Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University, intent on a career in journalism. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. He left A.C.T. after only one year to seek work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in a summer stock theater stage production in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The play was "Wings of the Morning", which is about the founding of the colony of Maryland (now the state of Maryland) and the early days of the Maryland colonial assembly (a legislative body). He played the part of a real historical character, Mathias Da Sousa, although much of the dialogue was created. Afterwards he began to pursue screen roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful presence, he had no difficulty finding work in numerous television productions.

Pauletta Washington (25 June 1983 - present) ( 4 children)

Trivia

Often portrays real people: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007), Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987) and Melvin Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007).
Frequently plays military commanders and law enforcement officers
In almost all the films - e.g. Man on Fire (2004), American Gangster (2007), John Q (2002) - where he handles or uses sidearms (usually a 9mm Beretta or similar pistols), there's a scene of him swiftly ejecting a bullet from the loaded chamber by pulling back the slide assembly and subsequently catching the bullet before it falls to the ground.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#77) (1995).
Son, Malcolm, was named in honor of Malcolm X.
To prepare for his role as boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Washington worked out for a year with Los Angeles boxing trainer Terry Claybon.
Received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Fordham University in New York City.
1996 Harvard Foundation Award
In a Newsweek cover story about the biological basis of the perception of beauty, he was used as a key example in a scientific explanation why he is considered an extremely handsome man.