Washington made his theatrical debut while studying at Fordham University, appearing in a production of Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones. He made his Broadway debut in the ill-received comedy Checkmates, which played for 172 performances in 1988. Off-Broadway credits include Coriolanus and Richard III with the New York Shakespeare Festival, When the Chicken Comes Home to Roose with the New Federal Theater and A Soldier's Play at the Negro Ensemble Theatre, for which he won an OBIE Award.
One of Hollywood's highest paid performers, Washington has earned five Academy Award nominations and two Oscars, for his work in Glory 1989 and Training Day 2001. Other notable film credits include Cry Freedom, Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, Much Ado About Nothing, The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, Devil in a Blue Dress, Courage Under Fire, The Preacher's Wife, He Got Game, The Hurricane, Remember the Titians, John Q, Antwone Fisher, Man on Fire and The Manchurian Candidate.
Julius Caesar is set to start performances at the Belasco in March. No closing date has been announced for the theater's current tenant, Dracula.