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Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington

Actor and producer · Born January 31, 1977 (49) · The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · Golden Globe nominee · Screen Actors Guild Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress. She has received several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and a Tony Award. She was included in Time's 100 list of most influential people in 2014, and Forbes named her the eighth highest-paid television actress in 2018. Washington gained wide recognition for starring as crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal (2012–2018). For her role, she was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and once for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She was further Emmy-nominated for her roles as Anita Hill in the HBO political film Confirmation (2016) and a troubled mother in the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020). Washington made her feature film debut acting in the drama Our Song (2000). She played Alicia Masters in the live-action Fantastic Four films of 2005 and 2007, and has taken roles in diverse films such as Ray (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), The Last King of Scotland (2006), I Think I Love My Wife (2007), Mother and Child (2009), For Colored Girls (2010), and Django Unchained (2012). In 2024, she portrayed Major Charity Adams in the war film The Six Triple Eight. On stage, she made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's play Race (2009). She returned to the Broadway stage starring in the Christopher Demos-Brown play American Son and reprised her role in the 2019 television adaptation on Netflix. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kerry Washington, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 31, 1977 (49)
From
The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor and producer
Titles
57 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

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

What are Kerry Washington's films like?

Across their 44 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st 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
Morality
25%
Bonds
21%
Self
17%
Society
13%
Survival
11%
Power
11%
Ideas
1%
Family bonds16 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption6 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 38 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 14 · Serious 11 · Dark 13

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 25 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 7

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 17 · Intense 15

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

Steady 14 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 5

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 8

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

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 22 · 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 14 · Engaged 18 · Full focus 6

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 12 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 14

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

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

16 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 6 of 16 analyzed roles.

Hero
6 of 16
Ally
5 of 16
Shadow
2 of 16
Herald
1 of 16
Threshold guardian
1 of 16
Shapeshifter
1 of 16
Show the 16 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Melancholic
19
Hopeful
10
Warm
8
Contemplative
11
Other
43

How their films linger

Thought-provoking18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet22
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous8
  • 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 Kerry Washington's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 41 of their 57 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kerry 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

78 credits, 57 with a MovieCove page; 38 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • What Remains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Elise Sutton

  • Animals(2026)

    as Abigail Kimball

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Imperfect Women(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer · as Eleanor

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Wake Up Dead Man(2025)

    as Vera Draven, Esq.

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Escape Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Actor

  • Shadow Force(2025)

    Producer · as Kyrah

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Six Triple Eight(2024)

    Executive Producer · as Charity Adams

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Daughters(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Unprisoned(2023)

    Show 16 episodes · Executive Producer · as Paige Alexander

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • The School for Good and Evil(2022)

    as Professor Dovey

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Reasonable Doubt(2022)

    Show 29 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'The Facts of Life' and 'Diff'rent Strokes'(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Prom(2020)

    as Mrs. Greene

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Fight(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Little Fires Everywhere(2020)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer · as Mia Warren

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: 'All in the Family' and 'Good Times'(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • American Son(2019)

    Executive Producer · as Kendra Ellis-Connor

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's 'All in the Family' and 'The Jeffersons'(2019)

    as Helen Willis

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Five Points (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 20 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Man of the House(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Cars 3(2017)

    as Natalie Certain (voice)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Insecure(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Confirmation(2016)

    Executive Producer · as Anita Hill

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • How to Get Away with Murder(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · as Olivia Pope

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Peeples(2013)

    as Grace Peeples

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Girl Rising(2013)

    as Narrator - Nepal (voice)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Django Unchained(2012)

    as Broomhilda von Shaft

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Wide-Awake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    as The Homeowner

  • The Details(2011)

    as Rebecca Mazzoni

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Scandal(2012)

    Show 124 episodes · as Olivia Pope

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • A Thousand Words(2012)

    as Caroline McCall

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Olmsted and America's Urban Parks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Narrator

  • Night Catches Us(2010)

    as Patricia Wilson

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • For Colored Girls(2010)

    as Kelly / Blue

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Black Panther (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Princess Shuri

  • Black Panther(2010)

    Show 6 episodes · as Princess Shuri (voice)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Mother and Child(2009)

    as Lucy

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Life Is Hot in Cracktown(2009)

    as Marybeth

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Lakeview Terrace(2008)

    as Lisa Mattson

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Miracle at St. Anna(2008)

    as Zana Wilder

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Woman In Burka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Kerry

  • Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer(2007)

    as Alicia Masters

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Put It in a Book (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Sheila

  • I Think I Love My Wife(2007)

    as Nikki Tru

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Dead Girl(2006)

    as Rosetta

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Last King of Scotland(2006)

    as Kay Amin

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Little Man(2006)

    as Vanessa

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Psych(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Mira Gaffney

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Wait (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    as Maggie

  • Fantastic Four(2005)

    as Alicia Masters

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith(2005)

    as Jasmine

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Sexual Life(2004)

    as Rosalie

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Ray(2004)

    as Della Bea Robinson

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Boston Legal(2004)

    Show 5 episodes · as Chelina Hall

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • She Hate Me(2004)

    as Fatima Goodrich

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Strip Search(2004)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Against the Ropes(2004)

    as Renee

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Human Stain(2003)

    as Ellie

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The United States of Leland(2003)

    as Ayesha

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Sin(2003)

    as Kassie

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Bad Company(2002)

    as Julie

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Guardian(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Drea Westbrook

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Lift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    as Niecy

  • 100 Centre Street (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 4 episodes · Actor

  • Save the Last Dance(2001)

    as Chenille Reynolds

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Standard Deviants: The Really Big World of Astronomy, Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Actor

  • Deadline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Show 1 episode · as Tina Johnson

  • Our Song(2000)

    as Lanisha Brown

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Standard Deviants: The Twisted World of Trigonometry, Part 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Actor

  • The Standard Deviants: The Twisted World of Trigonometry, Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Actor

  • Magical Make-Over (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Heather

  • Law & Order(1990)

    Show 1 episode · as Allie Lawrence

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 9 episodes · as Rayshelle Peyton (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • 24-7 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Actor

  • An Innocent Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer · Actor

  • Kerry Washington: Thicker Than Water - A Conversation with Robin Roberts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Rules of Engagement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Mothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 79 titles, 73 of them dated from 1989 to 2026; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

$487M worldwide

Highest rated

Django Unchained (2012)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Animals (2026)

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19892026

Peak 2005 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 19 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.

Show 3 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting69 of 79: 60 only acting, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score53rdDirecting2 of 79: 1 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 79: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing18 of 79: 7 only producing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score72nd

79 titles, 11 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s4 · acting2000s32 · acting2010s22 · 18 acting · 6 crew2020s14 · 10 acting · 9 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 11% of 37 roles
0106111621

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; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy from 17 major nominations, 2002–2022.

WinNomination
  1. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
  2. 2021
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
  3. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Television Movie
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures
  4. 2017
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
  5. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Television Movie
  6. 2014
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  7. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
  8. 2005
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Show 1 earlier year
  1. 2002
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead

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 Kerry Washington's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 44; across their 38 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Approval · how many liked their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 38

Midcredits score across 57 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up20
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 57 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed23

Most divisive · producer

The Fight (2020)

93rd percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Django Unchained (2012)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 35 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 47. 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 Kerry Washington's work okay for kids?

Across up to 27 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore20 titles20–83 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity27 titles15–65 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity22 titles31–76 · median 58 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs16 titles26–58 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles23–78 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all 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 Kerry Washington work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kerry Washington's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Pilar Savone shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles