Denzel Washington
What an unforgettable night! "How do I begin"? Let me start by saying I sat two rows from the stage where Denzel was being honored. Same row with Courtney B. Vance but three seats down from him, also sitting in the row right behind Denzel.
In person, he is trim, athletic, and casually self-assured, a 64-year-old man who could pass for 40-something, and from the sounds of it, he got his wild years out of the way early. In his teens, he ran with a rough crowd and flirted with disaster. He had no idea what to do with his life, so he enrolled in a pre-med course, then transferred to political science and journalism. But his grades went south, and the college kicked him out.
"Acting was my calling," he says today. "The year I started acting there was a woman in my mother's beauty shop, a kind of seer if you like, who kept looking at me in the mirror. Finally she got a piece of paper and wrote 'prophecy' at the top. She said: 'You are going to travel the world and preach to millions of people.' Now, bear in mind that I'd just been kicked out of school. I said: 'You see anything there about me being let back into school?'" He chuckles. "That was March 1975 and September 1975 I started acting. I still got that piece of paper too."
Sometimes he wonders if there is still more he can do. "I remember some years ago asking my pastor: 'Do you think I'm supposed to be a preacher?' And he said: 'Well, you are. You have a pulpit of your own.'" Washington sips his beverage. "That's not to say that I'm preaching, necessarily. I don't want to tell you what you need to do. I mean, I'm not turning it up to 10 when it comes to being correct, I'm not that guy, I like my wine."
Actor, director, producer, and the multi-talented Denzel Washington has played in many roles during his illustrious career. After making his acting debut more than two decades ago, this two-time Oscar winner, and devastatingly handsome actor is still unstoppable, and memorable to many fans and new moviegoers. Washington starred in the television drama "St. Elsewhere" in the 1980s and was nominated for an Oscar in the film "Cry Freedom." He became the first African-American to pick up two Academy Awards and he received 3 Golden Globes and a Tony Award for Fences.
The native from Mount Vernon, New York, also won the Best Supporting Actor Award in 1989 for "Glory." He picked up his second Oscar (Best Actor) in "Training Day." Some other great films to his credit are as follows: "Philadelphia," "The Book of Eli," "Safe House," "The Pelican, Brief," "Crimson Tide," and "Courage Under Fire." You might not know that Washington was sent to military school, and this could be the reason he's been drawn to play several roles as military personnel. He has played Major Ben Marco in "The Manchurian Candidate," and Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling in the role in "Courage Under Fire."
The beginnings were humble for this larger-than-life star. His mother, Lennis was worried that her son would get into the wrong crowds, so she made a decision to enroll him into prep school. She believed that doing this would help her son to focus on the arts, sports, music, keep him off the streets, and thrive. Washington shared how his mother always would pray for him, and Heaven answered. Not only did her son remain off the streets, but he did consider becoming a preacher and reads his Bible daily. He often wondered if he should have chosen a professional career as a pastor, and admitted that a part of him wishes he took a job in the pulpit. But he said it was important to do good as a Christian while he was working in Hollywood. Washington has pushed ahead, and has continued to defy odds by being married to his wife Paula Pearson since 1983, something that is rare in Hollywood. I was pleased and proud, to celebrate, to be present for the recognition of Mr. Denzel Washington on his lifetime achievement award with the first "Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee Living Legends Award," he is definitely the GOAT.
