Kerry Washington Bio
Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress whose career spans film, television, and stage. She first gained wide recognition for playing crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal, a role that made her the first African-American woman to headline a network television drama in decades. Over the years, she has built a reputation for choosing politically charged and socially relevant projects while maintaining a steady presence in mainstream entertainment.
Washington has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, five NAACP Image Awards, and a Teen Choice Award, along with nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was included in Time’s 100 list of the most influential people in 2014, and Forbes has recognized her among the highest-paid television actresses. Beyond acting, Washington has worked as a producer and director, expanding her influence behind the camera.
Early Life and Background
Kerry Marisa Washington was born on January 31, 1977, in The Bronx, New York City. She is the daughter of Valerie, a professor and educational consultant, and Earl Washington, a real estate broker. Her mother is of African-American, Jamaican, English, Scottish, and Native American descent, and through her mother, Washington is a cousin of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Washington has written that she later learned Earl Washington was not her biological father and that she was conceived via a sperm donor.
Growing up in New York City, Washington found an early love for performance through the TADA! Youth Theater, a teen group based in Manhattan. She attended the Spence School in Manhattan from her pre-teen years and graduated from high school in 1994. At the age of thirteen, she was taken to watch Nelson Mandela speak at Yankee Stadium upon his release from prison, an experience she has often cited as formative. These early influences helped shape her path toward a professional acting career.
Washington went on to attend George Washington University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1998 with a double major in anthropology and sociology. She also studied acting at Michael Howard Studios in New York City, where she refined the craft that would carry her into professional work in theater, film, and television.
Path to Acting
Washington earned her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card while working on a commercial, marking her first official step into the industry. She made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm Magical Make-Over in 1994, the same year she graduated from high school. Her early television work included the 1996 PBS sketch comedy-style educational series Standard Deviants, which helped her gain on-camera experience while still studying at George Washington University.
Her feature film debut came in 2000 with Our Song, a drama directed by Jim McKay. She followed this with appearances in Save the Last Dance (2001) and The Human Stain (2003), building a résumé of varied roles. In 2002, she played Chris Rock’s love interest in the spy thriller Bad Company, a film she has described as a turning point because it was the first time in her career that she had earned enough to qualify for SAG health insurance.
Kerry Washington Career
Early Career (1994–2009)
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Washington built her career with a series of supporting film roles and recurring television appearances. She played the female lead in Spike Lee’s She Hate Me (2004) and earned strong reviews for the performance. She went on to appear in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Little Man (2006), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), and as a wife of Idi Amin in the UK historical drama The Last King of Scotland (2006). She also held the recurring role of Chelina Hall on the ABC series Boston Legal and appeared on the A&E cable series 100 Centre Street.
In 2007, Washington co-directed and appeared in the music video for hip-hop artist Common’s song “I Want You” from the album Finding Forever, and she became a spokesperson for L’Oréal. She narrated the documentary From the Mouthpiece on Back and appeared in the music video for Maxwell’s “Bad Habits.” In 2009, she performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature based on historian Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States.
Breakthrough (2010–2018)
In 2010, Washington made her Broadway debut in the original production of David Mamet’s play Race, alongside James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Richard Thomas. That same year, she appeared in Tyler Perry’s ensemble drama For Colored Girls. In 2012, she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
From April 2012 to April 2018, Washington starred in the ABC drama series Scandal, created by Shonda Rhimes, as Olivia Pope, a crisis manager working for high-profile figures in Washington, D.C. The show became a cultural phenomenon and earned Washington an Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series award at the 44th NAACP Image Awards, as well as the NAACP President’s Award in 2013. For her work on the series, she was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, becoming the first African-American woman to be nominated in that category in eighteen years. She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for the role.
Washington’s performance as Anita Hill in the HBO political film Confirmation (2016) brought her another Emmy nomination, this time for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. She launched her production company, Simpson Street, which holds an overall deal with ABC Studios. She voiced a role in Cars 3 (2017), made her directorial debut on Scandal in 2018, and starred in the Broadway play American Son that same year.
Notable Works and Milestones
Washington’s signature role remains Olivia Pope on Scandal, the part that defined her career and earned her the majority of her major award nominations. Her portrayal of Anita Hill in Confirmation and her work on the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020) cemented her reputation for tackling complex social and political stories. She has also been recognized for her cultural influence, ranking No. 2 on People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful list in 2013 and being named Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine.
Kerry Washington Award Nominations
Kerry Washington has earned nominations from some of the most respected organizations in the entertainment industry. She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, including one for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series for her role in Scandal. She has received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Scandal. Washington has also earned multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations across drama, limited series, and variety categories, reflecting her range as a performer and producer.
Kerry Washington Awards Won
Washington has collected several major awards during her career, including a Primetime Emmy Award, which she won as a producer of the television special Live in Front of a Studio Audience in 2020. She has won five NAACP Image Awards, including the Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series award for Scandal and the NAACP President’s Award in 2013. She has also been recognized with a Teen Choice Award for her work on television.
Kerry Washington Family
Washington was born to Valerie, a professor and educational consultant, and Earl Washington, a real estate broker. She has written about discovering that Earl Washington was not her biological father and that she was conceived via a sperm donor. Through her mother, she is a cousin of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Personal Life
Washington was engaged to actor David Moscow from October 2004 to March 2007. She married former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha on June 24, 2013, in Hailey, Idaho. Together they have a daughter and a son, and Washington is also a stepmother to Asomugha’s daughter from a previous relationship. In May 2013, she returned to her alma mater, George Washington University, to deliver the commencement address and was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.
