BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Kerry Washington
| Kerry Washington | |
|---|---|
Washington in 2013
| |
| Born | Kerry Marisa Washington January 31, 1977 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Spence School |
| Alma mater | George Washington University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) | Nnamdi Asomugha (m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
Kerry Marisa Washington[1] (born January 31, 1977)[2] is an American actress. Since 2012, Washington has gained wide public recognition for starring in the ABC drama Scandal, a Shonda Rhimes series in which she plays Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert to the President of the United States.[3] For her role, she has been nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series.
Washington is also known for her roles as Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray (2004), as Idi Amin's wife Kay inThe Last King of Scotland (2006), as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm/The Thing in the live-action Fantastic Four films of2005 and 2007, and as Broomhilda von Schaft, Django's wife, in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (2012). She has also starred in the critically acclaimed independent films Our Song (2000), The Dead Girl (2006), Mother and Child (2009) and Night Catches Us(2010).
In April 2014, Time magazine included Washington in its annual TIME 100 as one of the "Most Influential People in the World.
Early life
Washington was born in the Bronx, New York City, the daughter of Valerie, a professor and educational consultant, and Earl Washington, a real estate broker.[5][6][7] Her father's family is of African decent, having migrated from South Carolina to Brooklyn. Her mother's family is from Manhattan, and Washington has said that her mother is from a "mixed-race background but from Jamaica, so she is partly English and Scottish and Native American, but also descended from African slaves in the Caribbean."[8][9][10] She is related to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell through her mother.[11]
Washington performed with the TADA! Youth Theater teen group and attended the Spence School in Manhattan, graduating in 1994.[12] She attended George Washington University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1998 with a double major in anthropology and sociology.[12][13] She also studied at Michael Howard Studios in New York City.[12]
Career
1994–2008
Washington got her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card as a requirement for a commercial that she starred in.[14] Washington made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm Magical Make-Over (1994).[12] She was in the cast of the 1996 PBS sketch comedy-style educational series Standard Deviants,[12] and she appeared in the short "3D" and the feature filmOur Song in 2000.[12] She went on to appear in several movies, including Save the Last Dance (2001) and The Human Stain (2003). In 2002 she played Chris Rock's love interest in the spy thriller Bad Company, a film that represented a turning point for her, in that it was the first time in her career that she had made enough money annually to qualify for health insurance under SAG.[14]
In 2004, she played the female lead in Spike Lee's She Hate Me, for which she received strong reviews for her performance. After 2004, she held parts in Mr. & Mrs. Smith(2005), Little Man (2006), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), and as a wife of 1970s Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the UK historical drama The Last King of Scotland (2006).[12]Washington has also appeared in the recurring role of Chelina Hall on the ABC television series Boston Legal,[12] and in several episodes of the A&E cable-TV series 100 Centre Street.[12] In 2007, she co-directed and appeared in the music video for hip-hop artist Common's song, "I Want You", the fourth single from his album Finding Forever[15] and became a spokesperson for L'Oréal, appearing in commercials and ads alongside fellow actresses, Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Aishwarya Rai, Maya Karin and model Doutzen Kroes.[16]
2009–present
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Washington narrated the critically acclaimed documentary about the New Orleans-based teenage TBC Brass Band, From the Mouthpiece on Back. She also appears in Maxwell's "Bad Habits" video. In 2009 Washington performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn'sA People's History of the United States.[17]
In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's Race, alongside James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Richard Thomas. She also appeared in Tyler Perry's 2010 film For Colored Girls.[12] In October 2011, it was confirmed that she would star in Quentin Tarantino's filmDjango Unchained, which was released in 2012 and received universal critical acclaim.[18][19] She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in June 2012 along with 175 other individuals.[20]
In 2013, Washington ranked No. 2 in People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful people[21] and was named Woman of the Year by Glamourmagazine.[22] The same year, she ranked No. 20 on Forbes magazine's annual list of the highest-paid actors in television and was announced as the new face of Neutrogena skin care.[23] Washington hosted Saturday Night Live on November 2, 2013, where she impersonated Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey in a cold opening sketch that mentioned and satirized critics panning Saturday Night Live's current cast for not hiring a black female cast member at the time.[24]
Scandal
Since April 2012, Washington has starred in the ABC drama series Scandal, created by Shonda Rimes as Olivia Pope, a crisis manager who runs her own crisis management firm called Pope & Associates in Washington, D.C., working for high-profile figures, most notably the President of the United States. The show has been a commercial and critical success, and has been called one of the most talked about drama series on Facebook and Twitter by Buzzfeed.[25][26][27] Its success has also drawn attention to racial questions in television, as Washington is the first African-American actress to lead an American network drama series since 1974, when Teresa Graves starred in the crime drama Get Christie Love! on ABC.[28] Tanzina Vega of The New York Times has written that Washington's casting "has prompted discussion among academics and fans of the show about whether Scandal represents a new era of post-racial television, in which cast members are ethnically diverse but are not defined by their race or ethnicity."[29]
Washington's performance has earned positive reviews, and in 2013, she won the award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 44th NAACP Image Awards and was also presented with the NAACP President's Award.[30] The same year, she was named "Favorite actress" and Scandal "Favorite Drama" of the year at TV Guide's Magazine Fan Favorite Awards [31] and was also crowned 2013's "TV Star of the Year" by the editors of the magazine.[32] For her work in the second season of Scandal, Washington was nominated for an Emmy at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards[33] and 66th Primetime Emmy Awards,[34] becoming the first African-American woman to be nominated in the category of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 18 years.[33] She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series.[35][36]
In addition to Washington's acting, her costumes as Olivia Pope have attracted positive attention, prompting Vanity Fair to name the character one of The Top Ten Best-Dressed TV Characters in 2013.[37] According to the show's costume designer, Lyn Paolo, the success of Olivia Pope's wardrobe is based on "this idea of having [her character] wear such soft, feminine colors in a man's world".[38] In 2014, Washington and Paolo won the Influencer Award at the 2014 Ace Fashion Awards for Olivia Pope's stylish clothes on the show.[39]
Future work
In 2014 Washington announced her involvement in two forthcoming movies: Malcolm D. Lee's Is He the One? a romantic comedy from MGM[40] and a co-lead role in Amma Asante's Unforgettable, a thriller about two women who married the same man.[41] They are the first film roles that Washington has taken since Peeples in 2013.
Personal life
Washington was engaged to actor David Moscow from October 2004 to March 2007.[42] Washington married NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha on June 24, 2013 in Hailey, Idaho.[43][44][45] They have one daughter, Isabelle Amarachi (born April 21, 2014).[46]
As a sort of souvenir or memento, she usually tries to keep something from every character that she plays, such as an item of wardrobe or a piece of furniture from the house the character lived in.[47]
On May 19, 2013, she was the commencement speaker for her alma mater, George Washington University. Before giving her commencement address she was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.[48][49]
Activism
In 2007, Washington and other celebrities joined for the 2007 Lee National Denim Day, supporting the Women’s Cancer Programs of theEntertainment Industry Foundation.[50] In September 2012, Washington spoke at the Democratic National Convention in favor of re-electing Barack Obama with her speech focusing on addressing voter apathy.[51]
Washington is also a supporter of gay rights. In August 2013, she was named an honorary chairperson of the GLSEN Respect Awards;[52]and she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award on March 21, 2015.[53][54]
She is a member of the Creative Coalition; which is a board of actors, writers, musicians, and producers that explore issues that are at the forefront of national discourse.[55] She is also a member of V-Day, a global movement that brings awareness to violence against women and girls.[56]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Our Song | Lanisha Brown | |
| 2000 | 3D | Angie | Short film |
| 2001 | Save the Last Dance | Chenille | |
| 2001 | Lift | Niecy | |
| 2002 | Take the A Train | Keisha | Short film |
| 2002 | Bad Company | Julie | |
| 2003 | The United States of Leland | Ayesha | |
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Ellie | |
| 2003 | Sin | Kassie | |
| 2004 | Against the Ropes | Renee | |
| 2004 | She Hate Me | Fatima Goodrich | |
| 2004 | Ray | Della Bea Robinson | |
| 2005 | Sexual Life | Rosalie | |
| 2005 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Jasmine | |
| 2005 | Fantastic Four | Alicia Masters | |
| 2005 | Wait | Maggie | Short film |
| 2006 | Little Man | Vanessa | |
| 2006 | The Last King of Scotland | Kay Amin | |
| 2006 | The Dead Girl | Rosetta | |
| 2007 | I Think I Love My Wife | Nikki Tru | |
| 2007 | Put It in a Book | Sheila | Short film |
| 2007 | 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Medical Officer Marissa Brau | |
| 2007 | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Alicia Masters | |
| 2008 | Woman in Burka | Kerry | Short film |
| 2008 | Miracle at St. Anna | Zana Wilder | |
| 2008 | Lakeview Terrace | Lisa Mattson | |
| 2009 | Life Is Hot in Cracktown | Marybeth | |
| 2009 | Mother and Child | Lucy | |
| 2010 | Night Catches Us | Patricia Wilson | |
| 2010 | For Colored Girls | Kelly / Blue | |
| 2011 | The Details | Rebecca Mazzoni | |
| 2012 | A Thousand Words | Caroline McCall | |
| 2012 | Django Unchained | Broomhilda von Schaft | |
| 2013 | Peeples | Grace Peeples |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ABC Afterschool Special | Heather | Episode: "Magical Make-Over" |
| 1996 | Standard Deviants | Kerry | PBS series |
| 2001 | NYPD Blue | Maya Young | Episode: "Franco, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn" |
| 2001 | Deadline | Tina Johnson | Episode: "The Undesirables" |
| 2001 | Law & Order | Allie Lawrence | Episode: "3 Dawg Night" |
| 2001 | 100 Centre Street | 5 episodes | |
| 2002 | The Guardian | Drea Westbrook | Episode: "The Next Life" |
| 2004 | Wonderfalls | Mahandra McGinty | Episode: "Unaired Pilot" |
| 2004 | Strip Search | Movie | |
| 2005–2006 | Boston Legal | Chelina Hall | 5 episodes |
| 2008 | Psych | Mira Gaffney | Episode: "There's Something About Mira" |
| 2010 | Black Panther | Princess Shuri / Baker Woman (voice) | Miniseries |
| 2012–present | Scandal | Olivia Pope | Lead role |
| 2013 | Jimmy Kimmel Live | Nerdy Girl | Episode: "After The Oscars" |
| 2013 | Saturday Night Live | Herself/host | Episode: "Kerry Washington/Eminem" |
| 2013 | Project Runway | Herself | Guest judge |
| 2016 | Confirmation | Anita Hill | Movie; filming |
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Race | Susan | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
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