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 considered one of the greatest actors of his time, with The New York Times calling him the greatest actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Throughout his career, Washington has garnered numerous awards, including two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a SAG 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, AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theater, with roles in off-Broadway productions. He first came to prominence in the medical drama *St. Elsewhere* on NBC (from 1982 to 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (released in 1984). He has two Academy Awards to his name, his first for the Best Supporting Actor category for playing a Union soldier in the war drama *Glory* (1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt police officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (1992), *The Hurricane* (1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (from 2021). A renowned leading man, Washington appeared in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (released in 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and the *Equalizer* films (2014–2023). Washington directed and starred in the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (from 2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). In theater, he has acted in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at New York’s Public Theater. 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 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).