Denzel Washington celebrates his 70th birthday: Instead of a pastor, he became a film star and equalizer

What Hollywood would have looked like if Denzel Washington (70) had followed his first intention and become a pastor like his father? The dream factory, that’s for sure, would have lost one of its greatest and most talented character actors. Missed out on a historic career. And a second generation of Washington on the screen as well. In short: Denzel Washington, who celebrates his 70th birthday on December 28th, has achieved a lot with his choice of acting as a profession – quite the “equalizer”.

“Part of me still says, ‘Maybe, Denzel, you should preach. Maybe you’ll still compromise,'” the “Philadelphia” actor revealed in a 1999 interview with . The son of an ordained Pentecostal priest, Washington appeared to be seriously considering following in his father’s professional footsteps. The star has already proven that he has a talent for it in various acceptance speeches, interviews and many roles throughout his career. Most recently, during the press work for “Gladiator II”,: “In the first part of your life you learn. In the second part of your life you earn. And in the third part of your life you give back.”

Lo and behold: Just a few days before his 70th birthday, Washington took a big step toward his original career plan. He was baptized in a live-streamed ceremony the weekend before Christmas. Afterwards, the actor also posed for photos with his pastor’s license and his baptism certificate. “The sky is literally the limit,” he said, according to Page Six.

As a student, Denzel Washington wasn’t sure what field to specialize in. That’s why he initially took various courses. In 1977, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on acting and journalism from Fordham University in the New York Bronx. However, a job as a creative director at a summer camp awakened his true passion. He took part in a talent show and was promptly advised by colleagues to become an actor. After his passion was awakened, Washington began studying acting – and immediately landed the leading role in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”. From then on he could be seen again and again in plays by the English playwright on stage and in the cinema.

His first big success in Hollywood was almost half his life ago. In 1990, he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Glory.” The second golden boy followed in 2002, this time in the “Best Actor” category for “Training Day”. The special thing about his second triumph: The then 47-year-old became only the second African American to win the Academy Award in the most important acting category. Before him, Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) received the trophy in 1964 for his performance in “Lilies of the Field”.

The fact that there have been “only” two Oscars so far is nothing short of surprising. He has eight further nominations to his name to date, most recently in 2022 for “Macbeth”. The situation is similar at the Golden Globes: To date, Washington has won two regular awards and one honorary award, and has nine more nominations. He is still in the running for the most recent one – he is up for supporting actor for his part in Ridley Scott’s (87) “Gladiator II” on January 6, 2025. On January 17th next year it will be clear whether he will also be nominated for the upcoming Oscars.

“The most important person in my life. 40 years of sacrifice. 40 years of forgiveness. She taught me faith, spirituality and love – true, unwavering love […]. Without Pauletta Washington, I would no longer be alive.” With these words, Washington honored his wife when he was honored by the American Film Institute for his life’s work. Their marriage has also lasted for over 40 years – the two married in June 1983 after met on the set of his first television film “Wilma” (1975). The two have four children together and exchanged their wedding vows with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa in 1995 (1931-2021).

Speaking of offspring: It is not uncommon for children of Hollywood stars to follow in the footsteps of their famous parents. In fact, Denzel and Pauletta Washington’s eldest son John David (40) only really gained a foothold in the dream factory quite late. He has been a professional actor since 2017 and has already received nominations for the Screen Actor’s Guild Award and the Golden Globe – for his leading role as Detective Ron Stallworth in director Spike Lee’s (67) film “BlacKkKlansman”. Since then he has landed the leading role in Christopher Nolan’s (54) “Tenet” and David O. Russell’s (66) “Amsterdam” – and most recently in “The Piano Lesson” by a certain Malcolm Washington (33), his younger brother.

In his nearly 50 years in front of the camera, Denzel Washington has played many memorable characters. Be it in “Malcolm X”, “Philadelphia”, “Flight” or the drama “Fences”, in which he also directed. But he actually took until 2018 for a special premiere: With “The Equalizer 2,” which was released at the time, Washington filmed the first sequel of his career. Four years earlier he had first appeared as former Marine and top agent Robert McCall, who assassinates the mafia as a righteous avenging angel. And just last year he wrote the “Final Chapter” with part three. As an equalizer, of course. Not as a Hollywood icon.