Denzel Washington

 Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born on December 28th, 1954) is an American actor and film maker. He is famous for his roles on screen and stage. He has been described as an actor who redefined the notion of "classic film stardom". Also, he is known for his regular collaborations with directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua, as well as Tony Scott. Washington received many accolades throughout his forty-year career which include the Tony Award, two Academy Awards in addition to three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. In 2016, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award and, in 2020, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century. 3. Washington was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022 by the President Joe Biden. He began his career as an actor in the theatre and performed off-Broadway in shows like William Shakespeare's Coriolanus. His first big break came as a medical actor in St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). Washington's first film roles included Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story (1984) and Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom (87). He was awarded his first Academy Award as Best Supporting actor for his part in the Civil War drama Glory (1989). Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, he became an important actor in diverse films as Spike Lee's biographical film epic Malcolm X (1992), Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Alan J. Pakula's legal thriller The Pelican Brief (1993) and Jonathan Demme's dramatic Philadelphia (1993), and Norman Jewison's drama about the legal system The Hurricane (1999). Washington received the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as the corrupt Detective Alonzo Harris in the crime drama Training Day (2001). [5] Washington is still acting in various roles such as the coach of football Herman Boone (2001), the poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson (2007, The Great Debaters (2006)) as well as the drug kingpin Frank Lucas (2007), and an addicted airline pilot in Flight (2012).