05/15/2025
January 31, 1977 - Kerry Washington is a Black American actress was born in Bronx, NY, on this date in 1977. She is known for her roles as Ray Charles''s wife, Della Bea Robinson, in the film Ray (2004), as Idi Amin''s wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland, and as Alicia Masters, love interest of Ben Grimm/The Thing in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007. She has also starred in the critically acclaimed independent films Our Song and The Dead Girl, and is the lead actress in the 2012 ABC drama Scandal, a Shonda Rhimes series in which Washington plays Olivia Pope, a former crisis management expert to the President. Her most recent role was as Broomhilda von Shaft, Django''s wife, in Quentin Tarantino''s film Django Unchained. Washington made her screen debut in the ABC telefilm Magical Make-Over (1994). Washington will be presented with the NAACP President''s Award at the 44th NAACP Image Awards on February 1, 2013. In 2007, Washington and other celebrities joined for the 2007 Lee National Denim Day, supporting the Women’s Cancer Programs of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. She is a member of V-Day, a global movement that brings awareness to violence against women and girls. She is at times referred to as a political activist and was a supporter of Barack Obama''s presidential candidacy. Washington has also spent time volunteering through the Adopt-a-Classroom program in New York as well as with Co-Op America, now known as Green America. Washington also spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.