Washington (born on December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Recognized for his powerful performances on stage and screen, he is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation, with a declaration from The New York Times naming him the top actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Throughout his career, Washington has garnered numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for two Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award. He has been awarded 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, 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 (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 Best Supporting Actor for playing a soldier during the Civil War in the war drama *Glory* (1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt law enforcement officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was Oscar-nominated for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in films such as *Mo' Better Blues* (in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (from 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (2004), *Inside Man* (2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and the *Equalizer* films (from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). On stage, Washington has appeared in productions of both Coriolanus (1979) and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at The Public Theater. His first appearance on Broadway in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (released in 1988). He earned the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (from 2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).