Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (with a birthdate of December 28, 1954) is a celebrated American actor, producer, and filmmaker. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, he is considered one of the greatest actors of his time, with The New York Times declaring him the greatest actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. He has won several prestigious awards over his career, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for Emmys and a Grammy. He has been awarded the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022). After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. 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* (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 role of Best Actor for playing a corrupt law enforcement officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (in 2001). He was received Oscar nominations for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (from 2012), *Fences* (from 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (from 2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (released in 1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (2000), *Man on Fire* (released in 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (2007), and the *Equalizer* films (from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). In live theater, he has performed in productions of both Coriolanus (1979) and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at New York’s Public Theater. His first appearance on Broadway in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He won 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 (2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).