Washington was born in Houston, Texas, where his parents were residents in the Houston Heights community. His parents relocated to Missouri City, Texas around 1980, where he was one of the first graduates from Willowridge High School, Houston, in 1981. Washington has alluded to a challenging phase when he was younger, including an incident where, after a confrontation where he admits to 'popping off' at the wrong person, he was shot. He still bears a small scar from the bullet (right hip).[1] Washington went on to serve in the United States Air Force and attended Howard University.

Washington is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy, a portrayal that earned him a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Drama series. Washington is featured in a central role in the show, and has been paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Cristina Yang. When Washington went to audition for Grey's Anatomy, it was originally for the role of Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey; Burke had originally been described as a nebbish, stout fortysomething man.

Controversy for homophobic remarks In the show's third season, Washington became a central figure in widely reported backstage controversies. In October 2006, news reports surfaced that Washington had grabbed co-star Patrick Dempsey by the throat. It was reported that the altercation was prompted by or related to Washington's use of a derogatory epithet toward costar T.R. Knight and his sexuality. Shortly after the details of the argument became public, Knight publicly disclosed that he is gay. The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement, apologizing for his "unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set". (Ironically, Washington had played a gay man struggling with homophobia in Spike Lee's Get On the Bus.) The controversy later resurfaced when the cast appeared at the Golden Globes in January 2007. After the show won Best Drama, Washington, in response to press queries as to any conflicts backstage, said that he had never referred to Knight as a "faggot". However, in an interview with Ellen Degeneres, Knight said that Washington had, in fact, used that particular epithet. After being rebuked by his studio, ABC's Touchstone Television, Washington again apologized for using the epithet and indicated that he has "asked for help" in "dealing with issues he obviously needs to examine within his own soul." On January 30, 2007, a source told People magazine that Washington was scheduled to return to the Grey's Anatomy set as early on that Thursday for the first time since entering anger counseling after making a homophobic slur. After being reprimanded by the network for his remarks, his future on the show remains unclear. However, the season finale of Grey's Anatomy makes it seem as though Washington will be leaving the show.

Washington married Jenisa Marie Washington on February 14, 1999. The couple have three children. In April 2006, he joined forces with the Narcolepsy Network in its first nation-wide campaign to raise awareness for narcolepsy. While Washington does not suffer from the sleep disorder, he has said that a close friend of his does. Washington managed to trace his maternal ancestry back to Sierra Leone, and is of Mende descent. In December 2006 he visited his ancestral homeland, and received a warm welcome from the local people.

Glory (1989) The Color of Love (1991) Land Where My Fathers Died (1991) Strictly Business (1991) Alma's Rainbow (1994) Crooklyn (1994) Stonewall (1995) Clockers (1995) Dead Presidents (1995) Girl 6 (1996) Get on the Bus (1996) Love Jones (1997) Mixing Nia (1998) Bulworth (1998) Rituals (1998) Out of Sight (1998) True Crime (1999) A Texas Funeral (1999) Veil (2000) Dancing in September (2000) Romeo Must Die (2000) Kin (2000) Tara (2001) Exit Wounds (2001) Sacred Is the Flesh (2001) Welcome to Collinwood (2002) Ghost Ship (2002) Hollywood Homicide (2003) This Girl's Life (2003) Blood on a Happy Face (2004) Wild Things 2 (2004) Dead Birds (2004) Trois: The Escort (2004) The Moguls (2005)

• Wikipedia: Isaiah Washington