Biography
Who is Isaiah Washington?
Early life and education
Isaiah Washington was born in Houston, United States, on August 3, 1963. His parents were residents in the Houston Heights community before moving to Missouri City, Texas, around 1980. He attended Willowridge High School, where he was one of the first graduates in 1981. After completing his secondary education, he joined the United States Air Force at the age of nineteen. During his military service, he worked on the Northrop T-38 Talon with assignments at Clark Air Base in the Philippines and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Following his service in the Air Force, he pursued higher education at Howard University.
Acting career and Grey's Anatomy
Isaiah Washington began his feature film career in 1991 with a role in Strictly Business. Following this, he collaborated with director Spike Lee on several films during the 1990s, including Crooklyn, Clockers, Girl 6, and Get on the Bus. His other film credits from this period include Love Jones, Bulworth, Out of Sight, True Crime, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Ghost Ship, and Hollywood Homicide.
In 2005, Isaiah landed his breakthrough television role as cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. His portrayal earned him critical attention and awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. He appeared on the series until his departure following the third season, and later returned for a guest appearance in 2014. From 2014 to 2018, he portrayed Thelonious Jaha on the science fiction television series The 100 on The CW. In 2020, he began hosting a travel cooking show on Fox Nation, and in 2022, he made his directorial debut with the Western film Corsicana.
Ancestry and personal life
Isaiah Washington is of African descent and explored his genealogy through DNA testing. A genealogical DNA test conducted by African Ancestry, Inc. Revealed that his maternal ancestry traces back to Sierra Leone, specifically linking him to the Mende and Temne peoples. He chronicled his career and his search for roots in his book A Man from Another Land. Following his discoveries, he traveled to Sierra Leone, where he donated medical supplies to a hospital, helped build a school, and was granted full citizenship based on DNA, along with a chieftaincy title. In his political life, he endorsed Jill Stein for President of the United States in 2016, later joined the #WalkAway movement, and expressed political alignment with the Republican Party in 2019.
Birthday and age
Isaiah Washington was born on August 3, 1963, which makes Isaiah 63 years old today. That birthday falls under the Leo sign. Isaiah shares the date with 36 other famous people.
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