Denzel Washington Net Worth: Denzel Washington is an American-born actor whose roles in the films Tracing Day, Antwone Fisher, and Fences are his most well-known. Washington began his career in Hollywood in the late 1970s and has since acted in over 60 films.
Though Washington’s labor behind the camera has also contributed to his financial success. Denzel Washington’s career as a producer and his production firm, Mundy Lane Entertainment, have also impacted his net worth. Additionally, Washington has a fantastic portfolio of real estate. Discover his most successful works and track his career from the beginning by reading on.
Early Life
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. was born in Mount Vernon, New York on December 28, 1954. His father, Denzel Washington, Sr., worked for the city and was a Pentecostal priest. Lennis, his mother, owned a beauty salon.
Denzel’s parents divorced when he was 14 years old, and his mother put him in military school. It was a calculated decision made by his mother. Washington has mentioned this in subsequent interviews, noting that his jogging companions at the time ended up in prison.
Washington enrolled at Fordham University but paused to determine his major. At a YMCA summer camp, he acquired an interest in and skill for acting.
On the advice of his peers, Washington returned to Fordham and took up theatre. He received a degree in acting and journalism in 1977.
Professional Career
Washington was awarded a full scholarship to the American Conservatory Theater due to his natural ability and outstanding performance in college. He attended for one year before returning to New York to pursue a career in acting.
In 1981, Washington’s first Hollywood feature, Carbon Copy, was released. However, he made his film debut four years earlier. In 1977, he played the lead role in the television documentary Wilma, where he met his future wife.
In 1982, he was cast in the acclaimed medical drama St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler. He appeared in all six seasons, a total of 137 episodes.
His outstanding performance on the show opened the door to larger film parts. Throughout the following decade, Washington consistently demonstrated his mettle, receiving an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor for 1987’s Cry Freedom and winning the same prize for 1989’s Glory. However, the majority of his films at the time did not perform well at the box office.
But the 1992 release of Malcolm X signaled the beginning of Denzel Washington’s fast rise in wealth. The picture grossed $48 million worldwide on a $33 million budget. He was also nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Almost all of Washington’s future films would be commercial triumphs, with many grossing more than $100 million.
In 1993, Washington co-starred in Philadelphia with Tom Hanks, for which they were nominated for Best On-Screen Duo at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. The judicial drama grossed $206.6 million worldwide on a $26 million budget. Philadelphia is Washington’s third-highest-grossing film as of 2022.
The same year, Washington co-starred in The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts. Another massive success, it grossed $195 million on a budget of $45 million. Washington then acted alongside Gene Hackman in the 1995 action film Crimson Tide. It had a $53 million production budget and grossed $157 million worldwide.
Washington starred in the 2000 film Remember the Titans, which was based on the true story of a newly hired African-American coach and his high school team’s first season as a racially integrated team. With only a $30 million budget, the film grossed nearly $136 million worldwide.
Although not as successful at the box office as his other films, Training Day nonetheless broke the $100 million mark in 2001, grossing $104.9 million against a budget of $44.9 million. Washington was paid $12 million for his services.
Notably, his performance in the film earned him his first Academy Award for Best Actor. He was the second African-American actor to get the prize, following Sidney Poitier, who won in 1963.
Washington portrayed Dr. Jerome Davenport in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher. Although it was not a great box office hit, earning only $23 million on a budget of $12.5 million, it is one of Washington’s most significant pictures.
Washington co-starred with Clive Owen and Jodie Foster in the 2006 Spike Lee film Inside Man. The crime thriller grossed nearly $186 million against its budget of $45 million.
In 2007, Ridley Scott released American Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. With a $100 million budget, the film grossed $269 million worldwide.
In addition, Denzel Washington was nominated for other accolades, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor, for his performance in the film. American Gangster is Washington’s highest-grossing picture as of 2022.
Washington portrayed a wanderer with Mila Kunis in the 2010 post-apocalyptic Western The Book of Eli. Even with a costly budget of $80 million, the film grossed more than $157 million from ticket sales worldwide. Washington also served as the film’s producer.
In the same year, Washington played alongside Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson in the film Unstoppable, about an unmanned freight train hurtling toward a city. An experienced engineer and a novice conductor are racing against time to avert a total catastrophe. With a $100 million budget, the film only generated $81 million domestically and $167 million internationally.
The Equalizer flicks significantly contribute to Denzel Washington’s net worth. Washington initially portrayed the vigilante Robert McCall in the 2014 action picture. The film was a resounding success, grossing $192 million on a $55 million budget.
According to reports, Washington was paid $20 million for his role in the film. However, this was not the first time he had earned such a large payment. In addition, he was paid $20 million for his performances in the 2003 and 2004 films Out of Time and Man on Fire, respectively.
In 2018, he would be paid the same amount to reprise his role in The Equalizer 2, in which he co-starred with Pedro Pascal. With a $62 million budget, the film grossed over $190 million worldwide. Moreover, he served as a producer for both the original and the sequel. The Equalizer 3 is also in pre-production, and Denzel Washington is scheduled to reprise his role.
Denzel Washington starred in Antoine Fuqua’s western action-adventure film The Magnificent Seven in 2016. The movie, which also starred Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke, grossed $162 million worldwide on a budget of $90 million.
Washington not only portrayed Troy Maxson in the historical drama Fences but also directed and produced the film. While the picture was not a huge commercial success, making only $64 million on a budget of $24 million, it was widely praised by reviewers and audiences.
In addition, Washington received nominations for Best Actor from the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.
Washington portrayed the same character in the 2010 stage version of Fences, for which he received the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
Washington played magnificently as Macbeth’s protagonist in 2021. It resulted in nominations for Best Actor from the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and other award organizations.
Also in 2021, he starred opposite Rami Malek and Jared Leto in The Little Things. Variety stated that Denzel Washington was paid $40 million for his performance in the picture, which significantly increased his net worth. However, the picture performed poorly at the box office, making only $30 million globally.
A Journal for Jordan, starring Michael B. Jordan and Chante Adams, was also directed by Washington. Unfortunately, the film’s box office performance was low.
Other Activities
Denzel Washington’s acting career contributes significantly to his net worth, but he also earns a great sum from directing and producing. His films Antwone Fisher and The Preacher’s Wife were produced by the production business Mundy Lane Entertainment, which he controls.
Real estate assets contribute to Denzel Washington’s net worth as well. Washington and his wife Pauletta first resided in Toluca Lake, California, but after Washington’s career took off in 1992, they purchased a property in Beverly Hills. Michael Eisner, the former CEO of the Walt Disney Company, sold the couple the property for $2,675,000.
As a native New Yorker, Washington’s ownership of a sumptuous apartment with a magnificent view of Central Park West comes as no surprise. He paid $13 million in 2006 for this home.
And in early 2022, the couple acquired a magnificent 6-bedroom condo in Century City, California, from the granddaughter of the late Saudi King Faisal. They spent $10.9 million for the 8,000-square-foot home. ft. real estate
Personal Life
Denzel and actress Pauletta Pearson are married. The pair met in 1977 on the set of Denzel’s first film, Wilma. The couple has four children: John David, Katia, and twins Malcolm and Olivia.
Denzel is an ardent Christian who has even pondered becoming a minister. However, his current focus remains on acting, directing, and producing.
Denzel Washington Net Worth In 2022
Denzel Washington’s estimated net worth in 2022 is $280 million. While his job in front of the camera accounts for the majority of his net worth, his production firm and directing also contribute to it.
According to IMDB, Washington will next appear in The Equalizer 3, which is scheduled for release in 2023. In a producing capacity, he has eight further projects in various stages of development, including Two Trains Running, Gem of the Ocean, and Seven Guitars.
The Piano Lesson is also produced by Washington for Netflix. The film follows the Charles family as they determine what to do with a family heirloom, and the piano, and grapple with themes of the family legacy. Washington’s son, John David Washington, stars in the film alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Fisher.
Denzel Washington Controversies
On November 3, 2022, Italian police made a drug bust on the set of Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer 3, seizing 120 grams of cocaine from cast and crew members. After searching the hotel rooms of the catering staff engaged in The Equalizer 3, Italian police found 120 grams of cocaine.
The raid was carried out after the head of the movie’s catering staff passed away the previous evening from a heart attack, and authorities discovered little sachets of cocaine on his person. Two catering staff members were put under house arrest for alleged drug peddling, and another crew member lost his driver’s license for having a trace amount of cocaine.
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