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Isaiah Washington IV (born August 3, 1963) is an American actor.

Biography

Early life

Washington was born in Houston, Texas, where he was one of the first graduates from Willowridge High School, Houston, in 1981. Washington has alluded to a challenging phase when he was younger, including an incident where, after a confrontation, he was shot. He still bears a small scar from the bullet(right hip).[1] Washington went on to serve in the United States Air Force and attended Howard University.

Career

After graduation, Washington moved to New York, where he appeared in several stage productions. Washington has appeared in numerous films. He became known for his appearances in several of the films by director Spike Lee, including Clockers, Girl 6, and Crooklyn.

Washington is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy. Washington is featured in a central role in the show, and has been paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Cristina Yang. When Washington went to audition for Grey's Anatomy, it was originally for the role of Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey; Burke had originally been described as a nebbish, stout fortysomething man.[2]

In the show's third season, Washington was a part of backstage controversy. In October 2006, news reports surfaced that Washington was involved in an argument with co-star Patrick Dempsey.[3] Several websites have reported that the fight also involved Washington making a derogatory comment about costar T.R. Knight and his sexuality.[4] Shortly after the details of the argument were made public, Knight made a public disclosure that he is gay.[5]

Personal life

Washington married Jenisa Marie Washington on February 14, 1999. The couple have three children. In April 2006, he joined forces with the Narcolepsy Network in its first nation-wide campaign to raise awareness for narcolepsy. While Washington does not suffer from the sleep disorder, he has said that a close friend of his does.

A DNA test taken to determine his heritage showed that his father's side is Angolan and his mother's side is from Sierra Leone.

Filmography

• The Color of Love (1991)
• Land Where My Fathers Died (1991)
• Strictly Business (1991)
• Alma's Rainbow (1994)
• Crooklyn (1994)
• Stonewall (1995)
• Clockers (1995)
• Dead Presidents (1995)
• Girl 6 (1996)
• Get on the Bus (1996)
• Love Jones (1997)
• Mixing Nia (1998)
• Bulworth (1998)
• Rituals (1998)
• Out of Sight (1998)
• True Crime (1999)
• A Texas Funeral (1999)
• Veil (2000)
• Dancing in September (2000)
• Romeo Must Die (2000)
• Kin (2000)
• Tara (2001)
• Exit Wounds (2001)
• Sacred Is the Flesh (2001)
• Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
• Ghost Ship (2002)
• Hollywood Homicide (2003)
• This Girl's Life (2003)
• Blood on a Happy Face (2004)
• Wild Things 2 (2004)
• Dead Birds (2004)
• Trois: The Escort (2004)
• The Moguls (2005)

External link

• Isaiah Washington - A timeline of his life.

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