Denzel Washington (with a birthdate of December 28, 1954) is an American actor, 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 The New York Times declaring him the top actor of the 21st century in 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a SAG Award, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for Emmys and a Grammy. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022). After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, he launched his career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He was first recognized widely in the NBC drama *St. Elsewhere* (1982–1988), 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* (released in 1989) and his second for the Best Actor category for playing a corrupt law enforcement officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was Oscar-nominated for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (from 2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (from 2021). As a major leading actor, Washington starred in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (released in 1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (in 1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and the *Equalizer* trilogy (2014–2023). Washington directed and starred in the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (from 2016). In live theater, he has acted in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at The Public Theater in New York. His Broadway debut came in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He received a Tony Award for Best Actor in the Play category for his role as a disillusioned father from the working class in the Broadway revival of the play *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).