Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is the most acclaimed Black actor in the history of cinema — a performer of such depth, range, and charisma that he has been the number-one box office draw in America multiple times over a career spanning four decades. He has won two Academy Awards (Glory, 2001's Training Day), been nominated ten times, and has brought an intensity and humanity to every role that has redefined what a leading man can look like.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York, in 1954, Washington attended Fordham University, where a chance audition for a student production redirected him from pre-med to acting. He earned his MFA from the American Conservatory Theater and made his film debut in Carbon Copy (1981). His breakout came as Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), and his performance as Private Trip in Glory (1989) won his first Oscar.

Washington has played historical figures — Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Frank Lucas — with an authority that makes fictional portrayals seem unnecessary. He has also directed films (Fences, A Journal for Jordan) and produced through his company. His insistence on playing complex, fully realized Black men — heroes, villains, and everything in between — has expanded the range of roles available to Black actors. He has received virtually every honor available to an actor, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.