John David Washington

John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former football running back. He played college football at Morehouse College and signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Washington spent four years as the running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions.

John David Washington
Washington in 2018
Born (1984-07-28) July 28, 1984
Los Angeles, California, U.S
NationalityAmerican
Alma materMorehouse College
Occupation
  • Actor
Years active1992–present
Parent(s)Denzel Washington
Pauletta Pearson Washington

Washington shifted to an acting career like his father, Denzel Washington, and mother, Pauletta Washington. He was part of the main cast of the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015–2019). He also starred as Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's crime film BlacKkKlansman (2018), for which he received both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Early life

Washington was raised in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the son of actor Denzel Washington and actress and singer Pauletta Washington (née Pearson); he is the oldest of their four children.[1] At the age of seven he appeared as a student in a Harlem classroom in Spike Lee's 1992 feature film Malcolm X, which starred his father Denzel in the title role.[2]

Washington attended Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. He graduated from high school in 2002 and from Morehouse College in 2006.

Football career
John David Washington
No. 33, 28
Position:Running back
Personal information
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
College:Morehouse
Undrafted:2006
Career history

College

As a Morehouse College senior, Washington led the conference in rushing with 1,198 yards (a school record). He also had a 5.6-yard average, nine touchdowns, and ten receptions for 69 yards. In his college career, Washington holds the school's single-game (242 yards) and career (3,699 yards) rushing records.

Professional

After going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft, Washington was signed by the St. Louis Rams on May 1, 2006 as an undrafted free agent. Washington was released by the Rams on August 31.[3] Three days later, the Rams re-signed him to their practice squad.[4] Washington played in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire in the 2007 offseason.[5]

Washington was drafted by the California Redwoods (later the Sacramento Mountain Lions) of the United Football League in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009. He signed with the team on August 18.[6] Washington stayed with the team after their move to Sacramento, playing for the Mountain Lions until 2012, when the league abruptly folded that October.[7][8]

Acting career

Washington returned to acting in 2015 in the role of Ricky Jerret in the HBO drama series Ballers.[9] The series was well-received by critics,[10] and continued on for five seasons through 2019. In September 2017, Washington was cast in the lead role of detective Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's thriller BlacKkKlansman, which was based on Stallworth's memoir.[11] The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on May 14, 2018.[12][13] It did not win the Palme d'Or, but was awarded the Grand Prix by the festival jury. The film began a U.S. theatrical release on August 10, 2018, a date chosen to coincide with the one year anniversary of the Charlottesville rally.[14] The film was a commercial success, earning Washington both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.[15][16]

In 2018, Washington also starred in the films Monsters and Men and All Rise, both of which screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.[17][18][19] He also appeared in The Old Man & the Gun, which was released on September 28, 2018 by Fox Searchlight Pictures.[20]

Washington will next star in Tenet, directed by Christopher Nolan.[21]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1992 Malcolm X Student in Harlem classroom
1995 Devil in a Blue Dress Boy with Toy Rifle Uncredited
2010 The Book of Eli N/A Co-producer
2015–2019 Ballers Ricky Jerret Television series, Main cast; 47 episodes
2017 Love Beats Rhymes Mahlik
2018 Monsters and Men Dennis Williams
All Rise Richard "Bobo" Evans
BlacKkKlansman Detective Ron Stallworth
The Old Man & the Gun Lieutenant Kelley
2020 Tenet Protagonist Completed
TBA Born to Be Murdered Beckett Post-production
TBA Malcolm & Marie Malcolm Post-production

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result
2018 NAACP Image Awards[22] Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Ballers Nominated
IMDb STARmeter Awards[23] Breakout Star Himself Won
People's Choice Awards[24] The Drama Movie Star of 2018 BlacKkKlansman Nominated
2019 Golden Globe Awards[25] Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated
Satellite Awards[26] Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards[27] Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated

References
  1. Smith, Krista (April 11, 2018). "John David Washington on His Path from Pro Football to Ballers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  2. Respers, Lisa (August 1, 2018). "Don't tell 'BlacKkKlansman's' John David Washington he's code-switching". CNN. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  3. "Rams cut 11, including sixth-round pick". Yahoo! Sports. August 31, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2007. It was widely speculated that John David Washington was a member of the St. Louis Rams but he never actually signed his contract due to a failed physical.
  4. "Rams sign seven to practice squad". St. Louis Rams. September 3, 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  5. "John David Washington". The Football Database. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  6. "United Football League Signs 31 Players to California Redwoods' Roster". United Football League. August 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  7. "Mountain Lions begin season with morning practice". KTXL. September 20, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  8. "John David Washington". TotalFootballStats.com. 2010. Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (February 13, 2014). "Dwayne Johnson's HBO Half-Hour Pilot 'Ballers' Picked Up To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  10. "Ballers: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  11. Kroll, Justin (September 8, 2017). "Spike Lee, Jordan Peele Team Up on KKK Crime Thriller 'Black Klansman'". Variety. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. "The 2018 Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  13. Debruge, Peter; Keslassy, Elsa (April 12, 2018). "Cannes Lineup Includes New Films From Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard". Variety. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  14. Siegel, Tatiana; Gardner, Chris (May 14, 2018). "Cannes: Spike Lee's 'BlacKkKlansman' Draws 10-Minute Ovation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  15. Staff (December 6, 2018). "'Vice,' 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' lead 2019 Golden Globe nominations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  16. "BlacKkKlansman (2018) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  17. "Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup". Variety. November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  18. "John David Washington on Dad Denzel, Spike Lee's 'Black Klansman' and His Sundance Debut". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  19. Hipes, Patrick (January 18, 2018). "'Monsters And Men' Sundance First Look: "Can't You See What's Happening Out There?"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  20. Perez, Rodrigo (June 5, 2018). "'The Old Man And The Gun' Trailer: Robert Redford Will Act One Last Time For Director David Lowery". The Playlist. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  21. Justin Kroll (March 19, 2019). "John David Washington to Star in Christopher Nolan's Next Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  22. "2018 NAACP Image Award Winners: Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. January 14, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  23. "John David Washington Receives IMDb STARmeter Award". IMDb. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  24. "2018 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominations". E! News. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  25. Justine Browning (December 6, 2018). "John David Washington on BlacKkKlansman's powerful message receiving Golden Globe recognition". Entertainment Weekly.
  26. "2018 Awards Nominees". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  27. Patrick Hipes (December 12, 2018). "SAG Awards Nominations: 'A Star Is Born', 'Mrs. Maisel', 'Ozark' Lead Way – The Full List". Deadline.
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