John David Washington is an actor and former footballer best known for his prominent role in Christopher Nolan`s Tenet (2020). The actor`s first on screen appearance was in Malcolm X (1992), starring his father Denzel Washington. The eight-year-old John David Washington starred as one of the students saying `I am Malcolm X` near the end of the film. As he grew up, Washington got into football and later spent four years as a professional footballer for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. However, he tore his Achilles tendon which signaled the end of his sports career, prompting him to turn towards his childhood dream of becoming an actor.

He landed the role of a footballer in HBO drama series Ballers (2015 - 2019), making his screen debut alongside none other than Dwayne Johnson. It kick-started his acting career. While shooting for the Robert Redford starrer The Old Man & the Gun (2018), he was contacted by Spike Lee. The director offered him a role in BlacKkKlansman (2018) which went on to become a breakthrough for him and even earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. This was followed by Nolan`s Tenet, a spy film which got Washington further acclaim. His upcoming works include a drama film alongside actress Zendaya, titled Malcolm & Marie.