John David Washington
Biography
John David Washington was born on July 28, 1984, in Los Angeles, California. He is an American actor and a former American football running back. He shifted to an acting career like his father, Denzel Washington, and mother, Pauletta Washington. In 2015, he started with the HBO comedy series Ballers. His role in BlacKkKlansman in 2018 brought him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. After seeing Washington's work in BlacKkKlansman, director Christopher Nolan hand-picked him to anchor his thriller film Tenet, which was released in 2020. Since then, Washington has also starred in Malcolm and Marie in 2021, Amsterdam in 2022, and The Creator in 2023.
Career overview
John David Washington was born on July 28, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, and is an American actor and former American football running back. He shifted to an acting career following in the footsteps of his father, Denzel Washington, and mother, Pauletta Washington. His acting career began in 2015 with his role in the HBO comedy series Ballers. He subsequently gained wider recognition for his work in the 2018 film BlacKkKlansman, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
Following his performance in BlacKkKlansman, director Christopher Nolan hand-picked Washington to anchor the thriller film Tenet, which was released in 2020. In the years following, Washington continued his career in film by starring in Malcolm & Marie in 2021, Amsterdam in 2022, and The Creator in 2023.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Piano Lesson (2024) as Boy Willie
- The Piano Lesson: Legacy and a Vision (2024) as Self
- The Creator (2023) as Joshua
- True Love: Making The Creator (2023) as Self
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Amsterdam (2022) as Harold Woodman
- Malcolm & Marie (2021) as Malcolm
- Malcolm & Marie (2021) Producer
- Monster (2021) as Richard 'Bobo' Evans
- Beckett (2021) as Beckett
- Covidwood (2021) as Self
- The Eisen Hour (2021) as Self - Guest
- Tenet (2020) as Protagonist
- Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of ‘Tenet’ (2020) as Self
- Tamron Hall (2019) as Self - Guest
- Desus & Mero (2019) as Self
- Desus & Mero (2019) as Self - Illustrious Guest
- BlacKkKlansman (2018) as Ron Stallworth
- The Old Man & the Gun (2018) as Lt. Kelly
- Monsters and Men (2018) as Dennis Williams
- Love Beats Rhymes (2017) as Mahlik
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
- The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015) as Self - Guest
- Ballers (2015) as Ricky Jerret
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- The Book of Eli (2010) Co-Producer
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) as Boy with Toy Rifle (uncredited)
- Malcolm X (1992) as Student in Harlem Classroom
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest