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Kerry Washington

Acting

Born January 31, 1977 · The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Also known as Kerry Marisa Washington

Biography

Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. 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. Washington gained wide recognition for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018). 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 political film Confirmation (2016) and a troubled mother in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020). Washington made her feature film debut acting in the drama Our Song (2000). She played Alicia Masters in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007, and has 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), and Django Unchained (2012). In 2024, she portrayed Major Charity Adams in the war film The Six Triple Eight. 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 on Netflix. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kerry Washington, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Entrepreneur in Entertainment Award · 2024
  • Women of the Year · 2022
  • Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year · 2016
  • GLAAD Vanguard Award · 2015
  • Lucy Award · 2014

Filmography50+ titles

Django Unchained

2012as Broomhilda von Shaft

The Simpsons

1989as Rayshelle Peyton (voice)

Psych

2006as Mira Gaffney

Boston Legal

2004as Chelina Hall

How to Get Away with Murder

2014as Olivia Pope

The Six Triple Eight

2024as Charity Adams

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes'

2021Executive Producer

Little Fires Everywhere

2020as Mia Warren

Ray

2004as Della Bea Robinson

The Last King of Scotland

2006as Kay Amin

Law & Order

1990as Allie Lawrence

Wake Up Dead Man

2025as Vera Draven, Esq.

The Disney Holiday Singalong

2020as Self

Scandal

2012as Olivia Pope

The People Speak

2009as Self

Insecure

2016Director

Our Song

2000as Lanisha Brown

Daughters

2024Executive Producer

The School for Good and Evil

2022as Professor Dovey

Girl Rising

2013as Narrator - Nepal (voice)

The Guardian

2001as Drea Westbrook

Cars 3

2017as Natalie Certain (voice)

Confirmation

2016as Anita Hill

Black Panther

2010as Princess Shuri (voice)

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Host

Black Panther

as Princess Shuri (voice)

Unprisoned

2023as Paige Alexander

For Colored Girls

2010as Kelly / Blue

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

2005as Jasmine

Good Hair

2009as Self

Mother and Child

2009as Lucy

The United States of Leland

2003as Ayesha

Save the Last Dance

2001as Chenille Reynolds

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self - Guest

Imperfect Women

2026as Eleanor

Shadow Force

2025as Kyrah

Project Runway

2004as Self - Guest Judge

Strip Search

2004

The Prom

2020as Mrs. Greene

American Son

2019as Kendra Ellis-Connor

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015as Self - Guest

A Thousand Words

2012as Caroline McCall

Miracle at St. Anna

2008as Zana Wilder

Reasonable Doubt

2022Director, Executive Producer

The Words That Built America

2017as Self - Reader: Declaration of Independence

The Details

2011as Rebecca Mazzoni

Lakeview Terrace

2008as Lisa Mattson

Little Man

2006as Vanessa

The Dead Girl

2006as Rosetta

The Human Stain

2003as Ellie