Denzel Washington
Actor | Director | Producer
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Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Philip Chandler for six years. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.
Washington has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, and a Tony Award. He is notable for winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his part in Glory in 1989, and the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in the film Training Day.
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Filmography - Acting
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The Equalizer 2 (2018)
As: Robert McCall
Robert McCall returns to deliver his special brand of vigilante justice -- but how far will he go when it's someone he loves?
Runtime: 121 min.
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington | Pedro Pascal | Ashton Sanders | Bill Pullman | Melissa Leo
Roman J Israel, Esq. (2017)
As: Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Hard-nosed liberal lawyer Roman J. Israel has been fighting the good fight forever while others take the credit. When his partner – the firm’s frontman – has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He soon discovers some unsettling truths about the firm – truths that conflict with his values of helping the poor and dispossessed – and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme actions.
Runtime: 122 min.
Directed by: Dan Gilroy
Stars: Denzel Washington | Colin Farrell | Carmen Ejogo | Lynda Gravatt | Amanda Warren
Fences (2016)
As: Troy Maxson
In 1950s Pittsburgh, a frustrated African-American father struggles with the constraints of poverty, racism, and his own inner demons as he tries to raise a family.
Runtime: 139 min.
Directed by: Denzel Washington
Stars: Denzel Washington | Viola Davis | Stephen Henderson | Jovan Adepo | Russell Hornsby
The Magnificent Seven (2016)
As: Sam Chisolm
Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
Runtime: 132 min.
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington | Chris Pratt | Ethan Hawke | Vincent D'Onofrio | Lee Byung-hun
Champs (2015)
As: Himself
A documentary about the sport of boxing, as seen through the eyes of champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins.
Runtime: 85 min.
Directed by: Bert Marcus
Stars: Mike Tyson | Evander Holyfield | Bernard Hopkins | 50 Cent | Spike Lee
The Equalizer (2014)
As: Robert McCall
In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can’t stand idly by – he has to help her. Armed with hidden skills that allow him to serve vengeance against ...
Runtime: 132 min.
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington | Marton Csokas | Chloë Grace Moretz | David Harbour | Haley Bennett
The March (2013)
As: Narrator (voice)
The March is the feature documentary narrated by Denzel Washington about the renowned and historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Runtime: 60 min.
Directed by: John Akomfrah
Stars: Denzel Washington
2 Guns (2013)
As: Robert 'Bobby' Trench
A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob -- the very organization the two men believe they have been stealing money from.
Runtime: 109 min.
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
Stars: Denzel Washington | Mark Wahlberg | Paula Patton | Bill Paxton | Fred Ward
Flight (2012)
As: Whip Whitaker
Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, ...
Runtime: 138 min.
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Denzel Washington | Don Cheadle | Bruce Greenwood | Kelly Reilly | John Goodman
Safe House (2012)
As: Tobin Frost
A dangerous CIA renegade resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he's remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.
Runtime: 115 min.
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Denzel Washington | Ryan Reynolds | Vera Farmiga | Joel Kinnaman | Brendan Gleeson
Unstoppable (2010)
As: Frank Barnes
A runaway train, transporting deadly, toxic chemicals, is barreling down on Stanton, Pennsylvania, and only two men can stop it: a veteran engineer and a young conductor. Thousands of lives hang in the balance as these ordinary heroes attempt to chase down one million tons of hurtling steel and prevent an epic disaster.
Runtime: 98 min.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | Chris Pine | Rosario Dawson | Ethan Suplee | Kevin Corrigan
The Book of Eli (2010)
As: Eli
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
Runtime: 118 min.
Directed by: Allen Hughes | Albert Hughes
Stars: Denzel Washington | Gary Oldman | Mila Kunis | Ray Stevenson | Jennifer Beals
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
As: Walter Garber
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garber into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime.
Runtime: 106 min.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | John Travolta | Luis Guzmán | Victor Gojcaj | John Turturro
The Great Debaters (2007)
As: Melvin B. Tolson
The true story of a brilliant but politically radical debate team coach who uses the power of words to transform a group of underdog African American college students into an historical powerhouse that took on the Harvard elite.
Runtime: 126 min.
Directed by: Denzel Washington
Stars: Denzel Washington | Nate Parker | Forest Whitaker | Denzel Whitaker | Kimberly Elise
American Gangster (2007)
As: Frank Lucas
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. Based on a true story.
Runtime: 157 min.
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | Russell Crowe | Chiwetel Ejiofor | Josh Brolin | Lymari Nadal
Déjà Vu (2006)
As: Agent Doug Carlin - ATF
Called in to recover evidence in the aftermath of a horrific explosion on a New Orleans ferry, Federal agent Doug Carlin gets pulled away from the scene and taken to a top-secret government lab that uses a time-shifting surveillance device to help prevent crime.
Runtime: 126 min.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | Paula Patton | Val Kilmer | Jim Caviezel | Adam Goldberg
Inside Man (2006)
As: Detective Keith Frazier
Bank robber Dalton Russell enters a Manhattan bank, locks the doors and takes hostages, working methodically and without haste. Detective Frazier is assigned to negotiate, but his mind is occupied with the corruption charges he is facing. With an army of police surrounding the bank, the thief, the cop and a high-profile 'fixer' enter high-stakes negotiations.
Runtime: 129 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Clive Owen | Jodie Foster | Christopher Plummer | Willem Dafoe
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
As: Major Bennett Ezekiel Marco
Years after his squad was ambushed during the Gulf War, Major Ben Marco finds himself having terrible nightmares. He begins to doubt that his fellow squad-mate Sergeant Raymond Shaw, now a vice-presidential candidate, is the hero he remembers him being. As Marco's doubts deepen, Shaw's political power grows, and, when Marco finds a mysterious implant embedded in his back, the memory of what really happened begins to return.
Runtime: 129 min.
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Denzel Washington | Meryl Streep | Liev Schreiber | Jon Voight | Kimberly Elise
Man on Fire (2004)
As: Creasy
Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.
Runtime: 146 min.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | Dakota Fanning | Radha Mitchell | Christopher Walken | Marc Anthony
Out of Time (2003)
As: Matthias " Lee " Whitlock
Matt Lee Whitlock, respected chief of police in small Banyan Key, Florida, must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion. Matt Lee has to stay a few steps ahead of his own police force and everyone he's trusted in order to find out the truth.
Runtime: 105 min.
Directed by: Carl Franklin
Stars: Denzel Washington | Eva Mendes | Sanaa Lathan | John Billingsley | Dean Cain
Antwone Fisher (2002)
As: Dr. Jerome Davenport
A sailor prone to violent outbursts is sent to a naval psychiatrist for help. Refusing at first to open up, the young man eventually breaks down and reveals a horrific childhood. Through the guidance of his doctor, he confronts his painful past and begins a quest to find the family he never knew.
Runtime: 120 min.
Directed by: Denzel Washington
Stars: Derek Luke | Malcolm David Kelley | Cory Hodges | Denzel Washington | Joy Bryant
John Q (2002)
As: John Quincy Archibald
John Quincy Archibald is a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he cannot receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it. Therefore, he decides to take a hospital full of patients hostage until the hospital puts his son's name on the donor's list.
Runtime: 116 min.
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Denzel Washington | Robert Duvall | Anne Heche | Kimberly Elise | Daniel E. Smith
Training Day (2001)
As: Alonzo Harris
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
Runtime: 122 min.
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Stars: Denzel Washington | Ethan Hawke | Scott Glenn | Tom Berenger | Harris Yulin
Remember the Titans (2000)
As: Coach Herman Boone
After leading his football team to 15 winning seasons, coach Bill Yoast is demoted and replaced by Herman Boone – tough, opinionated and as different from the beloved Yoast as he could be. The two men learn to overcome their differences and turn a group of hostile young men into champions.
Runtime: 113 min.
Directed by: Boaz Yakin
Stars: Denzel Washington | Will Patton | Ryan Hurst | Wood Harris | Hayden Panettiere
The Bone Collector (1999)
As: Lincoln Rhyme
Rookie cop, Amelia Donaghy reluctantly teams with Lincoln Rhyme – formerly the department's top homicide detective but now paralyzed as a result of a spinal injury – to catch a grisly serial killer dubbed 'The Bone Collector'. The murderer's special signature is to leave tantalizing clues based on the grim remains of his crimes.
Runtime: 118 min.
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Denzel Washington | Angelina Jolie | Queen Latifah | Michael Rooker | Michael McGlone
The Hurricane (1999)
As: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
The story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
Runtime: 146 min.
Directed by: Norman Jewison
Stars: Denzel Washington | Vicellous Reon Shannon | Deborah Kara Unger | Liev Schreiber | John Hannah
The Siege (1998)
As: Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard
The secret US abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York that lead to the declaration of martial law.
Runtime: 116 min.
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Stars: Denzel Washington | Annette Bening | Bruce Willis | Tony Shalhoub | Sami Bouajila
He Got Game (1998)
As: Jake Shuttlesworth
A basketball player's father must try to convince him to go to a college so he can get a shorter sentence.
Runtime: 136 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Ray Allen | Rosario Dawson | Hill Harper | Jill Kelly
Fallen (1998)
As: John Hobbes
Homicide detective John Hobbes witnesses the execution of serial killer Edgar Reese. Soon after the execution the killings start again, and they are very similar to Reese's style.
Runtime: 124 min.
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Stars: Denzel Washington | John Goodman | Donald Sutherland | Embeth Davidtz | James Gandolfini
Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special (1997)
As: Humpty Dumpty / The Crooked Man (voice)
Whoopi Goldberg is the voice of Mother Goose in this all-star, all-rhyming tale set in multi-ethnic nursery-rhyme land.
Stars: Whoopi Goldberg | Regis Philbin | Denzel Washington | Jimmy Smits | Kathie Lee Gifford
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
As: Dudley
Good natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived neighborhood they live in. On top of all this, his church is coming under threat from property developer Joe Hamilton. In desperation, Rev. Biggs prays to God for help - and help arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley.
Runtime: 123 min.
Directed by: Penny Marshall
Stars: Denzel Washington | Whitney Houston | Courtney B. Vance | Gregory Hines | Jenifer Lewis
Courage Under Fire (1996)
As: Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling
A US Army officer had made a "friendly fire" mistake that was covered up and he was reassigned to a desk job. Later he was tasked to investigate a female chopper commander's worthiness to be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. At first all seemed in order then he begins to notice inconsistencies between the testimonies of the witnesses....
Runtime: 116 min.
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Stars: Denzel Washington | Meg Ryan | Lou Diamond Phillips | Matt Damon | Michael Moriarty
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
As: Ezekiel 'Easy' Rawlins
In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in ...
Runtime: 102 min.
Directed by: Carl Franklin
Stars: Denzel Washington | Tom Sizemore | Jennifer Beals | Don Cheadle | Maury Chaykin
Virtuosity (1995)
As: Lt. Parker Barnes
The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) has developed SID version 6.7: a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from the personalities of more than 150 serial killers, and only one man can stop him.
Runtime: 106 min.
Directed by: Brett Leonard
Stars: Denzel Washington | Russell Crowe | Kelly Lynch | William Forsythe | Stephen Spinella
Crimson Tide (1995)
As: Lt. Commander Ron Hunter
On a US nuclear missile sub, a young first officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.
Runtime: 116 min.
Directed by: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington | Gene Hackman | Matt Craven | George Dzundza | Viggo Mortensen
Philadelphia (1993)
As: Joe Mille
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
Runtime: 125 min.
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Tom Hanks | Denzel Washington | Jason Robards | Mary Steenburgen | Antonio Banderas
The Pelican Brief (1993)
As: Gray Grantham
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
Runtime: 141 min.
Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
Stars: Julia Roberts | Denzel Washington | Sam Shepard | John Heard | Tony Goldwyn
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
As: Don Pedro of Aragon
In this Shakespearean farce, Hero and her groom-to-be, Claudio, team up with Claudio's commanding officer, Don Pedro, the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme. Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick and Beatrice -- a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other. Meanwhile, meddling Don John plots to ruin the wedding.
Runtime: 111 min.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Kenneth Branagh | Richard Briers | Michael Keaton | Robert Sean Leonard | Keanu Reeves
Malcolm X (1992)
As: Malcolm X
A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Runtime: 202 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Angela Bassett | Albert Hall | Al Freeman, Jr. | Delroy Lindo
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II (1992)
As: Narrator
An account of Black American soldiers in World War II who combated racism in the segregated military and on the home front.
Runtime: 90 min.
Directed by: William Miles | Nina Rosenblum
Stars: Denzel Washington | Louis Gossett, Jr.
Ricochet (1991)
As: Nick Styles
An attorney is terrorized by the criminal he put away years ago when he was a cop.
Runtime: 102 min.
Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Stars: Denzel Washington | John Lithgow | Ice-T | Kevin Pollak | Lindsay Wagner
Mississippi Masala (1991)
As: Demetrius Williams
An Indian family is expelled from Uganda when Idi Amin takes power. They move to Mississippi and time passes. The Indian daughter falls in love with a black man, and the respective families have to come to terms with it.
Runtime: 118 min.
Directed by: Mira Nair
Stars: Denzel Washington | Sarita Choudhury | Roshan Seth | Sharmila Tagore | Charles S. Dutton
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
As: Bleek Gilliam
Opens with Bleek as a child learning to play the trumpet, his friends want him to come out and play but mother insists he finish his lessons. Bleek grows into adulthood and forms his own band - The Bleek Gilliam Quartet. The story of Bleek's and Shadow's friendly rivalry on stage which spills into their professional relationship and threatens to tear apart the quartet.
Runtime: 129 min.
Directed by: Spike Lee
Stars: Denzel Washington | Spike Lee | Wesley Snipes | Giancarlo Esposito | John Turturro
Heart Condition (1990)
As: Napoleon Stone
A bigoted policeman is given the heart of a slain black defense lawyer,who returns as a ghost to ask the cop to help take down the men who murdered him
Runtime: 100 min.
Directed by: James D. Parriott
Stars: Bob Hoskins | Denzel Washington | Chloe Webb | Ray Baker | Ja'net DuBois
Glory (1989)
As: Pvt. Trip
Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
Runtime: 122 min.
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Stars: Matthew Broderick | Denzel Washington | Cary Elwes | Morgan Freeman | Jihmi Kennedy
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
As: Xavier Quinn
Police chief Xavier Quinn investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island. He was found decapitated in his Jacuzzi. Although the local political establishment, especially crooked Governor Chalk, insists that small-time thief Maubee is responsible, Xavier has his doubts. This view is complicated by the police chief's personal history with Maubee: The men have been friends ...
Runtime: 98 min.
Directed by: Carl Schenkel
Stars: Denzel Washington | James Fox | Mimi Rogers | M. Emmet Walsh | Sheryl Lee Ralph
For Queen & Country (1988)
As: Reuben
A retired British soldier struggles to adjust to everyday life, with increasing difficulty.
Runtime: 105 min.
Directed by: Martin Stellman
Stars: Denzel Washington | Dorian Healy | Paul McKenzie | Amanda Redman | Bruce Payne
Cry Freedom (1987)
As: Steve Biko
A dramatic story, based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist.
Runtime: 157 min.
Directed by: Richard Attenborough
Stars: Denzel Washington | Kevin Kline | Penelope Wilton | Kate Hardie | John Matshikiza
The George McKenna Story (1986)
As: George McKenna
Washington plays a school principal in a tough inner city Los Angeles high school out to rid it of drugs, gangs, low moral of teachers, and restore educational values.
Runtime: 100 min.
Directed by: Eric Laneuville
Stars: Denzel Washington | Lynn Whitfield | Earl Billings | Ray Buktenica | Akosua Busia
Power (1986)
As: Arnold Billing
Pete St. John is a powerful and successful political consultant, with clients spread around the country. When his long-time friend and client Ohio senator Sam Hastings decides to quit politics, he is rapidly drafted to help with the campaign of the man destined to succeed him, unknown and mysterious businessman Jerome Cade...
Runtime: 111 min.
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Stars: Richard Gere | Julie Christie | Gene Hackman | Kate Capshaw | Denzel Washington
A Soldier's Story (1984)
As: Private First Class Peterson
In the towm of Tynen, Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base. A military lawyer, also a black man, is sent from Washington to conduct an investigation. Facing an uncooperative chain of command and fearful black troops, Captain Davenport must battle with deceipt and prejudice in order to find out exactly who really did kill Sergeant Waters.
Runtime: 101 min.
Directed by: Norman Jewison
Stars: Howard Rollins | Adolph Caesar | Art Evans | Robert Townsend | Denzel Washington
License to Kill (1984)
As: Martin Sawyer
A grieving family whose daughter was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver is outraged and frustrated as they encounter the inevitable bureaucratic delays in bringing the case to trial. Once in the courtroom, they are horror-stricken as the young, hard-pressed district attorney seems unable to overcome the technicalities and maneuverings that the driver's attorney uses to keep his client out of jail and still on the ...
Runtime: 96 min.
Directed by: Jud Taylor
Stars: James Farentino | Don Murray | Denzel Washington | Penny Fuller | Millie Perkins
Carbon Copy (1981)
As: Roger Porter
A white corporate executive is surprised to discover that he has a black teen-age son who can't wait to be adopted into the, almost-exclusively-white community of, San Marino, California.
Runtime: 92 min.
Directed by: Michael Schultz
Stars: Denzel Washington | George Segal | Susan Saint James | Jack Warden | Paul Winfield
Flesh & Blood (1979)
As: Kirk
A convict takes up boxing in prison and this brings a new meaning to his life. Once out, his trainer motivates him to become a professional boxer. He cares about only two other things, his uncomfortably close mother and absent father.
Runtime: 240 min.
Directed by: Jud Taylor
Stars: Tom Berenger | Suzanne Pleshette | Mitchell Ryan | John Cassavetes | Kristin Griffith
Wilma (1977)
As: Robert Eldridge, age 18 (as Denzel Washington, Jr.)
The story of American track sprinter Wilma Rudolph, who overcame physical handicaps to win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics.
Runtime: 100 min.
Directed by: Bud Greenspan
Stars: Shirley Jo Finney | Cicely Tyson | Jason Bernard | Joe Seneca | Denzel Washington