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Join Watchmojo as we take a look at the inspiring career of Oscar Award winning actor Denzel Washington.

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The Inspiring Career of Denzel Washington He has become famous for his portrayal of real life characters and his roles in racially charged films. Welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’ll be taking a look at the fascinating career of Denzel Washington. Denzel Washington was born on December 28th, 1954 in Mount Vernon, near New York City. After high school he enrolled at Fordham University in 1977 to pursue a career in Journalism, however he soon discovered that his true passion was acting. This resulted in his move to San Francisco where he enrolled at the American Conservatory Theatre. Within a single year he found work as a television actor due to his strong presence and versatility as a performer. He eventually took on roles such as that of Dr. Philip Chandler on the medical series “St. Elsewhere”, a character that he would inhabit for six years. Washington made his big screen debut in the 1981 comedy “Carbon Copy”. This film set the stage for many of Washington’s future dramatic roles that would deal with the issues of race, albeit in a more serious manner. In fact, he received an Oscar for best supporting Actor in 1989’s powerful historical masterpiece “Glory”, for his role as a runaway slave turned confederate soldier. He followed this part with his Oscar nominated portrayal of the African-American activist and Black Nationalist leader Malcolm X, in the 1992 film of the same name. This role instantly transformed his career as suddenly found himself to be one of Hollywood’s most respected actors. Washington then turned down several similar roles to avoid becoming typecast. As a result, he opted to take on the controversial role of a homophobic lawyer for a homosexual client suffering from AIDS in 1993’s “Philadelphia” opposite Tom hanks. Shortly thereafter in 1995 he caused a media stir while shooting the film “Virtuosity”. Washington had refused to kiss his female co-star Kelly Lynch during a romantic scene between their characters. Washington’s explanation was that the film’s predominantly male audience would not respond well to an interracial kiss between a black man and a white woman. In 1999, Washington earned a Golden Globe for his role in “The Hurricane”, the dramatic true story of wrongly convicted boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter and his 20-year incarceration. The controversy over the film’s historical accuracy deprived him of his much-anticipated Oscar win. Despite this setback, he would continue to receive recognition for his extraordinary roles. As Herman Boone in “Remember the Titans”, another film based on true events, he played the coach who unified the black and white members of a high school football team. Washington was finally awarded the Oscar in the category of Best Actor for his portrayal of a rogue LAPD cop in the cop thriller, “Training Day”. His role in the film was heralded as a welcomed change of pace for the actor who had been traditionally been cast as the good guy. Upon receiving the award, Washington became only the second African-American actor, after Sidney Poitier, to be bestowed the prestigious honor. Washington made his directorial debut with the dramatic 2002 film, “Antwone Fisher”, an autobiographical drama about a volatile young sailor who was forced to see naval psychiatrist Dr. Jerome Davenport, played by Washington himself. Despite his preference for truth inspired stories, as well as racially sensitive topics, Washington has starred in several action-based thrillers, including “Out of Time”, “Deja Vu” and “Inside Man”, as well as the remakes of “The Manchurian Candidate” and the “The Taking Of Pelham 123.” However, in 2010 Washington made the greatest departure to date from his traditional acting roles by starring in the Hughes brothers R-rated post apocalyptic action epic, “The Book of Eli”.