Denzel Washington's eldest son is set to follow dad into acting after landing a role in a new Tv series, while rehabbing an American football injury.

John David Washington had to put his National Football League career on ice after tearing his achilles, but he won't be sitting around idle as he waits to get back on the field - he'll appear in Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's new project, Ballers.

His proud dad says, "He was about to try out for the (New York) Giants... and tore his achilles last summer, and out of the blue he gets an opportunity to audition for a new HBO series; he went up against 150 guys and got the part. He's co-starring with The Rock."

John David isn't the only Washington kid making waves in Hollywood - the actor's daughter Olivia, who is a New York University graduate, appeared in Lee Daniels' The Butler, and his son Malcolm is a filmmaker.