Denzel Hayes Washington Jr., a renowned American actor, producer, and director, was born on December 28, 1954. Renowned for his captivating stage and screen performances, he is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished actors of his generation, with The New York Times declaring him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020.
Throughout his illustrious career, Washington has garnered numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. He has been honored with the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.
Washington began his journey in the world of theatre, training at the American Conservatory Theatre and acting in off-Broadway performances. He initially gained recognition for his roles in the NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982-1988) and the war film A Soldier's Story (1984). Washington has won two Academy Awards, with his first being for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of an American Civil War soldier in the war drama Glory (1989) and his second being for Best Actor for his performance as a corrupt police officer in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). He has received Oscar nominations for his roles in Cry Freedom (1987),Malcolm X (1992),The Hurricane (1999),Flight (2012),Fences (2016),Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017),and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021).
Washington has also had a successful career in film, starring in a wide range of movies, including Mo' Better Blues (1990),Mississippi Masala (1991),Philadelphia (1993),Courage Under Fire (1996),Remember the Titans (2000),Man on Fire (2004),Inside Man (2006),American Gangster (2007),and The Equalizer trilogy (2014-2023). Additionally, he has directed and starred in the films Antwone Fisher (2002),The Great Debaters (2007),and Fences (2016).
On stage, Washington has showcased his talents in productions of Coriolanus (1979) and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at the Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play Checkmates (1988). Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences (2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (2005),Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (2014),and Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh (2018).
With his impressive body of work, Washington has solidified his position as one of the most respected and celebrated actors of his generation.
