Denzel Washington (with a birthdate of 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 declaring 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 received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. After training at the American Conservatory Theater, he started his acting career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He first came to prominence 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 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 Oscar-nominated for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (released in 1992), *The Hurricane* (1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (2021). A renowned leading man, Washington starred in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (2000), *Man on Fire* (released in 2004), *Inside Man* (released in 2006), *American Gangster* (released in 2007), and the *Equalizer* trilogy (from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (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. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He received a Tony Award for Best Actor on Broadway for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (released in 2010). He has also starred 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).