Malcolm Washington is a former athlete who walked away from sports to build a career in the movie industry as a director and producer. If his last name rings a bell, it’s probably not a mistake. Malcolm is the son of the infamous Hollywood actor Denzel Washington. It turns out, however, that while Malcolm is pursuing his dream in the same industry as his father, he has chosen to do so on the opposite side of the camera.
Malcolm Washington’s Biography
Malcolm was born in Los Angeles, California, on April 10, 1991. His parents, who need no introduction are Denzel Washington and actress Pauletta Washington. Malcolm has a twin sister, who goes by the name Olivia Washington. Together, they are the last of four children born to Denzel and Pauletta. His older brother is John David Washington, and his older sister is Katia Washington.
Malcolm had his high school education in a private school in his home city, Los Angeles. After that, he went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from the university in 2013. He then set his sights on making it as a filmmaker and director. Every member of his family – his parents and siblings – all seem to have a love for the Arts and entertainment.
His father is a renowned and celebrated actor, director, and producer, who has experienced most of his career in front of the camera. The veteran actor has won series of awards including multiple Golden Globes and Academy Awards. He has been involved in several blockbuster movies throughout his career like Malcolm X, 1992; Training Day, 2001; The Book of Eli, 2010; Safe House, 2012; and The Equalizer, 2014.
Malcolm’s mother, Pauletta, has had a more quiet career with most of her active days coming in the late 90s and early 2000s. Malcolm’s older brother, John had a stint in athletics, playing as a running back for his college at Morehouse. Following college, he played professionally for four years before he shifted his focus to acting. His sister Katia is an actress too, She has had a few minor movie roles in her young career.
Malcolm has been involved in the making of a few movies since 2014. In the same year, he was involved in the comedy-drama Chef, as a production assistant. In 2016, he was the second assistant director for the movie Trouble Man.
The next year, 2017, was his busiest year yet. He was an assistant director in the making of 8 episodes of the tv series, She’s Gotta Have It. In the same year, he was also the assistant director in the movie The Last Bookstore and produced the movie Summer of ’17.
However, it was his exceptional work for the short drama, Benny Got Shot, that finally gave Malcolm the recognition he deserved. He was the writer of the movie and the director as well. For the 2017 edition of the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF), he was the recipient of the Film-Maker-To-Watch Award for his efforts on Benny Got Shot. In 2018, he also started work as the director of a television series titled I, Too, Dream America.
Quick Facts You Should Know about Malcolm Washington.
Malcolm’s family is his priority
Malcolm Washington may be all about his career now, especially after his ATLFF award in 2017. However, he says that his family is, without doubt, his priority. Malcolm comes from a very loving and supportive family. He credits them for challenging him and supporting him from the beginning.
He likes to keep a low profile
The filmmaker is not one that likes to throw his heritage or his last name about at the slightest opportunity. In fact, while he was at the University of Pennsylvania, he tried his best to keep a low profile. He did not tell anyone who his parents were. According to Malcolm, the reason was that he wanted to be afforded the same opportunities, and challenges as others. This did not last long, however, as his identity was later found out. Thankfully, his friends, colleagues, and teammates did not give him flak about it.
Malcolm started out as a basketball player
Speaking of teammates, Washington may be a filmmaker now with a point to prove and a career to build, however, he was not always all about movies. At least not during his college days. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he played basketball for his school’s team throughout his stay there. It was only upon graduation that he decided to switch careers.
