Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington IV (born August 3, 1963) is an American actor.

Washington was born in Houston, Texas, where his parents were residents in the Houston Heights community.

His parents relocated to Missouri City, Texas around 1980, where he was one of the first graduates from Willowridge High School, Houston, in 1981. Washington revealed in an interview with Star Jones that his father, after whom he was named, was murdered when he was 13 years old. Washington went on to serve in the United States Air Force and attended Howard University.

Washington married Jenisa Marie Washington on February 14, 1996. The couple has three children.

Washington is perhaps best known for his role as the gifted cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy, a portrayal that earned him two NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Drama series as well as a SAG Award. He was paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Dr. Cristina Yang. Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey. Burke had originally been described as a nebbishy, stout forty-something man. For his portrayal of Dr. Burke, Isaiah was honored by TV Guide Magazine as one of "TV's Sexiest Men" in June 2006, and was named one TV's sexiest doctors in June 2008 on TV Guide's television channel. Prior to the TV Guide honor, Isaiah was named as one of People Magazine's "50 Beautiful People" in May 2006. In the show's third season, Washington became a central figure in widely-reported backstage controversy. In October 2006, news reports surfaced that Washington had grabbed co-star Patrick Dempsey by the throat. It was reported that the altercation was prompted by or related to Washington's use of a derogatory epithet toward co-star T. R. Knight and his sexuality. Shortly after the details of the argument became public, Knight publicly disclosed that he is gay. The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement, apologizing for his "unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on-set." However, on June 7, 2007, ABC announced they had decided not to renew Washington's contract, and that he would be dropped from the show. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," Washington said in a statement released by his publicist, borrowing the famous Howard Beale line from Network. In another report, Washington stated he was planning to "spend the summer pursuing charity work in Sierra Leone, work on an independent film and avoid worrying about the show." In a subsequent interview, Washington claimed that "they fired the wrong guy" and said he was considering filing a lawsuit as a result. He accused Knight of using the controversy to bolster his own career and increase his salary on Grey's Anatomy.

Washington, in late June 2007, began asserting that racism was a factor in his firing from the series. On July 2, 2007, Washington appeared on Larry King Live on CNN, to present his side of the controversy. According to Washington, he never used the "F Word" in reference to T.R. Knight, but rather blurted it out in an unrelated context in the course of an argument "provoked" by castmate Patrick Dempsey, who, he felt, was treating him like a "B-word," a "P-word," and the "F-word," which Washington said meant "weak."

In July 2007 NBC decided to cast Isaiah Washington as a guest star in a story arc in its new series Bionic Woman. NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman noted his eagerness to work with Washington saying it would be "like A-Rod leaving the Yankees in midseason." Washington himself said that his dismissal from Grey's Anatomy was an unfortunate misunderstanding that he is eager to move past. After 6 episodes (out of 8 total) Washington's character was killed off, and Bionic Woman was canceled.

Washington is of African American descent; although a DNA test done by African Ancestry, Inc. revealed that Washington's maternal ancestry traces back to Sierra Leone, and that he has an ancestral link to the Mende Temne people there. In May 2006 he visited Sierra Leone, and received a warm welcome from the local people. His paternal ancestry links him to the Mbundu people, an ethnic group in Angola. Inspired by his discovery of his direct genetic link to the Mende Temne people of Sierra Leone, Washington, like Oprah Winfrey, has become known for his philanthropy in Africa. In 2007, he founded the Gondobay Manga Foundation, which advocates cooperative planning to achieve positive, timely improvements in the lives of the people of Sierra Leone. In May 2006, during a visit to Sierra Leone, Washington was named Chief Gondobay Manga by the Mende people. He later decided to use the name for his non-profit.