Occupation: Actor Date of Birth: December 28, 1954 Place of Birth: Mt. Vernon, N.Y., USA Sign: Sun in Capricorn, Moon in Aquarius Relations: Father: Denzel Washington (preacher); mother: Lennis Washington (beautician); wife: Paulette Pearson; kids: John David, Katia, Malcolm and Olivia (twins) Education: Fordham University					Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, in the shadow of the Big Apple. (His father, Denzel, Sr., had been named after the physician who delivered him, one Dr. Denzel.). After graduating from high school, Washington enrolled at New York's Fordham University, where he formally studied the art of storytelling on a journalism track. He soon stumbled into several starring roles in student drama productions, including one staging of Othello that Fordham faculty members and alumni still talk about. Denzel Washington's big break came in 1982, when he landed the role of resident Dr. Phillip Chandler on the NBC hospital drama St. Elsewhere. His performances caught the attention of many a Hollywood casting director, and, as a result, Washington had no trouble filling six years' worth of TV hiatuses with movie work. Denzel Washington has generously given of his time (most notably as spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, an organization that had a profound impact on his own upbringing) and money to several charities, including his local church.