Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington recently stressed the importance of involved fathers. While his own father was in Washington's life, he was often away at work. Then when his parents divorced at the age of 14, his relationship with his dad grew even more distant. Thankfully, the actor who has often publicly declared his faith in Christ, had a strong and loving mother. When the he began to rebel, she made the crucial and courageous decision to send him to a private boarding school.

"That decision changed my life, because I wouldn't have survived in the direction I was going," he told Parade. "The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but the streets got them."

Washington credits his mother's swift actions and consistent discipline for keeping him off the streets. It's no surprise he acknowledges her role in his success. "What would have happened to me had it not been for my mother?" he asked in one interview.