Kerry Washington | |
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Born | Kerry Marisa Washington January 31, 1977 New York City, U.S. |
Alma mater | George Washington University |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1994–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Awards | Full list |
Kerry Marisa Washington[1] (born January 31, 1977)[2][3][4] is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in film and television, she has received a Primetime Emmy Award and five NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards. She was included in Time's 100 list of most influential people in 2014, and Forbes named her the eighth highest-paid television actress in 2018.[5][6]
She gained wide public recognition for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018).[7] For her role, she was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and once for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She was further Emmy-nominated for her roles as Anita Hill in the HBO television political thriller film Confirmation (2016), and Mia Warren in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020).
Washington made her feature film debut acting in the coming-of-age drama Our Song (2000). She has since taken roles in diverse films such as Ray (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Last King of Scotland (2006), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Mother and Child (2009), For Colored Girls (2010), Django Unchained (2012). She portrayed Alicia Masters in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007.
On stage, she made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's play Race (2009). She returned to the Broadway stage starring in the Christopher Demos-Brown play American Son and reprised her role in the 2019 television adaptation of the same name on Netflix.