Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington IV is an American actor, director, and television host. He is best known for portraying Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama series Grey's Anatomy and Chancellor Thelonious Jaha on The CW science fiction series The 100. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in numerous feature films and television productions.

Washington was born on August 3, 1963, in Houston, Texas, where his parents resided in the Houston Heights community. His family moved to Missouri City, Texas, around 1980, and he graduated from Willowridge High School in 1981. When he was 13 years old, his father, after whom he was named, was murdered. At age 19, Washington joined the United States Air Force, where he worked on the Northrop T-38 Talon and served at Clark Air Base in the Philippines as well as Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. After his service in the Air Force, he attended Howard University.

Washington made his feature film debut in 1991 in Strictly Business. He then engaged in a series of film collaborations with director Spike Lee, appearing in Crooklyn, Clockers, Girl 6, and Get on the Bus between 1994 and 1996. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Washington expanded his filmography with appearances in Stonewall, Dead Presidents, Love Jones, Bulworth, Out of Sight, True Crime, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Ghost Ship, Hollywood Homicide, and Wild Things 2.

In 2005, Washington achieved his breakthrough television role as gifted cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy. His portrayal earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award and two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. During his time on the show, he was featured in public recognition lists, including People magazine's "50 Beautiful People" in 2006 and TV Guide's "TV's Sexiest Men" in 2006.

In 2006, during the third season of Grey's Anatomy, Washington was involved in a widely reported backstage argument with Patrick Dempsey that included allegations regarding the use of a homophobic slur concerning co-star T. R. Knight. Although Washington issued public apologies and entered counseling, ABC announced in June 2007 that it would not renew his contract. Washington later disputed details of the accusations in media interviews. He subsequently reprised his role as Dr. Burke for a guest appearance in 2014 during the show's tenth season.

Following his initial departure from Grey's Anatomy, Washington made a guest appearance on Bionic Woman and starred as John Allen Muhammad in the 2013 drama film Blue Caprice. From 2014 to 2018, he played Chancellor Jaha in The 100. In 2020, he became the host of the travel and cooking show Isaiah Washington: Kitchen Talk on Fox Nation. In 2022, he made his directorial debut with the Western film Corsicana, which he also co-wrote and starred in.

Through genealogical DNA testing, Washington traced his maternal ancestry to the Mende and Temne peoples of Sierra Leone and his paternal line to the Mbundu people of Angola. He chronicled his life and genealogical search in his book A Man from Another Land. Following philanthropic work in Sierra Leone, which included donating medical supplies and building a school, he was granted Sierra Leonean citizenship in 2006 and received a Mende chieftaincy title.