John David Washington

The son of Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, John David Washington was born in Toluca Lake, California in 1984. Aside from a small role in "Malcolm X" (1992), starring his father in the title role, the younger Washington avoided the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood spotlight, instead focusing his attention on athletics. After lettering in football, baseball, and track at Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles, Washington attended his father's alma mater, Morehouse College, on a football scholarship. As a running back at Morehouse, he set school records for yards in a career, season, and single game and led his conference in rushing in 2005. Undrafted in the 2006 draft, Washington was signed by the St. Louis Rams, eventually ending up on their practice squad. After stints in the NFL Europe and the short-lived United Football League, Washington finally came back to Hollywood,

first as a co-producer on "The Book of Eli" (2010) starring his father and directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. Washington's first professional work in front of the camera during his adult life came in 2015 when he landed a role as a series regular on "Ballers" (HBO, 2015-). On the show he plays Ricky Jerret, a cocky wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, with Dwayne Johnson playing his agent.