Lists
Things you didn’t know about Denzel Washington
- In his career he has potrayed figures such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.
- Speaking on his mother sending him away to a private school Denzel Washington stated that the decision changed his life, adding, “because I wouldn’t have survived in the direction I was going. The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them.”
- Washington earned a B.A. in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977
- Washington is a devout Christian, and has considered becoming a preacher. He stated in 1999, “A part of me still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel Washington, you’re supposed to preach. Maybe you’re still compromising.’ I’ve had an opportunity to play great men and, through their words, to preach. I take what talent I’ve been given seriously, and I want to use it for good.”[27] In 1995, he donated 2.5 million dollars to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles
- Denzel Washington has been married since 1983. In 1995, Denzel and his wife renewed their vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.
- In 2008, Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African American artists in honor of the Jewish state’s 60th birthday.
- He also was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Morehouse College IN 2007.
- In May 16, 2011, he was awarded an honorary doctor of arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
- In 2008, Denzel Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African American artists in honor of the Jewish state’s 60th birthday.
- The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia named Washington as one of three people with whom they were willing to negotiate for the release of three defense contractors that the group had held captive from 2003 to 2008
