Isaiah Washington - wikipedia Isaiah Washington Isaiah Washington Washington at the 2013 San Diego Comic - Con Isaiah Washington IV ( 1963 - 08 - 03 ) August 3, 1963 ( age 54 ) Houston, Texas, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1991 -- present Spouse ( s ) Jenisa Marie Garland ( m. 1996 ) Children Isaiah Washington IV ( born August 3, 1963 ) is an American actor. A veteran of several Spike Lee films, Washington is best known for his role as Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey 's Anatomy from 2005 until 2007 and again in 2014. Washington plays Thelonius Jaha on The CW 's The 100. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Grey 's Anatomy 2.1. 1 Dismissal controversy 2.2 Recent work 3 Personal life 3.1 Genealogical inquiry 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 Awards and nominations 6 References 7 External links Early life Washington was born in Houston, Texas where his parents were residents in the Houston Heights community. His parents moved 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. Career Grey 's Anatomy In 2005, Washington originated the role of gifted cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Preston Burke on the ABC medical drama Grey 's Anatomy. His portrayal earned him two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was paired onscreen with Sandra Oh, who plays intern Cristina Yang. Washington had originally auditioned for the role of Derek Shepherd, which ultimately went to Patrick Dempsey. Burke had originally been described as a nebbishy, stout forty - something man. For his portrayal of Burke, Isaiah was honored by TV Guide as one of `` TV 's Sexiest Men '' in June 2006, and was named one of 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 's `` 50 Beautiful People '' in May 2006. On March 6, 2014, ABC announced that Washington would be returning to the show in a guest appearance as Burke. He returned in season 10, which served as part of a farewell storyline for Sandra Oh 's character, Cristina Yang. The characters had been previously engaged to be married. Dismissal controversy In the show 's third season, Washington became a central figure in a widely reported backstage controversy. In October 2006, rumors surfaced that Washington had insulted co-star T.R. Knight with a homophobic slur. Shortly after the details of the argument became public, Knight publicly disclosed that he was gay. The situation seemed somewhat resolved when Washington issued a statement, apologizing for his `` unfortunate use of words during the recent incident on - set ''. The controversy later resurfaced when the cast appeared at the Golden Globes in January 2007. While being interviewed on the red carpet prior to the awards, Washington joked, `` I love gay. I wanted to be gay. Please let me be gay ''. After the show won Best Drama, Washington, in response to press queries as to any conflicts backstage, said, `` No, I did not call T.R. a faggot ''. However, in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Knight said that `` everybody heard him ''. After being rebuked by his studio, Touchstone Television ( now ABC Studios ), Washington issued a statement apologizing at length for using the epithet in an argument with Patrick Dempsey. On January 30, 2007, a source told People magazine that Washington was scheduled to return to the Grey 's Anatomy set as early as that Thursday for the first time since entering `` executive counseling '' after making the comments at the Golden Globes. However, on June 7, 2007, ABC announced it 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 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 ''. Washington, in late June 2007, began asserting that racism within the media 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 Knight, but rather told Dempsey to stop treating him like a `` F - word '' during an argument `` provoked '' by Dempsey, who, he felt, was treating him like a `` B - word '', a `` P - word '', and the `` F - word '', which Washington said conveyed `` somebody who is being weak and afraid to fight back ''. He also disputed the accusations made by Knight, who he claimed was misrepresenting himself out of disappointment over his character. In July 2007, NBC decided to cast 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 ''. However, Bionic Woman was cancelled after only eight episodes due to low ratings. Washington himself said that his dismissal from Grey 's Anatomy was an unfortunate misunderstanding that he was eager to move past. By the beginning of the next season of Grey 's Anatomy, Washington 's character `` Burke '' had left the show following the end of the season finale. In January 2014, in an interview with I Am Entertainment magazine, Washington spoke about life after Grey 's Anatomy and he stated, `` I do n't worry about whether or not the stories I tell will destroy my acting career because, you ca n't take away something that does n't exist. They killed the actor ( in me ) on June 7, 2007. '' Recent work Washington is playing the role of Chancellor Jaha in The 100, an American post-apocalyptic drama television series that began airing on The CW Television Network in spring 2014. The series is based on a book of the same name by Kass Morgan, and developed by Jason Rothenberg. Washington also starred in the film Blue Caprice, which was inspired by the Beltway sniper attacks during which two men, John Muhammed ( played by Washington ) and Lee Malvo ( Tequan Richmond ), conducted a siege of terror on the Washington, D.C. area. The film was released in theaters on September 13, 2013. Personal life Washington married Jenisa Marie Garland on February 14, 1996. The couple have three children. Washington has written a book called A Man from Another Land, which chronicles Washington 's early life, his TV and film career, and his search to find his roots after going through a DNA test that showed his ancestors came from Sierra Leone in West Africa. Since learning about his history, Washington has traveled to Sierra Leone, donated medical supplies to a hospital there, and built a school. Washington has endorsed Jill Stein for President of the United States. Genealogical inquiry Washington is of African descent. A genealogical DNA test conducted by African Ancestry, Inc. revealed that Washington 's maternal ancestry can be traced to what is now Sierra Leone, and that he has an ancestral link to the Mende and Temne peoples there. In May 2006 he visited Sierra Leone, and received a warm welcome. He travelled to Sierra Leone in May 2006 marking the beginning of his charity work and was granted Sierra Leonean Citizenship, making him the first African American to be granted full citizenship based on DNA. His paternal ancestry links him to the Mbundu people, an ethnic group in Angola. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1991 The Color of Love ( film ) N / A 1991 Land Where My Fathers Died Malcolm Short film 1991 Strictly Business Hustler Strapped Willie Television movie 1994 Crooklyn Vic 1994 Alma 's Rainbow Miles 1995 Stonewall Uniformed Cop 1995 Clockers Victor Dunham 1995 Dead Presidents Andrew Curtis Uncredited Girl 6 Shoplifter Mr. and Mrs. Loving Blue Television movie Get on the Bus Kyle Soul of the Game Adult Willie Mays Television movie 1997 Love Jones Savon Garrison 1997 Joe Torre : Curveballs Along the Way Dwight Gooden Television movie 1998 Always Outnumbered Wilfred Television movie 1998 Mixing Nia Lewis 1998 Bulworth Darnell 1998 Rituals Wendal Short film 1999 True Crime Frank Louis Beechum 1999 Out of Sight Kenneth Miller 1999 A Texas Funeral Walter 2000 Veil Bentley 2000 Romeo Must Die Mac First time working with DMX, Anthony Anderson and Andrzej Bartkowiak. 2000 Dancing in September George Washington Television movie Nominated -- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special 2000 Kin Stone 2001 Tara Max 2001 Exit Wounds George Clark Second time working with DMX, Anthony Anderson and Andrzej Bartkowiak. 2001 Sacred Is the Flesh Roland 2002 Welcome to Collinwood Leon 2002 Ghost Ship Greer 2003 Hollywood Homicide Antoine Sartain 2003 This Girl 's Life Shane Wild Things 2 Terence Bridge Dead Birds Todd Trois : The Escort Bernard ' Benny ' Grier 2005 The Moguls Homer 2008 The Least of These Father Andre James Hurricane Season Coach Buddy Simmons 2011 Área Q Thomas Mathews 2012 The Undershepherd L.C. 2013 Blue Caprice John Muhammed Nominated -- Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated -- Gotham Independent Award for Best Actor 2013 Doctor Bello Dr. Michael Durant 2014 Blackbird Lance Rousseau 2017 Secret Summer Gus Hallmark movie Television Year Title Role Notes 1991 Law & Order Derek Hardy Episode : `` Out of Control '' 1994 Homicide : Life on the Street Lane Staley Episode : `` Black and Blue '' 1994 Lifestories : Families in Crisis O.G. Episode : `` POWER : The Eddie Matos Story '' 1995 NYPD Blue Antonio Boston Episode : `` E.R. '' New York Undercover Andre Morgan 2 episodes Living Single Dr. Charles Roberts 3 episodes 1997 High Incident Rulon `` RuDog '' Douglas Episode : `` Remote Control '' 1998 Ally McBeal Michael Rivers 2 episodes 2000 Soul Food Miles Jenkins 3 episodes 2001 Touched by an Angel Reverend Davis Episode : `` A Death in the Family '' 2001 All My Children Police Officer Episode : `` 5 July 2001 '' 2005 -- 2007, 2014 Grey 's Anatomy Preston Burke Main cast ( Seasons 1 -- 3 ) Guest ( Season 10 ) : 62 episodes NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series ( 2006 -- 07 ) Satellite Award for Best Cast -- Television Series Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated -- Golden Nymph Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Nominated -- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2007 Bionic Woman Antonio Pope 5 episodes 2008 The Cleaner Keith Bowen Episode : `` The Eleventh Hour '' 2011 Law & Order : LA Roland Davidson Episode : `` Carthay Circle '' 2011 Single Ladies Noland Episode : `` Confidence Games '' 2014 -- present The 100 Chancellor Thelonious Jaha 42 episodes 2017 Blue Bloods Chief Travis Jackson Episode : `` A Deep Blue Goodbye '' 2017 Bull Jules Caffrey Episode : `` Bring It On '' Awards and nominations Image Awards Year Category Nominated Work Result 2002 Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Dancing in September Nominated 2006 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series Grey 's Anatomy Won 2007 Won Screen Actors Guild Awards Year Category Nominated Work Result 2006 Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Grey 's Anatomy Nominated 2007 Won 2008 Nominated References Jump up ^ Goldberg, Lesley ( March 7, 2014 ). `` Isaiah Washington Returning to ' Grey 's Anatomy ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 6, 2014. Jump up ^ `` EXCLUSIVE : Isaiah Washington Apologizes ''. People. October 25, 2006. Jump up ^ The Associated Press ( January 15, 2007 ). `` Isaiah Washington : ' I Love Gay ' ''. Access Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 20, 2007. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Transcript of Interview with Isaiah Washington and Brooke Anderson ''. Showbiz Tonight. CNN.com. Retrieved 7 May 2014. Jump up ^ `` ABC drops Washington from Grey 's Anatomy ''. Cbc.ca. June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 08. Jump up ^ `` Racism was a factor '', Washington Post, June 28, 2007 Jump up ^ For the transcript, see http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0707/02/lkl.01.html Jump up ^ Freeman, Shaine ( January 17, 2014 ). `` Isaiah Washington the Millennium Triumph Man ''. I Am Entertainment. Missing or empty url = ( help ) ; access - date = requires url = ( help ) Jump up ^ Ito, Robert ( September 12, 2013 ). `` After African Detour, Isaiah Washington Is Back on Screen ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ TV Star Isaiah Washington on `` Game Changers '' Tonight Archived 2011 - 06 - 21 at the Wayback Machine., Tami DeVine, Crown City News Jump up ^ Gloria Betts and Umaru Kebbay take the initiative to make the difference at home during Sierra Leone 's 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration Archived 2011 - 10 - 02 at the Wayback Machine., Cocorioko, May 26, 2011 Jump up ^ Tom Cahill ( July 12, 2016 ). `` Donations to Jill Stein Explode Nearly 1000 % Since Sanders ' Endorsement of Clinton ''. uncut.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Jump up ^ Remoe, Vickie. `` Reclaiming the Middle Passage : African - American Actor Isaiah Washington becomes first to use DNA Testing to gain Citizenship to an African Nation ( Sierra Leone ) - Sierra Leone News ''. www.switsalone.com. Jump up ^ `` Participant Bios : The White House Summit on Malaria ''. georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Jump up ^ `` The Isaiah Washington Picture Pages ''. www.superiorpics.com. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isaiah Washington. Official website Isaiah Washington on IMDb The Gondobay Manga Foundation - The Gondobay Manga Foundation - Making a difference for Sierra Leone and its people. Coalhouse Productions - Coalhouse Productions - Making a difference in Los Angeles Isaiah Washington goes Bionic Awards for Isaiah Washington Satellite Award for Best Cast -- Television Series 2000 The West Wing Alan Alda Stockard Channing Kristin Chenoweth Dulé Hill Allison Janney Moira Kelly Rob Lowe Joshua Malina Mary McCormack Janel Moloney Richard Schiff Martin Sheen Jimmy Smits John Spencer Bradley Whitford 2001 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Amber Benson Marc Blucas David Boreanaz Nicholas Brendon Charisma Carpenter Emma Caulfield Sarah Michelle Gellar Seth Green Alyson Hannigan Anthony Stewart Head James Marsters Michelle Trachtenberg 2005 Rescue Me Denis Leary John Scurti Daniel Sunjata Mike Lombardi Steven Pasquale Andrea Roth Callie Thorne Adam Ferrara Larenz Tate James McCaffrey Dean Winters 2006 Grey 's Anatomy Justin Chambers Eric Dane Patrick Dempsey Katherine Heigl T.R. Knight Sandra Oh James Pickens Jr. Ellen Pompeo Sara Ramirez Kate Walsh Isaiah Washington Chandra Wilson 2007 Mad Men Bryan Batt Anne Dudek Michael Gladis Jon Hamm Christina Hendricks January Jones Vincent Kartheiser Robert Morse Elisabeth Moss Kiernan Shipka Maggie Siff John Slattery Rich Sommer Aaron Staton 2009 True Blood Chris Bauer Mehcad Brooks Anna Camp Nelsan Ellis Michelle Forbes Mariana Klaveno Ryan Kwanten Todd Lowe Michael McMillian Stephen Moyer Anna Paquin Jim Parrack Carrie Preston William Sanderson Alexander Skarsgård Sam Trammell Rutina Wesley Deborah Ann Woll 2012 The Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln Sarah Wayne Callies Laurie Holden Norman Reedus Steven Yeun Lauren Cohan Chandler Riggs Melissa McBride Scott Wilson Danai Gurira Michael Rooker David Morrissey 2013 Orange Is the New Black Taylor Schilling Laura Prepon Michael J. Harney Michelle Hurst Kate Mulgrew Jason Biggs 2014 The Knick Clive Owen André Holland Jeremy Bobb Juliet Rylance Eve Hewson Michael Angarano Chris Sullivan Cara Seymour Eric Johnson David Fierro Maya Kazan Leon Addison Brown Grainger Hines Matt Frewer 2015 American Crime Felicity Huffman Timothy Hutton W. Earl Brown Richard Cabral Regina King Caitlin Gerard Benito Martinez Penelope Ann Miller Elvis Nolasco Johnny Ortiz 2016 Outlander Caitriona Balfe Sam Heughan Tobias Menzies Lotte Verbeek Laura Donnelly Steven Cree Duncan Lacroix Grant O'Rourke Gary Lewis Graham McTavish Stephen Walters Simon Callow Nell Hudson Dominique Pinon Stanley Weber Richard Rankin Sophie Skelton Andrew Gower Rosie Day Clive Russell Frances de la Tour Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series ( 2000 -- 2009 ) 2000 : The West Wing, season 1 / season 2 Hill Janney Kelly Lowe Moloney Schiff Sheen Spencer Whitford 2001 : The West Wing, season 2 / season 3 Hill Janney Lowe Moloney Schiff Sheen Spencer Whitford 2002 : Six Feet Under, season 2 Ambrose Conroy Griffiths Hall Krause Rodríguez St. Patrick 2003 : Six Feet Under, season 3 Ambrose Conroy Foster Griffiths Hall Krause Macdissi Machado Rodríguez St. Patrick Taylor Wilson 2004 : CSI : Crime Scene Investigation, season 4 / season 5 Dourdan Eads Fox Guilfoyle Hall Helgenberger Petersen Szmanda 2005 : Lost, season 1 / season 2 Akinnuoye - Agbaje Andrews de Ravin Fox Garcia Grace Holloway Kelley D.D. Kim Y. Kim Lilly Monaghan O'Quinn Perrineau Rodriguez Somerhalder Watros 2006 : Grey 's Anatomy, season 2 / season 3 Chambers Dane Dempsey Heigl Knight Oh Pickens Pompeo Ramirez Walsh Washington Wilson 2007 : The Sopranos, season 6, part II Antonacci Bracco Falco Gandolfini Grimaldi Iler Imperioli Nascarella Schirripa Servitto Sigler Sirico Turturro Van Zandt Vincent 2008 : Mad Men, season 2 Batt Brie Gladis Hamm Hart Hendricks Jones Kartheiser Moses Moss Shipka Slattery Sommer Staton 2009 : Mad Men, season 3 Alemanni Batt Gilmore Gladis Hamm Harris Hendricks Jones Kartheiser Morse Moss Shipka Slattery Sommer Stanley Staton Complete list ( 1994 -- 1999 ) ( 2000 -- 2009 ) ( 2010 -- present ) VIAF : 19892847 LCCN : no99078325 ISNI : 0000 0001 1439 1936 GND : 142381527 BNF : cb14237989f ( data ) BNE : XX1341885 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Isaiah_Washington&oldid=826347286 '' Categories : 1963 births Male actors from Houston African - American male actors Howard University alumni Living people United States Air Force personnel 20th - century American male actors 21st - century American male actors American people of Sierra Leonean descent American people of Angolan descent American male television actors American male film actors Hidden categories : Pages using web citations with no URL Pages using citations with accessdate and no URL Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski Italiano עברית ქართული Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 18 February 2018, at 16 : 54. 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Question: who played dr. burke on grey's anatomy
Answer: Isaiah Washington IV