Biographic - Sunday November 2, 2014 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954. While earning a degree in journalism from Fordham University, he became passionate about acting, and went on to study for a year at San Francisco's prestigious American conservatory theater. He honed his craft in New York performing in the famed Shakespeare in the Park Festival and acting in a number of off-broadway productions. After making his screen debut with an uncredited appearance in the 1974 movie "Death Wish," He became romantically involved with fellow cast member Pauletta Pearson during the filming of the 1977 tv movie "Wilma." The couple married in 1983 and have four children together. He made his movie debut with a starring role opposite George Segal in the 1981 comedy "Carbon Copy" before landing the lead in the groundbreaking tv drama "St. Elsewhere" a role he played for six years. During that time, he continued to carve out a movie career, and his portrayal of South African activist Steve Biko in 1987's "Cry Freedom" earned him an Oscar nomination. Two years later, he won the best supporting actor Academy Award for his performance in "Glory." Throughout the 1990s, his choice of roles showcased his versatility-from thrillers such as"The Pelican Brief" and "Courage Under Fire" to the sci-fi drama "Virtuosity" and from Shakespeare's Much ado About Nothing" to the heart-rending "Philadelphia" brilliant portrayals of two real-life figures, in 1992's "Malcolm X" and boxer Rubin Carter in 1999s "The Hurricane," earned him two more Oscar nominations. With 2001's "Training Day" he became only the second African-American, after Sidney Poitier, to win the Academy Award for best actor. That same year, Halle Berry became the first african-american to win the Oscar for the best actress. He made his directoral debut with 2002's "Antwone Fischer" he has continued to star in hits, including "The Manchurian Candidate" "American Gangster" and "Safe House" and he received his sixth Oscar nomination for 2012's "Flight" Denzel's most recent movie outing was a reworking of the classic 1980s Edward Woodward tv action series"The Equalizer."

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