Denzel Washington is a multiple award-winning actor and is considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. Aside from being well known in numerous movies, Washington is also a successful theatre actor where he also won awards for his performance. In this article, however, we will take a look at Denzel Washington’s net worth in 2021.
| Net Worth | $280 million |
| Age | 67 |
| Salary | $60 million |
| Sponsors | Audi |
| Profession | Actor |
Denzel Washington’s Net Worth in 2021 (estimate): $280 million
Denzel Washington’s net worth in 2021 is valued to be at $280 million. This is according to multiple reputable sources such as Celebrity Net Worth.
Before we explore all of his achievements and award-winning performances, we have to talk about his humble beginnings and where the legend of Denzel Washington was created.
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954. His mother, Lennis “Lynne”, was a beauty parlor owner and operator. His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr. was an ordained Pentecostal minister and an employee of the New York City Water Department.
At the age of 14 years old, Washington’s parents divorced and his mother sent him to Oakland Military Academy in New Windsor, New York. He then attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, before earning his BA degree in Drama and Journalism at Fordham University.
During his time at Fordham, Washington played college basketball as a guard under coach P.J. Carlesimo. During that time, there was a period of uncertainty on which major to study, so he decided to take a semester off where he worked as a creative arts director of the overnight summer camp at Camp Sloan YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut.
When Washington returned to Fordham, he enrolled at the Lincoln Center Campus to study acting. He was given the title roles in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones and Shakespeare’s Othello. He then attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California, for one year before returning to New York to pursue a professional acting career.
Shortly after his graduation at Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in the 1977 television film Wilma. He also had his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy.
His first major break came when he starred in NBC’s television hospital drama St. Elsewhere where he played Dr. Phillip Chandler. The series ran from 1982 to 1988. Aside from that, he appeared in multiple films such as A Soldier’s Story, Hard Lessons, and Power.
In 1987, Denzel Washington starred in Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom where he played a South African anti-apartheid political activist. His performance in the film earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Two years later, Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory. This was his first Academy Award win.
In 1992, Washington teamed up with Spike Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, Malcolm X. His performance as the famous black nationalist leader earned him another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actor.
Throughout the 1990s, Washington appeared in multiple successful films such as The Pelican Brief, Crimson Tide, and Much Ado About Nothing. He also starred alongside Whitney Houston in the 1996 film The Preacher’s Wife.
In 1998, Washington reunited with Spike Lee to star in the film He Got Game alongside NBA legend Ray Allen. The following year, he starred in a film about the boxer Rubin “Hurrican” Carter, whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after spending almost 20 years in prison. His performance earned him the Best Actor Award in the 2000 Golden Globes, making him the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963.
In 2000, he starred in the Disney film Remember the Titans which grossed over $100 million in the United States.
The following year, Denzel Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Detective Alonzo Harris in the 2001 cop thriller Training Day.
Washington made his directorial debut in the drama film Antwone Fisher, which he also co-starred. The movie was met with positive reviews.
He continued his success from the early 2000s as Washington appeared in more positively-reviewed films such as Out of Time, The Manchurian Candidate, Inside Man, Deja Vu, American Gangster, and The Taking of Pelham 123.
In 2010, Washington starred alongside Viola Davis in the Broadway Revival of Fences. His performance as Troy Maxson earned him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
During the 2010s, Washington appeared in movies such as The Book of Eli, Unstoppable, Flight, Safe House, and 2 Guns. He then starred in the 2014 action thriller film titled “The Equalizer”, based on the television series of the same name.
His performance and action sequences were positively received by fans and critics alike. After the success of The Equalizer, Washington reprised his role in the sequel “The Equalizer 2” which came out in 2018.
In 2016, he reunited with Training Day co-star Ethan Hawke, along with Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, and Haley Bennett, in the remake of the 1960 western film titled “The Magnificent Seven”.
In the same year, Denzel Washington directed and starred alongside Viola Davis in their movie adaptation of their 2010 Broadway play Fences. The film was released on December 16, 2016. Washington’s performance earned him a nomination for the Best Actor category for a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award.
The film itself received three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Viola Davis won her first Oscar for the Best Supporting Actress category.
The following year, Washington starred in the legal drama movie titled “Roman J. Israel Esq.”. The film received mixed reviews, but Washington’s performance led to nominations for a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Academy Award — this was his ninth overall Oscar nomination and his sixth for Best Actor.
In 2021, Denzel Washington will be directing and producing an American drama film titled “A Journal for Jordan”, starring Michael B. Jordan. The movie is based on the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor.
In a 2017 Forbes article, Denzel Washington was the highest-paid Oscar nominee with estimated earnings of $290 million pretax.
Despite the whopping amount of his earnings, Washington gives his support to various organizations. He has served as the national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Club of America since 1993. He has also served as a board member of the organization since 1995.
Washington also made a substantial donation to the Fisher House Donation, as well as the Nelson Mandela’s Children Fund.
He also extends his help to schools that are in need of financial help such as Wiley College where he donated $1 million to revive the college’s debate team. He also donated $2 million to his alma mater Fordham University for an endowed chair of the theatre department, and an additional $250,000 to establish a theatre-centered scholarship for the school.
In 1995, he donated $2.5 million to help build the new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles. A devout Christian, Washington says he read the Bible daily.
Denzel Washington clearly throughout different markets. NBA superstar LeBron James admitted that Washington’s movies were a big part of him growing up.
Washington is also a big fan of basketball himself as he is usually seen seating courtside in Laker games as well as appearing as a guest in various NBA sports shows.
Denzel snapped on this Training Day segment 😭
(via @NBAonTNT) pic.twitter.com/ktPXztiD3p
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 8, 2020
His talent and success have taken him to possibly every corner of the world. His iconic roles helped a lot of people overcome the challenges that they are going through in life and he definitely reached different audiences with his performance.
With all of that being said, are you surprised about Denzel Washington’s net worth in 2021? Considering the number of projects that he has done, should it be more?
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