Whatever Your Day Has Been Like, These Young Denzel Washington Pictures Will Make It Better

With two Golden Globe Awards, one Tony Award, and two Academy Awards under his belt, Denzel Washington definitely is an American treasure — not to mention one of Hollywood's sexiest and most charismatic leading men. But unless you watched St. Elsewhere (in which the actor starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler), you probably forgot just how cute Denzel was back in the day before he became a household name in the early '90s. Though all you really have to do is look at his son, actor John David Washington, to see what Denzel looked like in his 20s and 30s, you should also check out the gallery for a trip down memory lane.

01
Carbon Copy (1981)
Everett Collection

Carbon Copy (1981)

02
Carbon Copy (1981)
Everett Collection

Carbon Copy (1981)

03
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
Everett Collection

St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)

04
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
Everett Collection

St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)

05
St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)
Everett Collection

St. Elsewhere (1982-1988)

06
Goodbye Ain't Gone (1983)
Everett Collection

Goodbye Ain't Gone (1983)

08
A Solider's Story (1984)
Everett Collection

A Solider's Story (1984)

09
Power (1986)
Everett Collection

Power (1986)

10
Power (1986)
Everett Collection

Power (1986)

11
The George McKenna Story (1986)
Everett Collection

The George McKenna Story (1986)

12
The George McKenna Story (1986)
Everett Collection

The George McKenna Story (1986)

13
Denzel Washington in a Promotional Shot From the 1980s
Getty | Aaron Rapoport

Denzel Washington in a Promotional Shot From the 1980s

15
Cry Freedom (1987)
Everett Collection

Cry Freedom (1987)

16
Cry Freedom (1987)
Everett Collection

Cry Freedom (1987)

17
For Queen and Country (1988)
Everett Collection

For Queen and Country (1988)

18
For Queen and Country (1988)
Everett Collection

For Queen and Country (1988)

19
For Queen and Country (1988)
Everett Collection

For Queen and Country (1988)

20
The Mighty Quinn (1989)
Everett Collection

The Mighty Quinn (1989)

22
Heart Condition (1990)
Everett Collection

Heart Condition (1990)

23
Denzel Washington at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards in 1990
Getty | Barry King

Denzel Washington at the 62nd Annual Academy Awards in 1990

24
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Everett Collection

Mo' Better Blues (1990)

25
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Everett Collection

Mo' Better Blues (1990)

26
Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Everett Collection

Mo' Better Blues (1990)

27
Ricochet (1991)
Everett Collection

Ricochet (1991)

29
Ricochet (1991)
Everett Collection

Ricochet (1991)

30
Ricochet (1991)
Everett Collection

Ricochet (1991)

31
Denzel Washington and Wife Pauletta at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in 1991
Getty | Kevin Mazur

Denzel Washington and Wife Pauletta at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in 1991

32
Malcolm X (1992)
Everett Collection

Malcolm X (1992)

33
Malcolm X (1992)
Everett Collection

Malcolm X (1992)

34
Denzel Washington at the 65th Annual Academy Awards in 1993
Getty | Kevin Mazur

Denzel Washington at the 65th Annual Academy Awards in 1993

36
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
Everett Collection

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

37
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Everett Collection

The Pelican Brief (1993)

38
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Everett Collection

The Pelican Brief (1993)

39
Denzel Washington at the 67th Annual Academy Awards in 1995
Getty | Kevin Mazur

Denzel Washington at the 67th Annual Academy Awards in 1995

40
Denzel Washington at the ShoWest Festival in 1995
Getty | Jeff Kravitz

Denzel Washington at the ShoWest Festival in 1995

41
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Everett Collection

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)

43
The Crimson Tide (1995)
Everett Collection

The Crimson Tide (1995)

44
The Crimson Tide (1995)
Everett Collection

The Crimson Tide (1995)

45
Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston at the 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards in 1996
Getty | Steve Granitz

Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston at the 27th Annual NAACP Image Awards in 1996

46
The Preacher's Wife (1996)
Everett Collection

The Preacher's Wife (1996)

47
Courage Under Fire (1996)
Everett Collection

Courage Under Fire (1996)

48
Denzel Washington at the 28th Annual NAACP Image Awards in 1997
Getty | Steve Granitz

Denzel Washington at the 28th Annual NAACP Image Awards in 1997

50
Fallen (1998)
Everett Collection

Fallen (1998)

51
He Got Game (1998)
Everett Collection

He Got Game (1998)

52
Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie at the Premiere of The Bone Collector in 1999
Getty | Kevin Mazur

Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie at the Premiere of The Bone Collector in 1999

53
Denzel Washington at the Premiere of The Hurricane in 1999
Getty | Steve Granitz

Denzel Washington at the Premiere of The Hurricane in 1999

54
The Hurricane (1999)
Everett Collection

The Hurricane (1999)