzel Washington Heads Back To Broadway In 'A Raisin In The Sun', "Denzel Washington to Star in 'Iceman Cometh' on Broadway", "Denzel Washington waterboarded while filming", "Denzel Washington's 'Equalizer' Secures Start Date; Lining Up Directors", "Toronto 2016: Magnificent Seven diversity 'not a statement', says director", "The Magnificent Seven Chris Pratt And Denzel Washington Character Vignettes", "The Magnificent Seven: Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington share favorite Westerns", "Venice: Denzel Washington, Director Antoine Fuqua Talk Getting Into Character, Politics in 'Magnificent Seven', "Toronto: How Antoine Fuqua Persuaded Denzel Washington to Join 'Magnificent Seven' (Q&A)", "Why 'Magnificent Seven' May Be Hollywood's First Color-Blind Blockbuster", "Dwayne Johnson's HBO Half-Hour Pilot 'Ballers' Picked Up To Series", "Denzel Washington's son among Rams signees", "Denzel Washington and Wife Celebrate 27th Wedding Anniversary in Italy", "The Observer Profile: Denzel Washington", "Denzel Washington: 'I Try to Send A Good Message', "Magic gives $5 mil., Denzel gives $2.5 mil. My mother owned a beauty shop. In mid-2004, Washington visited Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston, where he participated in a Purple Heart ceremony, presenting medals to three Army soldiers recovering from wounds they received while stationed in Iraq. His stage credits include appearances in Broadway revivals of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun in 2014, and Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh in 2018. "It starts at the home," the prolific actor recently. Principal photography began on May 18, 2015, in north Baton Rouge, Louisiana. [20] The next year, he played the lawyer of a gay man with AIDS in the 1993 film Philadelphia. Washington's father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., was a pentecostal preacher who ran two churches, worked another job on top of that, and was rarely around. The movie follows a working-class father (Washington) trying to raise his family in the 1950s while also dealing with his own demons. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University, intent on a career in journalism. Women dont need to have babies, they say. After his parents split, between the ages of 14 and 18, he lived with his mother but he found it difficult. Speaking to GQ, Washington recalled the time he moved out of his mother's place and into his father's when he was 18. His mother, Lennis Washington was a beautician and beauty parlor owner. [49], Washington is a devout Christian,[50] and has considered becoming a preacher. Actor Denzel Washington stressed the prison system was not to blame for crime in black communities, stressing the importance of properly raising children at home, during his tour promoting his. After appearing in 2002's box office success, the healthcare-themed John Q., Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred as a Navy psychiatrist. I never did all through the funeral and all that. Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. was a native of Buckingham County, Virginia, an ordained Pentecostal minister, and an employee of the New York City Water Department, as well as working at a local S. Klein department store. His career includes over 60 roles (and only one sequel, The Equalizer 2) as an actor and three films that he has both starred in and directed. Editors note: This article was originally published on November 26, 2021. Denzel Washington attends a press conference for "The Tragedy Of Macbeth" on Sept. 24, 2021 in New York City. My mother said to me when I was 59, 'Denzel, you do a lot of good. Denzel Washington is probably going to catch hell for espousing a family values script that has been tethered in the hands of conservatives. He participated in a staff talent show for the campers and a colleague suggested he try acting. Consider, as well, Glory. Mr. Washington won a 1990 Oscar for his portrayal of Private Silas Tripp, and while his acting was spot-on throughout, anyone who has seen the entire film knows that Mr. Washington won one of Hollywoods honored because of the scene where he was being whipped. Shes urban, raised in Harlem. His mother, Lennis "Lynne", was a beauty parlor owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem, New York. They're not heartless and cold. I guess being a spiritual man, or just because he had to work so much, I didn't see him. During the early and mid-1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts in 1993, and Crimson Tide with Gene Hackman in 1995, as well as the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Leader of denzel washington jimmy fallon a company at Ipswich, 1569 70 Hist. Except for Denzel, there were two more children in their family. So it was just Washington and his mother, growing up together. Denzel Washington is the proud father to two sons and two daughters. On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work, the television film Wilma. Was it because he was disappointed in his father? 150 Copy quote. He was a very spiritual man and a gentleman." Thats the best part of life for mecontinue to try to be the best man. Shes urban, raised in Harlem. Shes urban, raised in Harlem. As for his friends, One did 28 years [behind bars], one did 20 and the other did 12, he says, adding, One is dead the other two are out. When asked what advice hed give his 15-year-old self, he laughs loudly and exclaims, Listen to your mother!. Maya Khamala is a freelance writer and editor interested in gender, race, sexuality, anxiety, and the great power of humour. Editors note: This article was originally published on September 9, 2022. I was only around my father up until that time, he says. Not to say that I didnt love him like a dad. In 2010, Washington starred in The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. Denzel Washington. Indeed just one strong person is needed to steer young minds in the right direction. https://web.archive.org/web/20060411214059/http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/1999/edition_12-12-1999/Denzel_Washington, https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/denzel-washington-mischievous-childhood-unique-road-acting/story?id=42343506, https://www.gq.com/story/denzel-washington-interview-gq-october-2012, https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2018/april/denzel-washington-credits-mom-for-his-success.html, Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Christopher Polk. Father was a very spiritual man and a gentleman. actor is on his media rounds to Fences. Man with AIDS in the Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic action-drama in! 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