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Latest News: Denzel Washington Stars in Gladiator II

Denzel Washington stars with Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal in the highly anticipated Gladiator II. The historical action film is the long awaited sequel to 2000's Gladiator, taking place 15 years after the death of the first film's protagonist Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe). In the upcoming epic, Washington plays Macrinus, a wealthy arms dealer and former gladiator who wants to take over Rome.

During an early screening in October, the 69-year-old described how exciting it was to work with life-size sets in Malta and revealed that he had a blast paying his character, who has a penchant for “trying to use everybody” to get what he wants. “When you would walk around, you were in Rome, and it seemed like 10,000 extras and horses,” Washington said. “It was make-believe, it was play, it was fun; just put the gear on, put the dress on and go, that’s the way I look at it. I’m putting this dress on, these rings, and I’m going crazy.”

Gladiator II arrives in theaters November 22.

Who Is Denzel Washington?

Denzel Washington is an Oscar-winning actor best known for his roles in the hit films Glory, Training Day, and The Equalizer trilogy. After discovering an interest in acting at Fordham University, the New York native pursued a career in theater before making his feature film debut in the 1981 comedy A Carbon Copy. The following year, he made his big break in the hit TV medical drama St. Elsewhere, which ran for six seasons until its end in 1988. Since then, Washington has appeared in several hit movies, including Philadelphia, American Gangster, and Flight, winning Oscars for his roles in Glory and Training Day. The actor will star in the upcoming action flick Gladiator II, arriving in theaters in November 2024.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.
BORN: December 28, 1954
BIRTHPLACE: Mount Vernon, New York
SPOUSE: Pauletta Washington (1983-present)
CHILDREN: John David, Katia, Malcolm, and Olivia
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

Early Life

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born on December 28, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York. His father, Denzel Sr., was a Pentecostal minister, and his mother, Lennie, was a beauty shop owner. He has two siblings, Lorice and David. Washington first took to the stage around the age of 7, appearing in a talent show at his local Boys & Girls Club. The club provided him with a safe place to be and to keep him out of trouble. At 14, his parents divorced and he was sent away to Oakland Military Academy in Windsor, New York, where he excelled at basketball. After moving to Florida with his family, Washington finished high school at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, graduating in 1971. He continued his studies at Fordham University, but proved to be a poor student initially. After taking some time away from college, he returned to the university with a new interest in acting and enrolled in the theater program, where he played roles in student productions of Othello and The Emperor Jones. Washington graduated college with a B.A. in Drama and Journalism in 1977 and later attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco for a year before moving to back New York to pursue a professional acting career. In 1979, he started working with The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park ensemble, earning his first NYC theater credit in Coriolanus.

Movies and TV

Washington made his feature film debut in the 1981 comedy A Carbon Copy and appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions and in television movies before making his big break in the hit television medical drama St. Elsewhere in 1982. The actor starred as Dr. Philip Chandler, one of the show's few Black characters, for six seasons until its end in 1988. In between seasons, he appeared in the 1984 films License to Kill and A Soldier's Story, as well as the 1986 political thriller Power. The following year, Washington portrayed real-life South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom, for which he received his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama.

Oscar Win for Glory

In 1989, Washington starred in the civil war drama Glory, playing a former slave turned Union army soldier fighting in the first Black regiment. For his performance, the actor won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as his first Golden Globe in the same category. During a Q&A in September 2015, Washington revealed that he prayed to his ancestors to get through the filming of the movie's brutal whipping scene. “I said, ‘look, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go out here but you all just be with me and I’ll do whatever you all say,’” he said. “I came out of the room and all I felt was strong and powerful.”

Malcom X and The Hurricane

Washington went on to appear in several notable films throughout the 1990s, including Spike Lee collaborations like the jazz outing Mo’ Better Blues in 1990 and the 1992 biopic Malcolm X, for which he earned an Oscar nod for Best Leading Actor and his second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in Drama. The following year, he starred in the legal dramas The Pelican Brief alongside Julia Roberts and Philadelphia, which has been credited for changing the national conversation about HIV/AIDS. Washington won another Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in the 1999 sports drama The Hurricane, in which he played a former boxing champion falsely accused of murder. His performance also earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor.

Second Oscar Win for Training Day

Washington later portrayed the coach of an integrated high school football team in the acclaimed 2000 film Remember the Titans. In 2001, Washington starred in the crime thriller Training Day, playing Alonzo Harris, a corrupt police officer training a rookie cop. The role earned him his second Oscar win, this time for Best Leading Actor. He also received another Best Actor Golden Globe nomination. In an interview on BBC's The Graham Norton Show in January 2022, Washington revealed that he improvised “a lot” in his Training Day role, ad-libbing around 30% to 40% of his lines. “I was sort of figuring it out as I went along,” he said.

The Great Debaters and American Gangster

The following year, he directed his first film, the biographical drama Antwone Fisher, in which he also co-starred. Several hits followed, including the 2004 films Man on Fire and The Manchurian Candidate, as well as Spike Lee's Inside Man in 2006, which co-starred Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. Washington starred in and directed the historical The Great Debaters in 2007, which profiled a winning African American debate team. That same year, he portrayed Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin from Harlem, in American Gangster, opposite Russell Crowe, for which he received a Golden Globe nod. In 2009, Washington starred as MTA Dispatcher Walter Garber in the remake of the classic film The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, opposite John Travolta.

Safe House and Flight

Continuing to explore a range of roles, Washington starred in the 2010 futuristic tale The Book of Eli before landing a $20 million payday for the 2012 action thriller Safe House, in which he played a CIA agent gone rogue. The film grossed more than $200 million worldwide. That same year, Washington also headlined the comparatively low-budget drama Flight, about a commercial airline pilot who saves a plane from crashing but faces scrutiny after an investigation uncovers his substance abuse problems. The actor earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the Best Leading Actor category, as well as his seventh Golden Globe nod. He then teamed up with Mark Wahlberg for the 2013 crime drama 2 Guns.

The Equalizer Trilogy

In 2014, Washington scored another lead in the action hit The Equalizer, starring as Robert McCall, a former secret agent who offers his investigative services to those in need. After receiving rave reviews for his performance, he reprised his role four years later in the highly anticipated sequel, The Equalizer 2, in which his character continues to seek retribution and justice for the helpless. In 2023, Washington returned as the brooding McCall for the trilogy's final film, The Equalizer 3, set in Southern Italy.

Fences and Roman J. Israel, Esq.

In 2016, he directed and starred in the film adaptation of Fences, based on the August Wilson play. Starring opposite Viola Davis, Washington portrayed Troy Maxson, a disillusioned working class father in the 1950s. For his performance, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actor. Washington's work as the film's director and co-producer also earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. The following year, Washington played the title character in the legal drama Roman J. Israel, Esq., earning Golden Globe and Oscar nods for Best Actor.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

In 2021, the actor returned to the screen in the film adaptation of William Shakespeare'sThe Tragedy of Macbeth. Scoring the leading role, he portrayed the Scottish lord Macbeth, who becomes convinced by witches that he will be the next ruler of Scotland. Washington was praised by critics for his performance, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor, as well as a Golden Globe nod.

Gladiator II and Black Panther Sequel

Washington's latest movie, Gladiator II, will arrive in theaters in late November 2024. In this sequel to the 2000 historical action film Gladiator, he plays a wealthy arms deals who plots to take over Rome. Washington also recently announced that he is set to appear in the third Black Panther film, which has not yet been confirmed, but plans to retire from acting after completing his upcoming projects. In addition to being cast as Hannibal The Conquerer in an untitled Netflix project, he is set to star in Spike Lee's thriller High and Low, which is expected to be released in 2025.

Theater

After his TV and film career took off, the actor returned to theater in the 1990 production of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Richard III at The Public Theater in New York. 20 years later, he starred in the Broadway revival of Fences, which earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Continuing his stage work, Washington played the leading role in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway in 2014, to critical acclaim, and starred in the Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh in 2018, playing Theodore "Hickey" Hickman. He will return to the stage again in February 2025 for the Broadway revival of Othello.

Wife and Children

Washington met actress Pauletta Pearson on the set of the 1977 sports biopic Wilma and started dating a year later. The couple got married in June 1983 and had four children together: John David, Katia, Malcolm, and Olivia. His oldest son, John David, was drafted in 2006 by the NFL's St. Louis Rams and pursued a career in professional football before following his dad's footsteps into acting. Washington's other son, Malcolm, directed the 2024 Netflix movie The Piano Lesson, starring his brother, John David. Denzel served as a producer on the film.

Net Worth

As of October 2024, Washington has an estimated net worth of $300 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. One of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, he earns an annual salary of $60 million. In 2023, Washington earned $24 million for his role in TheEqualizer 3.

Quotes

• No matter how big a movie is, I never want it to be just another gig.
• I think we all have some point in our lives where we’ve gone too far and you have to come back.
• My professional work is being a better actor. I don't know how to be a celebrity.
• I called my mother, and she said I was being filled with the Holy Spirit. I was like, 'Does that mean I can never have wine again?'
• I'm not a liberal or a conservative completely. Who is? Or why do you have to be? You assess the pros, the cons, of both sides and you make an intelligent decision.
• Acting is just a way of making a living, the family is life.
• Acting's like someone asking you for years to write the characters, but they write the book.
• Man gives you the award but God gives you the reward.
• If I am a cup maker, I'm interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.
• If you don't trust the pilot, don't go.
• Do what you got to do so that you can do what you want to do. And fail big.

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