Denzel Washington

 Denzel Hayes, Jr. was born December 28, 1954. He is an American actor and film maker. Famous for his work on the screen and stage He has been called an actor who reconfigured "the concept of classic movie stardom". [1] He is also famous for his regular collaborations with directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua and Tony Scott. Washington's professional career spans more than forty years and has been awarded numerous awards. He received two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards as well as two Silver Bears. In 2016 Washington was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. The New York Times also called him the greatest actor of the 21st Century in 2020. [3] In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to him by Joe Biden.Washington started his acting career in theatre and performed in off-Broadway shows, including William Shakespeare's Coriolanus in 1979. Washington first rose to prominence in St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). His first film roles were Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story (1984) and Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom (1987). He was awarded his first Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his part in the Civil War drama Glory (1989). In the 90s, he established himself as a leading man in such varied films as Spike Lee's biographical epic film Malcolm X (1992), Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing (1993) as well as Alan J. Pakula's legal thriller The Pelican Brief (1993), Jonathan Demme's drama Philadelphia (1993) as well as Norman Jewison's legal thriller The Hurricane (1999). Washington received the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role of Alonzo, the corrupt detective in the crime drama Training Day (2001). Washington continued to play diverse roles such as the role of Herman Boone, a football coach in the crime-thriller Training Day (2001), and Melvin B. Tolson, poet and teacher in The Great Debaters (2007). He also played drug criminal Frank Lucas, in American Gangster (2007). In Flight (2012), Washington played an addicted pilot who was addicted with flight. Washington won the Tony Award in 2010 for Best Actor, Play. Washington was later the director, producer and played in the adaptation film of the play in 2016. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Washington. He also directed the film adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). His stage credits include roles in Broadway revivals of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun in 2014, and in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh in 2018. Washington is among the five male actors to be nominated for an Academy Award in five different