Washington (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor who also works as a producer and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, he is often seen as one of the top actors of his generation, with The New York Times calling him the top actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. Throughout his career, Washington has garnered numerous awards, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. He has been awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016), AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2022). After training at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He gained early fame in the NBC drama *St. Elsewhere* (1982–1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (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 police officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (in 2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (from 1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). A renowned leading man, Washington starred in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (from 1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (in 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (2016). In theater, he has acted in productions like *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at New York’s 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 the Play category for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (released in 2010). He has also starred 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).