Washington (born on December 28, 1954) is a celebrated American actor, producer, and filmmaker. Recognized for his powerful performances on stage and screen, he is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, with The New York Times calling him the best actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award along with nominations in two Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016), 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award, and the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following his training at the American Conservatory Theater, he started his acting career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He was first recognized widely in the NBC medical drama series *St. Elsewhere* (1982–1988), 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 an American Civil War soldier in the war drama *Glory* (released in 1989) and his second for the Best Actor category for playing a corrupt cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (2021). As a major leading actor, Washington also acted in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (from 1996), *Remember the Titans* (2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (released in 2007), and the *Equalizer* films (from 2014 to 2023). Washington starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (2002), *The Great Debaters* (2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). On stage, he has performed in productions like *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* (released in 1988). He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play *Fences* (released in 2010). He has also appeared 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).