John David is a former football player who turned actor with the encouragement of his father Denzel Washington.
He started making waves in the American film industry after he retired from football.
Professionally, Washington spent four years as the running back for the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions. In 2020, he starred in Christopher Nolan’s science fiction action-thriller film Tenet, for which he won the Saturn Award for Best Actor.
Let us take a deep dive into the life of John Washington. Here is a story you are going to like.
Who is John David Washington?
John David Washington became famous for his role as ‘Ricky Jerret’ in HBO’s ‘Ballers’. He also appeared in the 1992 feature movie ‘Malcolm X’ as well as in ‘Coco’ (2016) and ‘Monsters and Men’ (2018).
As a co-producer, he made the 2010 movie ‘The Book of Eli.’ Besides this, Washington is a former professional footballer.
He won a football scholarship to ‘Morehouse College,’ thanks to his impeccable skills on the field. He had a successful football career in college.
John also played as a running back for United Football League’s California franchise.
In 2005, ‘D2Football.com’ honored him with the title ‘National Player of the Week.’
As far as Washington’s personal life is concerned, he is a very simple man and leads a simple life. He prefers to maintain a low profile and doesn’t like to disclose his personal matters to the public.
John David Washington Age
John David Washington, known for his role as ‘Ricky Jerret’ in HBO’s ‘Ballers,’ is 39 years old as of 2023, having been born on July 28, 1984.
Before gaining fame in acting, Washington had a successful career as a professional footballer.
Early Life of John David Washington
John David Washington was born on July 28, 1984. He is 39 years of age as of 2023.
John grew up in 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.
John David Washington Career
John David Washington had a very successful football career at ‘Morehouse College.’ There, he set a record with 1,198 yards and nine touchdowns.
He had a 5.6-yard average and added 10 receptions for 69 yards in his senior year. In the year 2005, ‘D2Football.com’ honored him with the title ‘National Player of the Week.’
The following year, he signed a contract with ‘St. Louis Rams’ and joined them as an undrafted free agent. Washington then played in the ‘NFL Europa’ for ‘Rhein Fire.’
After this, he was chosen to play for ‘California Redwoods’ (later renamed as Sacramento Mountain Lions) of ‘United Football League’ in the 2009 ‘UFL Premiere Season Draft.’
Washington stayed with the ‘Mountain Lions’ and then returned for the fourth season in the year 2012.
TV and Film Career
Washington began acting in 2015 in the role of Ricky Jerret in the HBO drama series Ballers. The series was well received by critics, and continued on for five seasons through 2019.
In September 2017, Washington was cast in the lead role of detective Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee’s thriller 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.
BlacKkKlansman did not win the Palme d’Or, but was awarded the Grand Prix by the festival jury. The film began a U.S. theatrical release 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 Old Man & the Gun, which was released on September 28, 2018, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Hand-picked by Christopher Nolan
After seeing Washington’s work in BlacKkKlansman, director Christopher Nolan hand-picked him to anchor 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.
He wrote, “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 is set to appear in the period film Amsterdam, directed by David O. Russell and scheduled for a November 2022 release.
Washington is set to perform in a Broadway revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson beginning in September 2022 and reprise his role in a film adaptation of the play. He is attached to appear in Gareth Edwards’ film True Love.
John David Washington Personal Life
John’s personal life is well guarded and there is not much information available. Washington has spoken only vaguely about past romantic relationships.
However he has revealed, that he has struggled with finding girlfriends and maintaining intimate partnerships.
He is focused much on his career, especially with his sports background bringing in a lot of discipline.
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What is John David Washington’s Net Worth?
John David has a net worth of estimated $8 million as of 2023. John is still making struggles in the industry and has a long way to go but he has managed to make a mark with his incredible acting skills.
In 2022, he had an approximate net worth of $7 million. Most of his earnings were from his movies as well as from his short-lived football career.
His annual approximate salary is $1 million. With numerous successes in his briefcase, it will be no surprise that his net worth is going to increase in the coming years.
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John David Washington Height and Weight
John David Washington’s height is 5 feet 9 inches which is equal to 175 centimeters or 1.75 m tall. His body weight is 94 kg which is equal to 207 lbs.
Washington’s hair color is black and his eyes color is dark brown.
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