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 often seen as one of the top actors of his generation, with The New York Times declaring him the greatest actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theater, with roles in off-Broadway productions. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series *St. Elsewhere* (between 1982 and 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (in 1984). He won two Oscars, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing a Union soldier in the war drama *Glory* (released in 1989) and his second for the role of Best Actor for playing a corrupt law enforcement officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (in 2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (from 1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (from 1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (from 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (from 2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (from 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (2004), *Inside Man* (released in 2006), *American Gangster* (2007), and the *Equalizer* films (2014–2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). On stage, Washington has appeared in performances 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* (released in 1988). He received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (released in 2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar* (2005), Hansberry's *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and O'Neill's *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).