John David Washington

John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former professional football player. A son of actor Denzel Washington, he started his career in college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Washington spent four years as a running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions. Washington shifted to an acting career following in his parents footsteps. He was part of the main cast of the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015–2019). His breakthrough came playing Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018), for which he received both Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Washington has since gained leading roles in films such as Tenet (2020), Malcom & Marie (2021), Beckett (2021), Amsterdam (2022), and The Creator (2023). He made his Broadway debut in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson (2022). Early life and family Washington was born and raised in the Toluca Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He is the oldest of four children born to actor Denzel Washington and actress and singer Pauletta Washington (née Pearson). John David, as a compound name, is his first name. At the age of seven, he appeared as a student in a Harlem classroom in Spike Lee's 1992 feature film Malcolm X, which starred his father, Denzel, in the title role. Washington attended Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. He graduated from high school in 2002, and from Morehouse College in 2006.