Kerry Washington

nana58625 · January 17, 2007

Kerry Washington (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles' wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray (2004), and Alicia Masters in the 2005 live-action Fantastic Four film and its sequel, Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer (scheduled for 2007). She has also starred in the critically acclaimed independent film Our Song.

Washington was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York. The child of a successful realtor, she attended The Spence School in Manhattan, graduating in 1994; fellow alumni include Gwyneth Paltrow and Emmy Rossum. Washington went on to earn a theater degree in 1998 from The George Washington University.

Washington made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm Magical Make-Over (1994). 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 roles in several movies, including Save the Last Dance (2001), The Human Stain (2003), Spike Lee's She Hate Me (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Little Man (2006), and, in a departure, an accented, period role as a wife of 1970s Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the UK historical drama The Last King of Scotland (2006). Washington has also appeared in the recurring role Chelina Hall on the ABC television series Boston Legal, and in several episodes of the A&E cable-TV series 100 Centre Street.

Washington has been engaged to actor David Moscow since October 2004.