A RECORD breaker in college and a box office smash hit since, life has taken its fair share of twists and turns for one star.
John David Washington, the eldest son of Hollywood legend Denzel, did his utmost to make a career out of professional football.
4
A self-described “chubby kid with good feet,” as per his interview with Rich Eisen in 2020, John David idolized the likes of Jerome Bettis and Natrone Means.
A running back for Division II Moorehouse College, the 5-foot-9 star set school records for rushing yards in a single game with 242, as well as career rushing yards with 3,699, as per HBCU Gameday.
In 2009, John David went undrafted, signing for the then-St. Louis Rams.
He ultimately made it to the practice squad for two seasons and was sent to Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 2007.
Subsequently left without a team, John David gave professional football another chance in 2009 when he was drafted by the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the upstart United Football League.
“I tried to keep the dream alive,” he told Eisen.
“Every time I got an opportunity I made the best of them., My first start in the UFL I rushed for a buck 28 and a touchdown, got player of the week.”
Unfortunately, this dream ended after four seasons when the league folded.
Most read in American Football
But for Denzel, he admitted when speaking to PEOPLE in 2018 that he was “glad it’s over.”
He explained that John David had suffered “I don’t know how many concussions, a broken collar bone, a torn up knee, and Achilles [tendon].”
After his playing days were over, he followed in his father’s footsteps and turned to acting.
John David’s big break came in 2015 when he took on the role of Ricky Jerret in the HBO series Ballers, alongside the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Since then he has starred in Spike Lee‘s Oscar Award-winning movie BlacKkKlansman, Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winner Tenet, and Amsterdam alongside others.
An award-winner and Hollywood A-lister, John David now has a reported net worth of $8million.
Next in the pipeline for John David is a starring role in his brother Malcolm’s feature directorial debut The Piano Lesson alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
The movie is set to be distributed by Netflix.
4
4
