Kerry Washington

Kerry Marisa Washington is an American actress known for her work in television, film, and theater. She earned widespread acclaim for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018). Her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award alongside nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two Tony Awards. She was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in 2014, and Forbes named her the eighth-highest-paid television actress in 2018.

Washington was born on January 31, 1977, in The Bronx, New York City. Her mother, Valerie, was a professor and educational consultant, while her father, Earl Washington, was a real estate broker. She later learned that she was conceived via a donor and that Earl was not her biological father. Raised in New York, she attended the Spence School, graduating in 1994, and performed with the TADA! Youth Theater. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from George Washington University in 1998 with a double major in anthropology and sociology, and studied acting at Michael Howard Studios.

Washington made her screen debut in the telefilm Magical Make-Over (1994) and her feature film debut in Our Song (2000). She subsequently appeared in films such as Save the Last Dance (2001), Bad Company (2002), and She Hate Me (2004). She played Alicia Masters in the Fantastic Four films (2005, 2007) and took on roles in 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).

Washington achieved widespread recognition starring as Olivia Pope in Scandal from 2012 to 2018. Her performance earned two Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe nomination. She launched her production company, Simpson Street, in 2016. Her subsequent television projects included starring as Anita Hill in HBO's Confirmation (2016) and a troubled mother in Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere (2020), both earning her Emmy nominations. As a producer on Live in Front of a Studio Audience, she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2020.

On stage, Washington made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's Race (2009) and later starred in American Son, reprising her role in its 2019 Netflix film adaptation. Her other screen credits include voicing a role in Cars 3 (2017) and a recurring voice on The Simpsons starting in 2022. She also appeared in Netflix's film adaptation The Prom (2020), The School for Good and Evil (2022), and portrayed Major Charity Adams in the war drama The Six Triple Eight (2024).

Washington married former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013, with whom she has two children, and is a stepmother to his daughter. In addition to acting, she has been involved in voter registration drives and political advocacy, including speaking at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. She is a supporter of LGBT rights and anti-violence movements, and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from George Washington University in 2013.