Moriah Gill
Denzel Washington and wife Pauletta Washington have been married for over 40 years. They met in 1977 while filming Wilma, a television film. From there, they dated for a few years when Denzel was ready to propose. And he did, but Pauletta turned him down. She made the man ask two more before she finally agreed to be his wife. But since they wed in June of 1983, they have been building a loving, talented familial unit.
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Denzel Washington, A Family Man
Their family consists of five children. While in the past, the Oscar winner has said that he didn’t want his children to pursue careers in Hollywood. To this point, most of them have. Some of them are well-known, and others are behind the screen and still putting in hard work to accomplish their Hollywood dreams. Their first child, son John David Washington, who you may have seen in Tenet, Black Kkklansman, directed by Spike Lee. He was also a running back for the St. Louis Rams, prior to acting professionally. And he was in HBO comedy Ballers.
Washington’s daughter Katia is the second oldest. She has worked on Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained as an editorial product assistant. The Birth of a Nation and Fences were other films where she worked as an assistant, getting her footing for what will surely be a stellar career. Twins Olivia and Malcolm, are both a young 31-years-old. Malcolm, having recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, played sports but is now pursuing filmmaking. With a degree in film studies and having studied at American Film Institute Conservatory, he is working on a thesis. Olivia graduated from New York University and has been pursuing her acting career since 2013. The Butler, Empire, Mr. Robot are a few places you can see her. She’s even played Broadway in The Glass Menagerie.
A Hollywood Love Story
Denzel Washington credits his wife Pauletta Pearson for having done the heavy lifting in raising their gorgeous family. He has spoken on how without both parents in the home, a family will suffer. Of Pauletta, he told the Guardian, “My children are good people,”…”They are not perfect but they are generous and humble and kind. My wife did that.”
While many onlookers believe the two have the perfect marriage, what they truly have is a commitment to their family and to each other and a spiritual foundation. Denzel continued to the Guardian: “There is no secret to the perfect marriage. I have been married 27 years to Pauletta. Everybody has their ups and downs; we’ve had ours. It’s hard work, you know. But we made a commitment. A spiritual foundation helps everything – marriage, work, peace of mind.”
The couple renewed their vows in 1995. Pauletta said something similar to her husband in The Root, “When Denzel first started, I was right there, but there was no focus on me. But there’s been no less present in his life and in my life than now. As you climb, you grow deeper in the foundation, so it makes our foundation deeper.” The couple has since been married for more than 40 years, after having met on the set of tv movie Wilma in 1977. Dedication is what truly makes love last, and these two have got it all!
