Detailed Biography

Kerry Washington is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray , as Kay Amin in The Last King of Scotland, and Alicia Masters in the 2005 live action Fantastic Four film and its 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. She has also starred in the critically acclaimed independent films Our Song and The Dead Girl.

Early life

Washington was born in the Bronx, New York City, the daughter of a successful real estate broker father and a professor and educational consultant mother. She performed with the Tada theater teen group in 1985, when she was 8. She attended Spence School in Manhattan, graduating in 1994. Washington went on to earn a B.A. degree in theater in 1998 from The George Washington University. She also studied at Michael Howard Studios in New York City.

Career

Washington made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm Magical Make-Over . She was in the cast of the 1996 PBS sketch comedy-style educational series Standard Deviants, and she appeared in the short "3D" and the feature film Our Song in 2000. She went on to appear in several movies, including Save the Last Dance , The Human Stain , Spike Lee's She Hate Me , Ray , Mr. & Mrs. Smith , Little Man, & I Think I Love My Wife , and as a wife of 1970s Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the UK historical drama The Last King of Scotland . Washington has also appeared in the recurring role of Chelina Hall on the ABC television series Boston Legal, and in several episodes of the A&E cable-TV series 100 Centre Street. Washington at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

She is the new spokesperson for L'Oréal, appearing in commercials and ads alongside fellow actresses Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria Parker, and model Doutzen Kroes.

She also co-directed and appeared in the music video for hip-hop artist Common's song, "I Want You", the fourth single off of his album Finding Forever.

Washington also serves as the narrator of the critically-acclaimed documentary about the New Orleans-based teenage TBC Brass Band, entitled From the Mouthpiece on Back, which also lists The Roots as one of the executive producers of the movie. She also appears in Maxwell's "Bad Habits" video.

Personal life

Washington was engaged to actor David Moscow from October 2004 to March 2007.

As a sort of souvenir or memento, she usually tries to keep something from every character that she plays, whether it is an item of wardrobe or a piece of furniture from the house that the character lived in.

She is at times referred to as a political activist and a supporter of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy.