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John David Washington

John David Washington

Actor and producer · Born July 28, 1984 (42) · Los Angeles, California, USA

Golden Globe nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 1 other major award body

John David Washington (born July 28, 1984) is an American actor and former American football running back. He shifted to an acting career like his father, Denzel Washington and mother, Pauletta Washington. In 2015, he started with the HBO comedy series Ballers and his role in BlacKkKlansman (2018) brought him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. After seeing Washington's work in BlacKkKlansman, well-renowned director Christopher Nolan hand-picked him to anchor his thriller film Tenet (2020). Since then, Washington has also starred in Malcolm & Marie (2021), Amsterdam (2022) and The Creator (2023).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 28, 1984 (42)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 10% in 30 days

What are John David Washington's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
23%
Self
23%
Morality
14%
Ideas
13%
Society
12%
Survival
8%
Power
7%
Identity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 5 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 7

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 5 of 7 analyzed roles.

Hero
5 of 7
Ally
1 of 7
Shadow
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Hopeful
6
Melancholic
5
Contemplative
4
Dread
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John David Washington's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John David Washington's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

17 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Piano Lesson(2024)

    as Boy Willie

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Creator(2023)

    as Joshua

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Amsterdam(2022)

    as Harold Woodman

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Beckett(2021)

    as Beckett

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Monster(2018)

    as Richard 'Bobo' Evans

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Malcolm & Marie(2021)

    Producer · as Malcolm

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Tenet(2020)

    as Protagonist

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Old Man & the Gun(2018)

    as Lt. Kelly

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Monsters and Men(2018)

    as Dennis Williams

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • BlacKkKlansman(2018)

    as Ron Stallworth

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Love Beats Rhymes(2017)

    as Mahlik

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Ballers(2015)

    Show 47 episodes · as Ricky Jerret

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • The Book of Eli(2010)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Devil in a Blue Dress(1995)

    as Boy with Toy Rifle (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Malcolm X(1992)

    as Student in Harlem Classroom

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Mime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 17 titles, 16 of them dated from 1992 to 2024; peak year 2021.

Biggest box office

Tenet (2020)

$377M worldwide

Highest rated

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Ballers (2015)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutNomination
19922024

Peak 2021 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 9 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting16 of 17: 15 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thProducing2 of 17: 1 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s2 · acting2010s7 · 6 acting · 1 crew2020s7 · 7 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 64% of 11 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

4 major nominations and no wins, 2019.

  1. 2019
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Male

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do John David Washington's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Love Beats Rhymes (2017)

73rd percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Malcolm X (1992)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 55. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John David Washington's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles24–66 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles12–50 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles37–89 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles25–48 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles13–68 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John David Washington work with?

People who share at least 2 of John David Washington's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Schaefer shares the most, 3.

Actors

Producers

Mixed roles