It Takes a Village

At 6, Denzel Washington joins the local Boys & Girls Club of America in Mount Vernon, N.Y., a middle-class, primarily African-American suburb of New York City. He later credits the group for keeping him from the dangers of drugs, crime and violence.

Summer

Starting Out

After graduating from Fordham University with a B.A. in Journalism, Washington enrolls in San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre and spends the summer filming his first onscreen role in the TV movie Wilma. He meets future wife Pauletta Pearson, an actress/singer/pianist, on set. "I thought he was cute, but I fell in love with his spirit," she tells Oprah Winfrey. "And then I thought, 'Hmm, not a bad package.'"

June 25

Love and Marriage

Washington marries Pearson. The two are known around Hollywood as a tight-knit duo dedicated to family life, but Washington has since hinted at past marital infidelities. Washington tells PEOPLE in 2006 that despite any mistakes he's made, he is committed to his wife and children. "There's life, and there's making a living," he says. "Family is life."

November 06

The Revolution Cometh

Washington gets time off from St. Elsewhere to tackle the role of Steven Biko, the South African freedom activist, in Cry Freedom. It is the first in a series of martyrs Washington will play to critical acclaim. He scores his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

November 27

Addition to the Family

Pearson gives birth to daughter Katia. "There are only four women in the world," Washington says to PEOPLE. "The one you marry, your mother, your daughter and all the rest of them. As long as you keep that perspective, you'll be all right." Katia will later attend Yale.