Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is a celebrated American actor, producer, and filmmaker. Recognized for his powerful performances on stage and screen, he is considered one of the greatest actors of his time, with The New York Times calling him the top actor of the 21st century in 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for Emmys and a Grammy. He has been awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award, and the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following his training at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began 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 won two Oscars, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing a soldier during the Civil War in the war drama *Glory* (1989) and his second for the Best Actor category for playing a corrupt cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). A renowned leading man, Washington also acted in films such as *Mo' Better Blues* (1990), *Mississippi Masala* (1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (in 1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (released in 2007), and the *Equalizer* trilogy (from 2014 to 2023). Washington starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (2002), *The Great Debaters* (from 2007), and *Fences* (2016). In live theater, Washington has appeared in productions like *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at New York’s Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (released in 1988). He earned the Tony Award for Best Actor on Broadway for his role as a disillusioned father from the working class in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play *Fences* (from 2010). He has also appeared in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).