Kerry Washington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kerry Washington
Washington in 2024
Born	Kerry Marisa Washington (1977-01-31) January 31, 1977 (age 48) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	George Washington University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Nnamdi Asomugha ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) is a talented American actress. She has won many awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award. She has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. In 2014, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2018, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the highest-paid TV actresses.

Kerry Washington became very famous for playing Olivia Pope in the TV show Scandal (2012–2018) on ABC. Her character, Olivia Pope, was an expert at solving big problems for important people. For this role, Kerry was nominated for an Emmy Award twice and a Golden Globe Award once. She also received Emmy nominations for her roles in the HBO movie Confirmation (2016) and the Hulu show Little Fires Everywhere (2020).

Kerry Washington's first movie was Our Song in 2000. She played Alicia Masters in the Fantastic Four movies in 2005 and 2007. She has also acted in many other movies, 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 played Major Charity Adams in the war movie The Six Triple Eight.

On stage, Kerry Washington first appeared on Broadway in the play Race (2009). She later starred in the Broadway play American Son and also acted in the TV version of the play on Netflix in 2019.

Growing Up and Learning

Kerry Washington was born in the Bronx, New York City. She grew up with her mother, Valerie, who was a professor, and her father, Earl Washington, a real estate broker. Her family has African-American roots, with some relatives moving from South Carolina to Brooklyn. Her mother's family is from Manhattan and also has roots in Jamaica, with a mix of English, Scottish, Native American, and African heritage. She is a cousin of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Kerry started performing with the TADA! Youth Theater group when she was young. She went to the Spence School in Manhattan and graduated from high school in 1994. When she was 13, she had the chance to see Nelson Mandela speak at Yankee Stadium after he was released from prison. She later attended George Washington University, where she studied anthropology and sociology, graduating in 1998. She also studied acting at Michael Howard Studios in New York City.

In 2016, Kerry shared that she learned to dance from Jennifer Lopez in the 1990s in New York. She said that Jennifer was a substitute teacher at her dance studio before she became famous.

Kerry's Acting Journey

Starting Out in Acting (1994–2009)

Kerry Washington at a movie premiere in New York in 2004

Kerry Washington got her first acting job in a commercial, which required her to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Her first TV appearance was in the ABC TV movie Magical Make-Over in 1994. She also appeared in the educational TV series Standard Deviants in 1996 and the movie Our Song in 2000.

She continued to act in several movies, including Save the Last Dance (2001) and The Human Stain (2003). In 2002, she played a role in the movie Bad Company, which was important because it was the first time she earned enough money to get health insurance through SAG.

In 2004, she played a main role in Spike Lee's movie She Hate Me and received great reviews for her acting. After 2004, she appeared in movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Little Man (2006), and I Think I Love My Wife (2007). She also played the wife of a Ugandan leader in the historical movie The Last King of Scotland (2006). Kerry also had a recurring role on the TV show Boston Legal. In 2007, she helped direct a music video for the artist Common and became a spokesperson for L'Oréal beauty products.

Kerry Washington also narrated a documentary about a teenage brass band called From the Mouthpiece on Back. In 2009, she was part of The People Speak, a documentary that used performances of historical letters and speeches.

Becoming a Star with Scandal (2010–2018)

In 2010, Kerry Washington made her Broadway debut in the play Race. She also appeared in the 2010 drama movie For Colored Girls.

Kerry Washington in 2010

In 2012, she starred in Quentin Tarantino's movie Django Unchained, which was highly praised by critics. In June 2012, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the group that gives out the Oscars.

From 2012 to 2018, Kerry Washington starred as Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal. Olivia Pope was a "crisis manager" who helped important people in Washington, D.C. solve their problems. The show was very popular and talked about a lot on social media. Kerry's acting in Scandal earned her many positive reviews. In 2013, she won the NAACP Image Award and the NAACP President's Award. She was also named "Favorite actress" by TV Guide magazine.

For her role in Scandal, Kerry was nominated for an Emmy in 2013 and 2014. She was the first African-American woman in 18 years to be nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance.

Besides her acting, Olivia Pope's stylish clothes on Scandal also became very popular. In 2014, Kerry and the show's costume designer won an award for Olivia Pope's fashionable outfits.

In 2013, People magazine listed Kerry Washington as one of the 100 Most Beautiful people. Glamour magazine named her Woman of the Year. She also became the new face of Neutrogena skin care products. On November 2, 2013, Kerry hosted Saturday Night Live, where she played characters like Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

Kerry Washington played the main role in Confirmation, an HBO movie about Anita Hill's testimony during a famous court case. The movie aired in 2016. For this role, Kerry was nominated for an Emmy Award. In the same year, Kerry started her own production company called Simpson Street.

Kerry Washington in 2016

In 2017, Kerry voiced a character in the movie Cars 3. In 2018, she directed an episode of Scandal, which was her first time directing for the show. She also appeared as Olivia Pope in two episodes of How to Get Away with Murder, connecting the two shows. Scandal ended in April 2018 after seven seasons. That same year, Kerry starred in the Broadway play American Son.

Recent Work (Since 2019)

In 2019, Kerry Washington directed an episode of the TV show SMILF. She also appeared in Live in Front of a Studio Audience on ABC, playing Helen Willis in a live recreation of the show The Jeffersons. In the same year, she acted in and helped produce the movie version of the play American Son for Netflix.

In 2020, Kerry was an executive producer for The Fight, a documentary about lawyers working for the ACLU. That same year, she was an executive producer and starred alongside Reese Witherspoon in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere, based on a popular novel. Kerry also directed an episode of the HBO comedy series Insecure.

In September 2020, she won an Emmy Award as a producer for the TV special Live in Front of a Studio Audience. In December 2020, Kerry Washington starred in The Prom, a movie directed by Ryan Murphy for Netflix.

Since 2022, Kerry Washington has been voicing the character Rayshelle Peyton, a fourth-grade teacher, in The Simpsons. She also plays Professor Clarissa Dovey in the movie The School for Good and Evil.

Kerry Washington is set to appear in the war drama The Six Triple Eight and the action thriller Shadow Force. She will also be in the third movie of the Knives Out series, called Wake Up Dead Man.

Family Life

Kerry Washington married former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha on June 24, 2013. They have a daughter and a son. She is also a stepmother to Nnamdi's daughter from a previous relationship.

On May 19, 2013, Kerry gave a speech at her former university, George Washington University, for their graduation ceremony. Before her speech, she received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.

Helping Others

Kerry Washington is very active in supporting important causes. In 2007, she joined other celebrities for the Lee National Denim Day to support women's cancer programs. In September 2012, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention to encourage people to vote. She often helps with voter registration drives.

Kerry is also a strong supporter of LGBT rights. In 2013, she was named an honorary chairperson for the GLSEN Respect Awards. In 2015, she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for her work. In 2016, she appeared in a video tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

She is a member of the Creative Coalition, a group of artists who discuss important national issues. She is also part of V-Day, a global movement that raises awareness about violence against women and girls. In March 2016, Kerry and other actresses from ShondaLand appeared in a commercial supporting Hillary Clinton for president.

Kerry Washington hosted the third night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. For the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election, she supported Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams.

Movies and TV Shows

Film

Television

As Director

Theater

Awards and Nominations

Kerry Washington has received many honors for her acting. These include a Primetime Emmy Awards, five NAACP Image Awards, and a Teen Choice Award. She has also been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) has recognized her with nine Emmy nominations, including:

• 65th Primetime Emmy Awards (2013), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, nomination, for Scandal
• 66th Primetime Emmy Awards (2014), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, nomination, for Scandal
• 68th Primetime Emmy Awards (2016), two nominations
  • Outstanding Television Movie, nomination, for Confirmation
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, nomination, for Confirmation
• 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards (2020), four nominations
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie, nomination, for Little Fires Everywhere
  • Outstanding Limited Series, nomination, for Little Fires Everywhere
  • Outstanding Television Movie, nomination, for American Son
  • Outstanding Variety Special (Live), win, for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
• 74th Primetime Emmy Awards (2022), Outstanding Variety Special (Live), nomination, for Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "The Facts of Life" and "Different Strokes"

See also

In Spanish: Kerry Washington para niños