Denzel Washington (born on December 28, 1954) is an American actor who also works as a producer and director. Famed for his dramatic roles in film and theater, he is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, with a declaration from The New York Times naming him the best actor of the 21st century in 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for Emmys and a Grammy. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. Following his training at the American Conservatory Theater, he launched his career in theater, with roles in off-Broadway productions. He was first recognized widely in the NBC drama *St. Elsewhere* (between 1982 and 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (released in 1984). He won two Oscars, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in the war drama *Glory* (from 1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was received Oscar nominations for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (1987), *Malcolm X* (released in 1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (from 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). As a major leading actor, Washington starred in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (1990), *Mississippi Masala* (1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (in 1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023). Washington starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (in 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (from 2016). On stage, he has performed in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at The Public Theater in New York. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He earned 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 (released in 2010). He has also starred in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).