DENZEL WASHINGTON

Though he has been keeping a low profile for much of 2007, Denzel Washington has found himself on the receiving end of some serious Oscar buzz, both as a performer and as a filmmaker -- stemming from his upcoming films American Gangster and The Great Debaters. The former casts the actor as a vicious drug kingpin named Frank Lucas, while the latter tells the true story of a circa-1930s debate team (the movie also marks Washington’s first effort behind the camera since 2002’s Antwone Fisher).

2007 Resume
Nominated for Favorite Male Movie Star at the People’s Choice Awards.
Named “the guy women want to tuck them in at night” by Lifetime Television.
Starred in Deja Vu, which grossed over $40 million on home video.
Awarded the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Received honorary doctorate of humanities degree from Atlanta’s Morehouse College.
Named one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Blacks in Hollywood in Black Enterprise Magazine, alongside Eddie Murphy and Will Smith.
Paid $20 million for his role in American Gangster.
Agreed to reteam with Man on Fire director Tony Scott for a remake of 1974’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
Named America’s Favorite Movie Star by a nationwide Harris Poll, beating out Harrison Ford and Johnny Depp

Behind the Scenes
Denzel Washington’s efforts to secure racial equality for his fellow actors and fellow human beings have earned him the respect of critics and audiences alike, and the actor has consistently gone out of his way to assist a number of relevant causes and organizations. Denzel has also been a prominent fixture in advertising campaigns for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, having popped up in a number of TV, radio and print public service announcements. Denzel's compassion was evident in a recent visit to the Brooke Army Medical Center, where he spent time with wounded soldiers and even donated money to an organization that secures housing for the families of hospitalized soldiers.
2007 Manly Moment
In a 2007 book by Allison Samuels entitled Off the Record, Denzel revealed that he turned down a role opposite Michelle Pfeiffer (in 1992’s Love Field) due to the script’s overuse of the “N” word.