Kerry Washington

Biography

Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. She was included in Time's 100 list of most influential people in 2014, and Forbes named her the eighth highest-paid television actress in 2018. Washington gained wide recognition for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018). For her role, she was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and once for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She was further Emmy-nominated for her roles as Anita Hill in the HBO political film Confirmation (2016) and a troubled mother in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020). Washington made her feature film debut acting in the drama Our Song (2000). She played Alicia Masters in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007, and has taken roles in diverse films such as Ray (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Last King of Scotland (2006), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Mother and Child (2009), For Colored Girls (2010), and Django Unchained (2012). In 2024, she portrayed Major Charity Adams in the war film The Six Triple Eight. On stage, she made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's play Race (2009). She returned to the Broadway stage starring in the Christopher Demos-Brown play American Son and reprised her role in the 2019 television adaptation on Netflix. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kerry Washington, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Law & Order

The Simpsons

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

All Movies (66)

• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery2025 · as Vera Draven, Esq.
• Escape Room2025
• Netflix Tudum 20252025 · as Self
• Shadow Force2025 · as Kyrah
• The Six Triple Eight2024 · as Charity Adams
• The School for Good and Evil2022 · as Professor Dovey
• 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony2021 · as Self
• Christoph Waltz - The Charm of Evil2021 · as Self
• The Prom2020 · as Mrs. Greene
• The Disney Holiday Singalong2020 · as Self
• Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy2020 · as Self - Host
• One World: Together at Home2020 · as Self
• American Son2019 · as Kendra Ellis-Connor
• Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"2019 · as Helen Willis
• The Words That Built America2017 · as Self - Reader: Declaration of Independence
• Cars 32017 · as Natalie Certain (voice)
• Confirmation2016 · as Anita Hill
• Misty Copeland2015 · as Self
• Peeples2013 · as Grace Peeples
• Girl Rising2013 · as Narrator - Nepal (voice)
• Django Unchained2012 · as Broomhilda von Shaft
• Wide-Awake2012 · as The Homeowner
• The Details2012 · as Rebecca Mazzoni
• A Thousand Words2012 · as Caroline McCall
• Olmsted and America's Urban Parks2011 · as Narrator
• Night Catches Us2010 · as Patricia Wilson
• For Colored Girls2010 · as Kelly / Blue
• Black Panther2010 · as Princess Shuri
• The People Speak2009 · as Self
• Mother and Child2009 · as Lucy
• Good Hair2009 · as Self
• Life Is Hot in Cracktown2009 · as Marybeth
• Welcome to Lakeview Terrace: Behind the Scenes2009 · as Self
• Lakeview Terrace2008 · as Lisa Mattson
• Miracle at St. Anna2008 · as Zana Wilder
• Woman In Burka2008 · as Kerry
• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer2007 · as Alicia Masters
• Put It in a Book2007 · as Sheila
• I Think I Love My Wife2007 · as Nikki Tru
• The Dead Girl2006 · as Rosetta
• The Last King of Scotland2006 · as Kay Amin
• Little Man2006 · as Vanessa
• Wait2005 · as Maggie
• Fantastic Four2005 · as Alicia Masters
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith2005 · as Jasmine
• Sexual Life2005 · as Rosalie
• Ray2004 · as Della Bea Robinson
• She Hate Me2004 · as Fatima Goodrich
• Strip Search2004
• Against the Ropes2004 · as Renee
• The Human Stain2003 · as Ellie
• The United States of Leland2003 · as Ayesha
• Sin2003 · as Kassie
• Bad Company2002 · as Julie
• Lift2001 · as Niecy
• Save the Last Dance2001 · as Chenille Reynolds
• The Standard Deviants: The Really Big World of Astronomy, Part 22000 · as Actor
• Our Song2000 · as Lanisha Brown
• The Standard Deviants: The Twisted World of Trigonometry, Part 11997 · as Actor
• The Standard Deviants: The Twisted World of Trigonometry, Part 21997 · as Actor
• The Standard Deviants: The Salsa-Riffic World of Spanish, Part 21997 · as Herself
• Magical Make-Over1994 · as Heather
• Kerry Washington: Thicker Than Water - A Conversation with Robin Roberts—
• 24-7—
• Animals—
• An Innocent Girl—

All TV Shows (44)

• Imperfect Women2026 · as Eleanor
• Variety & CNN Actors on Actors2025 · as Self
• UnPrisoned2023 · as Paige Alexander
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022 · as Self
• Sherri2022 · as Self - Guest
• Little Fires Everywhere2020 · as Mia Warren
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self - Guest
• The Alec Baldwin Show2018 · as Self
• Red Table Talk2018 · as Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
• Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter2015 · as Self
• The Late Late Show with James Corden2015 · as Self - Guest
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
• How to Get Away with Murder2014 · as Olivia Pope
• Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self - Guest
• Clique2013 · as Self - Guest
• Scandal2012 · as Olivia Pope
• Black Panther2010 · as Princess Shuri (voice)
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
• Psych2006 · as Mira Gaffney
• Project Runway2004 · as Self - Guest Judge
• Boston Legal2004 · as Chelina Hall
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
• Real Time with Bill Maher2003 · as Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest
• Jimmy Kimmel Live!2003 · as Self - Guest Host
• The Guardian2001 · as Drea Westbrook
• 100 Centre Street2001
• Deadline2000 · as Tina Johnson
• Standard Deviants TV2000 · as Self (voice, uncredited)
• Standard Deviants TV2000 · as Herself
• Teen Choice Awards1999 · as Self - Presenter
• The View1997 · as Self
• The View1997 · as Self - Guest
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
• Law & Order1990 · as Allie Lawrence
• The Simpsons1989 · as Rayshelle Peyton (voice)
• Entertainment Tonight1981 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Presenter