What is Denzel Washington’s Net Worth and Who are His Wife and Children?

What is Denzel Washington’s Net Worth?

Net Worth:
$220 million
Salary:$20 million
Income Sources:Acting
Age/Date of Birth:
69 years old (December 28, 1954)
Height:
6 feet, 1inch (1.85 meters)
Nationality:American
Last Updated:
2021
Denzel Washington is a renowned American actor famous for his roles in various Hollywood movies. He is also a screenwriter, movie director, and producer who has a net worth of $220 million.

His activities in Hollywood earn him remarkable sums of money each year. His salary alone is estimated to earn him around $40 million – $60 million every year, making him one of the richest Black American actors.

Denzel’s amazing looks and an undeniable streak of talent definitely pay off in millions of dollars.

A Breakdown of Denzel Washington’s Salary and Net Worth

Washington’s on and off-screen involvements are responsible for his king-sized net worth of about $220 million. He earns between $60 to $80 million in salary annually. Denzel is a perfect definition of how lucrative acting can be especially when one is a talented actor. Here’s a break down of how much he has earned from the various facets of his acting career.

From the 1990s to 2000

Way back in 1995, he earned a decent $7.5 million for starring in Brett Leonard’s American science fiction titled Virtuosity. In 1996, he earned $10 million for playing the role of Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling in Courage Under Fire. The budding actor quickly attained another mile stone in his career earnings with his next blockbusters Fallen (where he acted as Detective John Hobbes), The Siege (where he played the role of Anthony Hubbard), The Hurricane, and Malcolm X cumulatively brought his film earning to $34 million at the end of the 90s.

From 2001 to 2010

In the new millennium, the seasoned actor pocketed $12 million from Training Day (2001). and later made an additional $40 million ($20 million each) from Out of Time (2003) and Man of Fire (2004). Mr. Washington earned $40 million from American Gangster in 2004 before the film got scrapped. When it was revived, he got paid another $40 million for the same movie making him one the few actors to have been paind twice for a particular film.

From 2011 to Present

In the passing decade, Denzel Washington has made a lot more money from acting compared to when he began his career. Notably, he got paid around $20 million in 2012 for playing Tobin Frost’s character in Safe House. In 2014, he made $20 million from The Equalizer and as it stands now, Denzel makes no less than $20 million for each film he stars in.

Summary of His most Prominent Film Earnings

  • $7.5 million in 1995
  • $10 million in 1996
  • $34 million in 1998
  • $12 million in 2001
  • $40 million in 2003
  • $40 million in 2007
  • $20 million in 2012
  • $20 million in 2014

Forbes states that Washington has banked more than $290 million pretax since the outfit first tallied his earnings in 2003.

Summary of His Net Worth in Recent Years

  • 2013 net worth $40,000,000
  • 2016 net worth $190,000,000
  • 2018 net worth $190,000,000
  • 2020 net worth $220,000,000

How Does He Give Back to the Society?

Washington’s gigantic earnings do not only go back to him and his family. The A-list actor does a lot of charity in a bid to give back to society. Washington does not forget the Save Africa’s Children of which he holds an honorary chairperson position. He makes large sums of donations to the organization which provides support for all kinds for children, victims of hunger, and other health-related maladies in Africa. He also makes donations to other charity organizations.

Meet Denzel Washington’s Wife and Kids

It won’t be wrong to say that Denzel has got a family to admire and even envy. Washington can be described as the perfect family man. A couple to emulate and admire, Denzel Washington and his wife have been married for over 30 years. Sources report that the couple met on the set of a movie (Washington’s first TV role) where the spark set them out on a journey on which they are still on up until this day.

The Washington family
The Washington family

Washington married his beautiful wife Pauletta Washington in June 1983. Their union saw to the birth of four children – John David, Katia, Olivia, and Malcolm – who are twins. Washington’s influence on and off-screen has also made it possible for his kids to have a greater edge over a few others, although they strive to build their own individual identities. Get to know more about his wife and kids individually below.

Pauletta Washington

Pauletta Washington
Pauletta Washington

Pauletta Washington is a graduate of The Juilliard School, a conservatory in New York City, New York. Her earliest acting role dates back to 1977 with her role in a television movie titled Wilma as Mae Faggs alongside her would-be husband as Robert Eldridge. She followed this up with a role as Paulette Pearson in Purlie (1981) and even more acting roles came subsequently. More recently, Pauletta has starred in films and television series like Career Suicide: Arthur’s Edge (2017), She’s Gotta Have It ( 2017-2019) and Steps which as of this writing is alredy in post-production.

John David Washington

The first offspring of the Washington’s – John David Washington was initially set on pushing a football career before he made a switch to acting. John played college football with Morehouse College before he got signed in 2006 as an undrafted free agent by St Louis Rams and later on the Sacramento Mountain Lions before the league collapsed in 2012.

John made his return to acting in 2015 with a role (as Ricky Jerret) in 47 episodes of the television film titled Ballers. Before this however, he had starred in in films like Malcolm X (1992), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), and The Book of Eli (2010). Following his return to acting, he has acted in a handful of movies like Love Beats Rhymes (2017), All Rise, Monsters and Men, BlacKkKlansman, and The Old Man & the Gun all in 2018. In 2020, he starred in Tenet and has already followed it up with additional roles in films titled Beckett and Malcolm which are already in post-production as of this writing.

Katia Washington

Katia Washington (L) and Malcolm Washington (R)
Katia Washington (L) and Malcolm Washington (R)

In line with keeping with the family tradition, Katia began showing her artistry while in school. She participated in and won a couple of poem and dance competitions. As an adult, she has worked behind the scene of several successful movies. They include Django Unchained (2012) as editorial cum production assistant, The Equalizer (2014) as assistant: Mr. Black and Mr. Blumenthal, The Birth of a Nation (2016) as assistant: Mr. Parker, Fences (2016), Assassination Nation(2018) as co-producer and Pieces of a Woman (2020) as co-executive producer.

Olivia Washington

Olivia Washington
Olivia Washington

Olivia, one of the Washington twin is also toeing the line of Denzel, as an actress. With a handful of appearances in major films and TV shows such as Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013), The Glass Menagerie (2015), Empire (2015), the American drama thriller series Mr Robot (2016) where she appeared in 3 episodes and The Comedian also in the same year. Though she is yet to land a lead role in a movie or television series, it’s believed that with the guidance of her father who has reportedly advised her to learn multiple skills like acting, singing, and dancing, Olivia has all the guidance she needs to make it big in the industry.

Malcolm Washington

Malcolm Washington
Malcolm Washington

Malcolm like his elder brother first ventured into sports before he made a much-expected switch to showbusiness. While studying film in college, he played as a point guard for the Penn Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania (basketball team). After his college graduation in 2013, he enrolled at the American Film Institute Conservatory and later graduated in 2016.

As a film producer, Malcolm already has a good number of films he has worked on that are listed on his IMDb page. They include Summer of 17 (2017), The Dispute (2019) and North Hollywood (2020). Others include The Last Bookstore (2017), Benny Got Shot (2017) and Trouble Man (2016).

No doubt, with all the Washington kids involved in showbusiness at various levels, and with the guidance of their parents who are in their own rights veterans in the industry, we have a lot to look forward to as they climb the ladder in their career.

His Early Life

Denzel was raised in his birthplace, the New York Metro. Born in 1954, he went to Fordham University where he earned a BA in Journalism in 1977. He had an opportunity for a full scholarship to San Francisco at the American Conservatory Theater. However, he chose to return back to New York to pursue professional acting and began small roles in summer stock theatre.

He got an early break in his debut movie Carbon Copy (1981) and later moved to made-for-TV movies and landed a role as Dr Philips in St. Elsewhere 1982. Denzel was to remain with the TV show for 6 years until the final season in 1988. Meanwhile, he acted small roles in various movies and received his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in Cry Freedom.

Denzel in 2002 assumed a behind-the-camera role as a director in Antwone Fisher. He also directed the renowned Book of Eli (2010) which he also played the titular character. Some of his recent movies include The Equalizer (2014), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Fences (2016).

Denzel Washington Net Worth

His Career Achievements

After his first Oscar nomination, Denzel Washington became one of the most recognized black actors with the potential to win more awards in the future. His victory in 1989 was followed by the best actor nomination in 1992 for his performances in Malcolm X. Consequently, he was nominated in 1999 for the Golden Globe Award for The Hurricane which he won. He became the only second African-American to win the Best Actor award for his roles in Training Day.

Apart from the Oscars, Denzel Washington also has his name enlisted in major awards. With 10 nominations and 3 wins at the Golden Globe Awards, 1 nomination at the Grammys, 2 nominations at the Emmys and 7 nominations, and a win at the Screen Actors Guilds, and many others, one cannot overemphasize Washington’s significance in the movie industry.

Golden Globe Awards

  • Glory (1990) as Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
  • The Hurricane (2000) as Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
  • Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016)

Tony Awards

  • Fences (2010) as Best Leading Actor in a Play

Academy Awards

  • Glory (1990) as Best Supporting Actor
  • Training Day (2002) as Best Actor

Screen Actors Guild Awards

  • Flight (2013) as Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture

Black Reel Awards

  • The Hurricane (2000) as Best Actor
  • Remember the Titans (2001) as Best Actor
  • Training Day (2002) as Best Actor
  • John Q (2003) as Best Director
  • Flight (2013) as Best Actor
  • Fences (2017) as BestActor

MTV Movie & TV Awards

  • Malcolm X (1993) as Best Performance – Male
  • Training Day (2002) as Best Villain

NAACP Image Awards

  • Power (1987) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Cry Freedom (1988) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Glory (1990) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Mississippi Masala (1993) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Malcolm X (1993) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Crimson Tide (1996) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Courage Under Fire (1997) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Entertainer of the Year (1997)
  • The Hurricane (2000) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Remember the Titans (2001) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Training Day (2002) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • John Q. (2003) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Antwone Fisher (2003) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
  • The Great Debaters (2008) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • The Book of Eli (2011) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Flight (2013) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
  • Fences (2017) as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Film critic awards

  • Glory (1989) Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
  • Malcolm X (1992) Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, and Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor.
  • Courage Under Fire (1996) Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
  • Training Day (2001) Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
  • Antwone Fisher (2002) Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Freedom Award, and Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Director
  • Flight (2012) African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
  • Fences (2016) African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor, Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor

Miscellaneous awards

  • Malcolm X (1993) Silver Bear for Best Actor
  • Golden Apple Awards for Star of the Year (1995)
  • The Hurricane (2000) Silver Bear for Best Actor
  • Training Day (2002) American Film Institute Award for Actor of the Year – Male – Movies
  • BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards for Excellence in Film (2007)
  • Flight (2013) AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards for Best Actor
  • San Sebastián International Film Festival for Donostia Award (2014)
  • Fences (20017) AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards for Best Actor, Santa Barbara International Film Festival for Maltin Modern Master Award
  • The Magnificent Seven (2017) Jupiter Award for Best International Actor
Profile Summary
First Name: Denzel
Last Name: Washington
Estimated Net Worth:
$220 million
Salary:$20 million
Source of Wealth:Acting
Last Updated:
2021
Also Known As:
D
Sex/Gender:
Male
Profession:
Actor, Director, and Producer
Famous For:Washington is famous as one of the greatest actors of his generation, an American cultural icon
Colleges/Universities Attended:
Fordham University
Educational Qualifications:
BA in Drama and Journalism
Religion:
Christianity
Birthday & Zodiac
Age/Date of Birth:
69 years old (December 28, 1954)
Zodiac Sign:Capricorn
Birth Place:
Mount Vernon, New York
Nationality:American
Ethnicity/Race:
African American
Country of Residence:
The United States of America (USA)
Physical Attributes
Height:
6 feet, 1inch (1.85meters)
Weight:
Weight 96 kg
Eye Colour:
Brown
Hair Color:
Black
Other Body Measurements:
Not Available
Relationships
Marital Status:
Married
Spouse/Partner:
Pauletta Pearson
Family and Relatives
Father:
Denzel Hayes Washington Sr.
Mother:Lennis "Lynne" (née Lowe)
Children:
John David Washington (Son, born 28 July 1984)
Malcolm Washington (Son, born 10 April 1991),
Olivia Washington (Daughter, born 10 April 1991),
Katia Washington (Daughter, born 27 November 1987).
Siblings:Lorice Washington (Sister)
David Washington (Brother)
Other Relatives:
None

Related Questions

The American actor Denzel Washington has four children. His oldest is John David Washington, an actor and former football running back born July 28, 1984. His second child and first daughter is Katia Washington, though not as an actress, she has also worked in the film industry. She was born on November 27, 1987. Olivia and Malcolm Washington are the actor's twins born on April 10, 1991. They are both in the entertainment industry like their older siblings.

Chuck Dez
Chuck Dez
Chuck is a personal finance and entertainment writer with over 15 years of experience covering famous biographies, personal finance, celebrity net worth, and celebrity lifestyles. He loves the process of researching new information, discovering and learning new things, as well as putting into words, interesting things others might like to read.

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