John David Washington Net Worth

What Is John David Washington's Net Worth?

John David Washington is an American actor and former professional football player who has a net worth of $8 million. John David Washington had his breakthrough role starring as undercover detective Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's 2018 film "BlacKkKlansman." He was also part of the main cast of the HBO series "Ballers" and has been in such films as "Tenet," "Malcolm & Marie," "Beckett," and "Canterbury Glass." Before joining show business, Washington played football with the UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions for four years.

Early Life

John David Washington was born on July 28, 1984, in Los Angeles, California. He is the eldest of four children of actor Denzel Washington and actress and singer Pauletta Washington.

Thanks to his father's fame, John appeared in movies early on, with his first appearance being as a seven-year-old student in Spike Lee's 1992 film "Malcolm X," starring Denzel. As a teen, Washington went to Campbell High School, where he lettered in basketball, football, and track. After graduating in 2002, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Career Beginnings in Football

Washington began his career as a football player at Morehouse College. There, he led the conference in rushing with a school record of 1,198 yards. Additionally, he set school records for both single-game and career rushing yards, with 242 and 3,699, respectively.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, John ended up going undrafted. He subsequently signed with the St. Louis Rams as a free agent. After the team released him a few months later, it re-signed him to its practice squad. During the 2007 offseason, Washington played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. He was eventually drafted by the UFL's California Redwoods, which later became the Sacramento Mountain Lions after moving to Sacramento. Washington played with the team for four years through 2012, when the league suddenly folded.

"Ballers"

Washington landed his first significant acting role in 2015 when he was cast on the HBO sports dramedy series "Ballers." He was part of the main cast, playing Ricky Jerret, a deeply competitive NFL player who also has a prominent spiritual side. Other cast members included Dwayne Johnson, Rob Corddry, Omar Miller, London Brown, and Jazmyn Simon. John remained on "Ballers" for all five of its seasons through 2019.

Getty

Film Career

As an adult, Washington gave his first film performance in the 2017 musical drama "Love Beats Rhymes," directed by rapper RZA. The film stars Azealia Banks, Common, Lucien Laviscount, Jill Scott, and Lorraine Toussaint, among others. It was in 2018, however, that John had his breakthrough year on the big screen, appearing in four films. The first two, "Monsters and Men" and "Monster," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. In the former, Washington starred as police officer Dennis Williams, while in the latter, he played the supporting role of Richard "Bobo" Evans. John gained his greatest recognition later in the year for his performance in Spike Lee's biographical drama "BlacKkKlansman." He starred as real-life African-American detective Ron Stallworth, who went undercover in the early 1970s to infiltrate a local Ku Klux Klan chapter in Colorado Springs. "BlacKkKlansman" was highly acclaimed by critics; for his performance, Washington earned SAG and Golden Globe Award nominations. His final film in 2018 was another biographical crime film, "The Old Man & the Gun," starring Robert Redford as real-life career criminal Forrest Tucker.

After seeing Washington's performance in "BlacKkKlansman," filmmaker Christopher Nolan was so impressed that he chose the actor to star in his next project, the 2020 science-fiction spy film "Tenet." John was joined in the cast by Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh, among others. Following this, Washington starred opposite Zendaya in the 2021 romantic drama "Malcolm & Marie," the first Hollywood feature film to be entirely made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also in 2021, John starred as a hunted American tourist in Greece in the action thriller "Beckett." His other credits have included David O. Russell's period ensemble comedy "Canterbury Glass," co-starring such actors as Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Robert De Niro, and Rami Malek; and Gareth Edwards' science-fiction film "True Love," co-starring Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, and Allison Janney, among others.

Stage Career

In 2022, Washington starred as Boy Willie in a Broadway revival of August Wilson's play "The Piano Lesson." Other cast members included Samuel L. Jackson and Danielle Brooks, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson directed the play. John reprised his role in a 2024 film adaptation of the play, which was directed by his brother, Malcolm.

Personal Career

Washington is very guarded about his personal life and has spoken only vaguely about past romantic relationships. He has revealed, however, that he has struggled with finding girlfriends and maintaining intimate partnerships.

Who's Richer?

John
David Washington

Compare!

Denzel
Washington