Denzel Washington’s Last TV Acting Roles Came in a 1990s HBO Cartoon

A television role in animation

Happily Ever After premiered on HBO on March 12, 1995. The three-season cartoon anthology retold classic fairy and folk stories in multicultural settings, with Robert Guillaume as narrator and a roster of guest voice performers.

Washington appeared as King Omar in the first-season version of Rumpelstiltskin. In the second season, he voiced Humpty Dumpty and the Crooked Man in “Mother Goose: A Rappin’ and Rhymin’ Special.” The series ended in 2000. A New York Times story published around the premiere described the animation as only passable, while praising the idea of placing European children’s tales in diverse settings and saying the stories were well told.

From drama to film career

Washington’s first major role was Dr. Philip Chandler on the medical drama St. Elsewhere. After the NBC series ended in 1988, he largely left television acting behind. Since then, his TV work has included narrating three PBS documentaries and directing a 2016 episode of Grey’s Anatomy. The two Happily Ever After appearances are his only television acting credits after St. Elsewhere.

A rare return to television

For much of television’s history, established movie stars rarely took roles on the small screen. A brief voice performance in an animated show could be an exception, but an on-screen TV appearance by a film star was considered unusual.

That pattern shifted during the streaming era, as high-profile limited series attracted Oscar-winning performers. Julia Roberts appeared in Homecoming, Mahershala Ali in True Detective, and Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep in Big Little Lies; Washington did not follow their path back to television acting.

Retirement plans and final credit

In a 2024 interview with Today, Washington said he intended to retire after finishing his remaining projects. None of those projects were television shows. Based on his stated plans, Happily Ever After appears to remain his final TV acting credit. The article notes that Washington has not acted on television in nearly three decades.