Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington is an Emmy-winning actress and producer best known for her role as Olivia Pope on Scandal. Washington was born and raised in the Bronx, New York, and attended the Spence School in Manhattan. As a child, she participated in youth theater productions, later attending George Washington University and earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology. She later continued her acting studies at Michael Howard Studios in New York.

Washington began her career with roles in films including Save the Last Dance (2001) and Ray (2004) before gaining widespread attention for her performance in The Last King of Scotland (2006). Her breakthrough came in 2012 when she was cast as Olivia Pope on Scandal, making history as the first Black woman to lead a network drama in decades. She played the role until 2018, earning a SAG and Emmy nomination for her performance.

She has since appeared in projects including Django Unchained (2012), Little Fires Everywhere and American Son (2019). In 2020, she brought home an Emmy Award for her participation in Live in Front of a Studio Audience.

The actress married former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013. The couple share two children, Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha (born in 2014) and Caleb Kelechi Asomugha (born in 2016). She is also stepmother to Asomugha’s daughter from a previous relationship.