DENZEL WASHINGTON: From Red Raiders wannabe to Hollywood icon

In an industry where fame is hard to come by and rarely lasts long, Denzel Washington has certainly made a mark working his way from zero to hero, with three Golden Globe awards and two Academy awards amongst others as worthy feathers to his legendary cap. Notable as the second African American to win an Academy Award for best actor a few years back, his works have earned him critical acclaim especially his portrayal of real life figures such as South African freedom fighter Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Melvin B Tolson, Frank Lucas and himself in the Lorretta Clairboone story movie. Born Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. to Lennis “Lynne” a beauty parlour owner & Denzel Washington Sr. a Pentecostal minister who also worked for the local Water Dept. & a local Departmental store “S Klein”. His paparents marriage went sour when he was aged 14 and he & his older sister had to be sent to boarding school so as not to be exposed to the eventual divorce. Initially interested in attending Texas Tech university Denzel is quoted to have said “I grew up in the Boys club in Mt. Vernon & we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours”. None the less Denzel completed a Ba. in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University, where he played basketball as a freshman guard, after a turbulent period of bouncing from major to major and dropping out for a semester. It was while he was working as a counselor at an overnight summer camp & participating in a staff talent show, that a friend advised he try acting; A star was born. Returning to Fordham that fall, with a renewed vision, he enrolled at the Lincoln center campus to study acting. He earned rave reviews for his performances as title character in Eugene O’Neills The Emperor Jones and Shakespare’s Othello. Upon graduation, he attended graduate school on scholarship at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He stayed in San Francisco for a year, before returning to New York to begin a pro acting career that has seen him grow into one of Hollywood’s true legends, featuring in several box-office hits. A devout Christian, Denzel is one of a few Hollywood figures to stay married to the same spouse for over two decades. He married actress Paula Washington (Nee Pearson) whom he met on the set of his first screen role, Wilma. The couple has four kids. In 1995 they renewed their vows in South Africa with Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu officiating. Recipient of an honorary Doctorate Degree from Morehouse College in 2007, Denzel has won several awards including Academy Awards for best actor in 2000 and best supporting actor in 1990, BET Awards for best actor 2001 & 2004, Best actor in the Berlin International Film Festival 1993 & 2000, Golden Globe awards for best actor in a drama in a motion picture 1990 & 2000 amongst countless nominations for a variety of awards. He was also voted the peoples sexiest man alive for 1996, succeeding Brad Pitt & George Clooney. Aside from discovering his talent Washington has also strived to make a difference in society. He made a sizeable donation to the Fisher houses, small hotels that provide rooms for soldiers families while the soldiers are hospitalized. He also wrote a bestseller, titled A Hand To Guide Me, for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s centennial anniversary. The book featured a number of public figures recalling their childhood mentors. A testimonial of his broad acceptance even, beyond the community of movie enthusiasts, was his being named by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia as one of three people they were by willing to negotiate with for the release of three US defense contractors held captive by the group since 2003.