He made his debut on the screen 47 years ago, today everyone knows him. Did you know this charismatic actor in his first role?

Denzel Washington needs no introduction. A double Oscar winner for his roles in Training Day and Glory, the man who excelled in Malcolm X, Philadelphia and the action saga The Equalizer is a major figure in Hollywood. But do you know his first role? While he’s currently starring in Gladiator II, we’re curious about his beginnings Denzel Washington On the screen, which is almost half a century old.

Appearing on the first screen Denzel Washington (which almost resulted in a fight with a famous actress) occurred in the 1977 NBC television movie Wilma. A sports biopic dedicated to American sprinter Wilma Rudolph, triple gold medalist (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay) at the 1960 Rome Games, a true African-American icon whose childhood was marked by double illness. Pneumonia, scarlet fever and especially poliomyelitis.

In Wilma, Denzel Washington Not a trivial role: He plays Robert Eldridge, the jock’s high school sweetheart (played by Shirley Jo Finn). Married in 1963, the couple, who had four children, separated after 17 years together. Wilma Rudolph died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 54.

For a slightly “folksy” anecdote, it’s on set Wilma that Denzel Washington He met Pauletta Pearson, whom he married a few years later. Below is an excerpt from the telefilm.

then Wilma, Denzel Washington Flesh and Blood followed, another TV movie, and her big screen debut in the comedy Carbon Copy. It will have to wait a few more years, especially then, Cry Freedom Gloryto achieve success.

To be completely complete at the beginning Denzel WashingtonFor a pleasant anecdote, we note that the actor was distinguished 45 years earlier Gladiator IIA Roman was already playing. It was not on screen, but on stage, alongside Morgan Freeman, in a play CoriolanusAdapted from William Shakespeare, it ran for a month at the Public Theater in New York.

Gladiator II trailer now in theaters: