5 Surprising Facts About Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington has built a career delivering powerful performances throughout his illustrious profession spanning nearly five decades. He is an internationally acclaimed actor who has won many hearts with his captivating on-screen presence. Although we recognize the actor and his notable works, do we know the man behind the star and what motivates his spectacular persona as an artist? Here are a few interesting facts to get to know him a bit better. 

1. He Was Studying to Become a Doctor

Before the acting bug caught him, Denzel Washington had enrolled in college to study medicine. He probably would have become one if not for joining an acting class so he could get easy grades. Interestingly, his father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., got his first name from the surname of the doctor who delivered him in 1909, Dr. Denzel. 

One class was all it took for Denzel to switch focus and pursue acting as his profession; aren't we glad he did! In 1977, the young man graduated in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University. As if destined, he got his breakthrough role five years later, playing Dr. Philip Chandler in the Emmy-winning medical drama St. Elsewhere.

2. He Met His Future Wife on the Sets of Wilma

A lot of memorable events transpired for Denzel in 1977. He met his future wife Pauletta Pearson while they were filming for the made-for-television movie Wilma. Both played relatively unnoticed supporting roles in the film. Once the shooting wrapped up, they went their separate ways, meeting once again only after a year. When his professional life began heading towards stardom, his personal life took a happy turn too. 

After bumping into each a few times, first at a party and the next day at a play, they began dating and soon fell irrevocably in love with each other. The couple wed in 1983 and have resolutely stuck by each other's side through the ups and downs of life since. 

3. He Holds a Special Place in the History of Academy Awards

During his illustrious career, Denzel has won many prestigious awards, but nothing can beat his record at the Academy Awards. Earning nine nominations is no mean feat for an actor, and with this achievement, the movie icon is in the company of legends such as Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro.

Of the nine, he won two Oscars - one as best supporting actor for Glory in 1990 and another for his magnetic performance in Training Day in 2002. With the latter, he became the second black actor in the history of the Academy Awards after Sydney Poitier in 1963 to win the Oscar in the Best Actor category. He is the same man who, realizing he wouldn't win in 1988 during his first nomination, left the venue before the Awards were announced. 

4. His Children Have Followed in His Footsteps

Denzel counts his four children as his treasure and is incredibly proud of their accomplishments in their chosen professions. As fate would have it, all of them decided to follow in their parent's footsteps in the world of cinema in one form or the other. His firstborn, John David, switched careers from playing professional football to taking up acting full-time in 2015 and has won a prestigious award for his performance in the 2020 film Tenet.

Denzel's daughter Katia is a successful producer who has produced her father's movie Fences and a few notable dramas like Malcolm and Marie. The twins Olivia and Malcolm are also in showbiz. While she is an actress who appeared alongside her famous father in The Little Things, the star's son has become both an accomplished director and producer. 

5. He Helped Chadwick Boseman Realize His Dreams

While the world is privy to the incredible accomplishments of Denzel Washington in the world of cinema and theater, not many are aware of his philanthropic activities. In 2019, his peers and billions of viewers who tuned in to watch him receive the 47th American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award came to know one of his many benevolent acts. 

Chadwick Boseman, while presenting the award to the industry's most versatile actor, shared the story of how his tuition fees for attending a prestigious summer acting school were paid in full by Denzel. He added that there would have been no Black Panther if it were not for the icon's unconditional support for promoting young talent. The young and talented actor tragically passed away the following year due to a long-suffering illness. Denzel and the world mourned the loss of an incredible actor and a human being. 

In so many unassuming ways, Denzel Washington has touched the lives of several actors. He has inspired a generation of aspiring artists to fearlessly follow their dreams by being a beacon of hope for them.