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. He shifted to acting, and was part of the main cast of the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015–2019) and appeared in the western film The Old Man & the Gun. Washington's breakthrough role came playing Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's crime drama BlacKkKlansman (2018), for which he received Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Washington has since gained leading roles in films such as Tenet (2020), Malcolm & Marie (2021), and The Creator (2023). He made his Broadway debut in the 2022 revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson, and reprised his role in its 2024 film adaptation.

Early life and family John David Washington was born on July 28, 1984 in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles, California, where he grew up. He is the oldest of four children born to actor Denzel Washington and actress and singer Pauletta Washington (née Pearson). At the age of seven, he played a student in Spike Lee's 1992 feature film Malcolm X, which starred his father 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.

Football career College As a Morehouse College senior, Washington led the conference in rushing with 1,198 yards (a school record). He also had a 5.6-yard average, nine touchdowns, and ten receptions for 69 yards. In his college career, Washington held the school's single-game (242 yards) and career (3,699 yards) rushing records from 2005-2011.

Professional After going undrafted in the 2006 NFL draft, Washington was signed by the St. Louis Rams on May 1, 2006, as an undrafted free agent. Washington was released by the Rams on August 31. Three days later, the Rams re-signed him to their practice squad. Washington played in NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire in the 2007 offseason.

Washington was drafted by the California Redwoods (later the Sacramento Mountain Lions) of the United Football League in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009. He signed with the team on August 18. Washington stayed with the team after their move to Sacramento, playing for the Mountain Lions until 2012, when the league abruptly folded that October.

Acting career Washington began acting in 1992, appearing in the film Malcolm X alongside his father Denzel Washington; then, in 2015, he won the role of Ricky Jerret, an NFL player, in the HBO drama series Ballers. The series was well received by critics and continued for five seasons through 2019.

In September 2017, Washington was cast in the lead role of detective Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's thriller feature film BlacKkKlansman, which was based on Stallworth's memoir. The film premiered on May 14, 2018, at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It was awarded the Grand Prix by the festival jury. The film's U.S. theatrical release was on August 10, 2018, a date chosen to coincide with the one year anniversary of the Charlottesville rally. The film was a commercial success, earning Washington both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2018, Washington also starred in the films Monsters and Men and Monster, both of which screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. He also appeared in the western film The Old Man & the Gun.

After seeing Washington's work in BlacKkKlansman, director Christopher Nolan hand-picked him to star in his thriller film Tenet. Nolan said of the actor, "[He's] just one of the greatest collaborators I've worked with: extraordinarily hard-working, very, very thoughtful, and very considerate of everybody around him in the most wonderful way." Released in September 2020, Tenet received mixed reviews. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Washington's "star-in-the-making" performance, writing, "A former football running back, the actor brings a natural athletic grace to the stunts and hand-to-hand combat that forge a visceral bond between his character and the audience." For his performance, Washington won the Saturn Award for Best Actor.

Washington starred alongside Zendaya as the titular characters in the drama film Malcolm & Marie (2021), which had been filmed in secret during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released to mixed reviews, but Washington's performance received praise. He starred as Harold Woodman, a lawyer and war veteran, in the ensemble period film Amsterdam (2022) directed by David O. Russell. He then had a starring role in Gareth Edwards' 2023 science fiction film The Creator.

Washington performed in a Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson beginning in September 2022 and ending in January 2023. He reprised his role in a 2024 film adaptation of the play, directed by his brother, Malcolm Washington.

In 2025, Washington became the face of Tom Ford's fragrance Bois Pacifique. In the latter half of 2026, he is set to star as a tech entrepreneur in the off-Broadway play Disruption with Jason Ralph, Conrad Ricamora, Jasmine Sharma, Joe Tippett and Shaunette Renée Wilson. He is set to star in Nikyatu Jusu's horror film Mime.

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Notes 1992 Malcolm X Student in Harlem classroom 1995 Devil in a Blue Dress Boy with Toy Rifle Uncredited 2010 The Book of Eli Co-producer 2017 Love Beats Rhymes Mahlik 2018 Monsters and Men Dennis Williams Monster Richard "Bobo" Evans BlacKkKlansman Ron Stallworth The Old Man & the Gun Lieutenant Kelley 2020 Tenet The Protagonist 2021 Malcolm & Marie Malcolm Elliott Also producer Beckett Beckett 2022 Amsterdam Harold Woodsman 2023 The Creator Joshua Taylor 2024 The Piano Lesson Boy Willie Charles TBA Mime Also producer

Television Year Title Role Notes 2015–2019 Ballers Ricky Jerret Main cast; 47 episodes

Theater Year Title Role Category Theatre Ref. 2022 The Piano Lesson Boy Willie Charles Broadway Ethel Barrymore Theatre 2026 Disruption Nick Off-Broadway Pershing Square Signature Center IMDb STARmeter Awards Breakout Star Himself People's Choice Awards The Drama Movie Star of 2018 BlacKkKlansman Online Film Critics Society Best Actor 2019 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Ballers 2020 People's Choice Awards Favorite Action Movie Star Tenet 2021 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in an Action Movie Saturn Awards Best Actor 2024 Montclair Film Festival Performance Award The Piano Lesson Chicago International Film Festival Spotlight Award Gotham Awards Ensemble Tribute Celebration of Cinema and Television Actor Award – Film 2025 Black Reel Awards Outstanding Lead Performance NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture