Denzel Washington (born on December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Recognized for his powerful performances on stage and screen, he is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, with The New York Times calling him the top actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Throughout his career, Washington has garnered numerous awards, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award. He has been awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016), AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022). After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, he launched his career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He gained early fame in the medical drama *St. Elsewhere* on NBC (from 1982 to 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (in 1984). He has two Academy Awards to his name, his first for Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in the war drama *Glory* (released in 1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (released in 2001). He was received Oscar nominations for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (released in 1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (released in 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (2007), and the *Equalizer* trilogy (released from 2014 to 2023). Washington starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (2016). In theater, Washington has appeared in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at New York’s Public Theater. His first appearance on Broadway in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (1988). He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned father from the working class in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (from 2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).