What is John David Washington's net worth? 'Beckett' star played football for 6 years
John David Washington is undoubtedly one of the brightest talents in the industry right now. From movies to TV shows, John has shown the world that he is capable of doing effortless acting on the screen. The actor had the difficult task of proving himself in the industry because of the stature his father holds in Hollywood.
John is the son of legendary actor Denzel Washington and always had the pressure of taking forward his father’s legacy. Denzel is one of the greatest actors of this generation and he has the credentials to prove that. The actor has two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, One Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that all eyes were on John when he made his acting debut.
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Just like his father, John has also made a stellar start to his professional career and reaching greater heights. And just like Denzel, his son also doesn’t like to share his personal life on social media or with the press as well. He has been secretive about almost everything and doesn’t open up about his private life. However, it comes in as no surprise that the actor is making a lot of money through his acting career.
So, how much money has he made in recent years? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out.
Early life and football career
Born on July 28, 1984, John David Washington was raised in the Toluca Lake region of the Los Angeles neighborhood and is the son of actor Denzel Washington and actress-turned-singer Pauletta Washington. He is the oldest of their four children. The actor attended Campbell Hall School in LA, where he took part in many sports like basketball, football, and track and field. He graduated from high school in 2002 and from Morehouse College in 2006.
John wanted to be a professional footballer and played as a running back for the college team. Washington led the conference in rushing with 1,198 yards and graduated from the college as the school’s all-time leading rusher. He also had a 5.6-yard average, nine touchdowns, and ten receptions for 69 yards. During his college career, Washington holds the school's single-game (242 yards) and career (3,699 yards) rushing records.
NFL Draft and his stint at United League Football
Unfortunately, John went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. However, St Louis Rams signed him in May 2006 as an undrafted free agent. He was released by the Rams on August 31. Surprisingly, he was re-signed by the Rams and was included in their practice squad. He went on to play NFL Europe for the Rhein Fire in the 2007 offseason.
John’s NFL career might not have turned out to be like he would have intended it to, but he got another chance to play the game in 2009 when he was drafted by the California Redwoods of the United Football League (UFL). In the inaugural draft, he signed with the team stayed with the team after their move to Sacramento, and played for the team until 2012.
Football was like therapy to Washington and it was something that he could use to let out his frustrations. In an interview with The Undefeated, he said, “I was able to express a lot of my frustrations. My anxieties, my resentment [about] how I was treated or looked at, because of who I was related to. I hated the word nepotism. I knew that if I did well on the field, they can’t say that my father did it.”
Acting career
After playing professional football for almost six years, John turned his attention to acting. It is worth noticing that the actor did make some cameo appearances in his childhood and acted alongside his father in movies like ‘Malcolm X’ and ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’. However, he did not take up any other role for almost 20 years and returned to acting in 2015.
He made his TV debut with the HBO series ‘Ballers’ alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and portrayed the character of Ricky Jerret. He was a part of the main cast and appeared in 47 episodes. The series was well-received by the critics and John got amazing reviews for his acting. According to reports, Washington was cashing in a six-figure pay-check for his role on the show.
Meanwhile, he was also the co-producer of the movie ‘The Book of Eli’.
His feature film debut came in 2017 when was cast as a supporting character in ‘Love Beats Rhymes’. However, his moment of glory came in 2018 when Spike Lee cast him in the lead role for his movie ‘BlacKkKlansman’. The movie turned out to be a massive success for him and this was the first time when people recognized him as a great actor.
After seeing his performance in ‘BlackKklansman’, filmmaker Christopher Nolan hand-picked him for the lead role in the movie ‘Tenet’. The espionage drama also had Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki, and Michael Caine in pivotal roles. The projects received acclaim and John cemented his place in the industry with this project.
Recently, he was seen in the Netflix movie ‘Malcolm & Marie’ along with Zendaya.
Achievements and Awards
During his college football career, John was named the National Player of the Week in 2006. Meanwhile, when it comes to acting, then he has been nominated for several accolades since the start of his career. He received his first acting nomination at the NAACP Image Awards for ‘Ballers’.
For ‘BlacKkKlansman’, he garnered Best Actor nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Satellite Awards.
In 2018, he won a Hollywood Film Award for Breakthrough Actor and an IMDb Award for Breakout Star.
Charity
John is associated with a charity called Private School Village (PSV) that specializes in building community by organizing social events, sharing resources, & providing programs for Black families in private schools.
What is John David Washington’s net worth?
John is still making strides in the industry and has a long way to go, but he has managed to make a mark with his impeccable acting skills. According to Celebrity Net Worth, John’s net worth is estimated at $8 million. Most of his earnings have come from movies and also, his short-lived football career. With so many successes in his briefcase, it will be no surprise that his net worth will increase substantially in the coming years.
His latest movie ‘Beckett’ will be premiering exclusively on Netflix on Friday, August 13.