Kerry Washington Biography
Summary
"Kerry Washington" (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film "Ray" (2004), as Kay Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," and Alicia Masters in the 2005 live action "Fantastic Four" film and its 2007 sequel, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer". She has also starred in the critically acclaimed independent films "Our Song" and "The Dead Girl".
Early life
Washington was born in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of a successful real estate broker father and a professor and educational consultant mother. She performed with the Tada theater teen group in 1985, when she was 8. She attended Spence School in Manhattan, graduating in 1994. Washington went on to earn a B.A. degree in theater in 1998 from The George Washington University. She also studied at Michael Howard Studios in New York City.
Career
Washington made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm "Magical Make-Over" (1994). She was in the cast of the 1996 PBS sketch comedy-style educational series "Standard Deviants", and she appeared in the short '3D' and the feature film "Our Song" in 2000. She went on to appear in several movies, including "Save the Last Dance" (2001), "The Human Stain" (2003), Spike Lee's "She Hate Me" (2004), "Ray" (2004), "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), "Little Man", & "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). Washington has also appeared in the recurring role of Chelina Hall on the ABC television series "Boston Legal", and in several episodes of the A&E cable-TV series "100 Centre Street".
Washington at the
She is the new spokesperson for L'Oréal, appearing in commercials and ads alongside fellow actresses Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria Parker, and model Doutzen Kroes.
She also co-directed and appeared in the music video for hip-hop artist Common's song, 'I Want You', the fourth single off of his album "Finding Forever".
Washington also serves as the narrator of the critically-acclaimed documentary about the New Orleans-based teenage TBC Brass Band, entitled ("From the Mouthpiece on Back") , which also lists The Roots as one of the executive producers of the movie.
She also appears in Maxwell's 'Bad Habits' video.
Personal life
Washington was engaged to actor David Moscow from October 2004 to March 2007.
As a sort of souvenir or memento, she usually tries to keep something from every character that she plays, whether it is an item of wardrobe or a piece of furniture from the house that the character lived in.
She is at times referred to as a political activist and a supporter of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.
Awards and nominations
BET Awards
* 2007- Best Actress "The Last King of Scotland": "Nominated"
Black Reel Awards
* 2009- Best Ensemble "Miracle at St. Anna": "Nominated"
* 2007- Best Supporting Actress "The Last King of Scotland": "Nominated"
* 2005- Best Actress, Drama "Ray": "Nominated"
* 2003- Best Actress, Network/Cable "Lift" : "Nominated"
* 2002- Best Independent Actor "Lift": "Nominated"
* 2002- Best Supporting Actress Theatrical, "Save the Last Dance": "Nominated"
Image Awards
* 2007- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture "The Last King of Scotland": "Nominated"
* 2006- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Boston Legal: "Nominated"
* "2005- Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture "Ray": "Winner"
Independent Spirit Awards
* 2002- Best Female Lead "Lift": "Nominated"
Satellite Awards
* 2005- Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical "Ray": "Nominated"
Screen Actors Guild Awards
* 2005- Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture "Ray": "Nominated"
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Kerry Washington.
