Denzel Washington is one of the biggest celebrity names out there, but just like many actors, there is one thing he has kept a bit of a secret. After decades of being in the spotlight, Washington has admitted that he is proud of being a Christian.

Although he is strong in his faith now, it hasn’t always been easy for him. He was born in New York in 1954 and says he remembers speaking to God from the time he was very little. His father was a Pentecostal minister.

He was close to his mother and father, but Washington says he was particularly close to his father. However, as he got older, Washington began to question his faith. Instead of spending time at church, he spent time on the streets getting into fights.

At the age of 14 his parents were divorced and life as he knew it completely changed. He became more angry and his grades began slipping. His mother eventually placed him in a military academy to keep him from getting in trouble.

While in the academy, he found God again. After graduating the academy, he headed off to college. However, things didn’t work out there either. He was a 20 year old drop out.

One day while visiting his mother, he admitted that he had flunked out of college and his mother told him he needed to become a preacher. He enrolled in Fordham University to become a doctor. It wasn’t long before he realized that wasn’t what he wanted either.

Taking a break from college, he began working as the Creative Arts Director at a YMCA camp. It was there that he discovered he had a talent for acting. He returned to Fordham and began focusing on a degree in Arts in Journalism.

It wasn’t long before Washington ended up on the east coast cast in the movie Carbon Copy. After that, roles in Glory, Malcolm X, Crimson Tide, The Preacher’s Wife, and more quickly followed.

His role in Training Day earned him an Oscar award for Best Actor. He says that despite all of the challenges he went through after leaving the military academy, he never lost faith in God and God never lost faith in him.

After decades together, Washington and his wife, Pauletta Pearson, have managed to stay together and say their marriage is stronger than ever. They’ve spent 33 years together and he has several tips for going the long haul with your spouse.

Be patient. Be good friends first. Stick together and work at it. “It’s not all a honeymoon. It’s not all flowers and roses. But if you’re friends and partners and committed, you’ll be okay,” he says.

In addition to his advice on marriage, Washington says one of the biggest pieces of advice he has to offer is to put God first in everything you do. “Everything that you think you see in me and everything you think I’ve accomplished and everything you think I have is by the grace of God. It’s a gift,” he says.

Check out the video below to hear more from Washington, and be sure to share this story with your family and friends. We can all learn a lesson or two from him.