John David Washington plays opposite Zendaya in the new Netflix movie "Malcolm & Marie," which is out now.

If you&#39;re one of the several million people that plan to watch <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/zendaya-timothee-chalamet-dune-movie-late-night-appearance" target="_blank">Zendaya</a>&#39;s new <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/new-movies-tv-shows-february-2021" target="_blank">Netflix</a> drama <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/malcolm-&amp;-marie-zendaya-john-david-washington-netflix-trailer" target="_blank">Malcolm &amp; Marie</a>, prepare to meet&mdash;if you don&#39;t know him already&mdash;her co-star <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/movies-by-black-directors-black-history-month" target="_blank">John David Washington</a>. With one Golden Globe nomination already under his belt, the actor is setting the course for a long and prosperous career, much like his famous father (more on that&nbsp;below). Last summer, he starred alongside <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/robert-pattinson-dior-homme-cologne" target="_blank">Robert Pattinson</a> in Christopher Nolan&#39;s theater-exclusive&nbsp;film Tenet, but now audiences have the opportunity to see&nbsp;his acting talents firsthand from their&nbsp;comfort of their own couch. To learn more about Washington&nbsp;and what the rising star has&nbsp;coming next, L&#39;OFFICIEL has the five things you need to know about the talented actor.

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In case the last name didn&#39;t give it away, the 36-year old&nbsp;is the son of legendary actor Denzel Washington and his wife&nbsp;Pauletta Pearson. He is the oldest of four children, including actress&nbsp;Olivia Washington. When speaking to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=323&amp;v=KvG1HwPVc04&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Access Hollywood</a> recently about the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/movies/greatest-actors-actresses.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> naming his father the &quot;Greatest Actor of the 21st Century (So Far),&quot; the Malcolm &amp; Marie actor said, &quot;I think he is one of the greatest to ever do it, so it was a very proud moment for our entire family.&quot;

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After an active athletic career in high school, Washington moved from Los Angeles&nbsp;to Atlanta, Georgia to attend&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/martin-luther-king-jr-kids-mlk-the-third" target="_blank">Morehouse College</a>, where he graduated from in 2006. While a student, he was the football team&#39;s star running back and set new school records for most rushing yards in a single game and overall career.

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After a successful college career, Washington went undrafted in 2006 NFL Draft, before being picked up by the St. Louis Rams. He was later released and then re-signed to their practice team.&nbsp;He played in the NFL&#39;s European league during an a single offseason. After a few seasons in the United Football League, Washington&#39;s athletic career ended when the UFL ultimately shut down operations in 2012.

He&#39;s been acting since he was 7.

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After football, Washington returned to acting in 2015, a career he had technically began at the age of seven when he appeared in the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/coach-taps-spike-lee-for-new-short-film" target="_blank">Spike Lee</a> film <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/black-panther-costume-designer-ruth-carter-afrofuturism-scad-museum" target="_blank">Malcom X</a>&mdash;which starred&nbsp;his father&mdash;as a student in a Harlem classroom. His acting credit as an adult was in the TV show Ballers. However, his breakout performance in Lee&#39;s 2018 movie&nbsp;BlacKkKlansman earned him&nbsp;a Golden Globe nomination.

The actor next starring role would be as The Protagonist in&nbsp;Tenet, a&nbsp;performance which received critical acclaim. Nolan spoke about directing Washington in the film, saying that he is, &quot;just one of the greatest collaborators I&#39;ve worked with: extraordinarily hard-working, very, very thoughtful, and very considerate of everybody around him in the most wonderful way.&quot;

Later this year, Washington will star in the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/timothee-chalamet-luca-guadagnino" target="_blank">Luca Guadagnino</a>-produced&nbsp;Netflix project Beckett, alongside <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/louis-vuitton-reveals-dazzling-new-handbag-campaign-2019" target="_blank">Alicia Vikander</a> and Boyd Holbrook.

His upcoming film is star-studded.

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Currently, Washington is filming an unnamed comedy film directed by David O. Russell, the same mind behind Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. Washington joined the project in October 2020, replacing <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/exclusive-michael-b-jordan-coach-it-forward-spring-campaign" target="_blank">Michael B. Jordan</a>. While little is known about the other than its focus on the unconventional team-up of a lawyer and a doctor, the cast includes <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/margot-robbie-chanel-campaign" target="_blank">Margot Robbie</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/90s-movies-watch-stream-film" target="_blank">Robert De Niro</a>, Christian Bale, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/pasha-de-cartier-rami-malek" target="_blank">Rami Malek</a>, Zo&euml; Saldana, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/anya-taylor-joy-movies-the-queens-gambit-netflix" target="_blank">Anya Taylor-Joy</a>, Chris Rock, and many more. There&#39;s no doubt Washington will be in great company.

5 Things to Know about John David Washington, Zendaya's 'Malcolm & Marie' Co-Star

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