Famous American actor Denzel Washington has been on screen since as early as 1977, where he appeared in the television program The Wilma Rudolph Story. More recently, Washington has gained publicity for his role in The Equalizer 2 released in 2018. But when did this sensational star cross paths with fame?
Washington first crossed paths with fame when he landed a role in his first movie, Carbon Copy (1981), where he starred as Roger Porter. Carbon Copy is a British-American film directed by Michael Schultz that falls under the comedy-drama genre.
Read on to discover more about Washington’s highest-rated films.
The Makings of Washington’s Early Acting Career
This famous star’s career spans across 40 years, with Washington realizing his passion for being on screen after he graduated from Fordham University in 1977, with a degree in journalism. Shortly after graduating, Washington moved to San Fransisco to chase his dreams of bagging a successful career in acting.
Soon after graduating, Washington bagged himself a role in The Wilma Rudolph Story, a television film depicting the challenging life Rudolph faced before becoming a well-known athlete and an Olympic champion. Washington appeared on screen, representing a character named Robert Eldridge.
This was just the start of Washington’s career on screen; he would go on to complete another role in a television film in 1979 before going on to land his first acting role in a Carbon Copy in 1981.
Carbon Copy (1981)
It wasn’t until four years after Washington landed his first role on television that he landed the role of Roger Porter in Carbon Copy.
Carbon Copy’s storyline revolves around the shock revelation that a successful white businessman is the father of a 17-year-old known as Roger; after Roger comes into the scene, everything slowly starts falling apart. The film went on to accumulate $9 million in box office ticket sales.
You might have heard of Washington’s roles in other films, including Glory (1989), Malcolm X (1992) and The Equalizer 2 (2018). Let’s talk about these in more detail.
Glory (1989)
Glory is an American war film that was directed by Edward Zwick, with the screenplay based on two books, Lay This Laurel, published in 1973 written by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush, published in 1965 by Peter Burchard.
Glory is a film about the American Civil War, with a focus on the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the Union Army’s second African-American regiment in the American Civil War.
Malcolm X (1992)
Shortly after the release of his first film, Washington landed another film role starring as the lead character in Malcolm X, a film based on the American civil rights activist and supporter of black nationalism, Malcolm X. The screenplay of the film is heavily based on a book released in 1965 by Alex Haley, which was given the title The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
For his role in this film, Washington went on to win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
In this sequel action film, we see Washington return to one of his most recognized roles to star in his first sequel film. The storyline lets us follow the life of a US Marine and an ex DIA agent as revenge is sought after the brutal murder of a friend.
Washington’s Next Moves
Despite Washington nearing the retirement age of 66, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Washington has been named as part of post-production teams in the 2020 film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the 2021 film The Little Things.