Washington (born on December 28, 1954) is a celebrated American actor, producer, and filmmaker. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, he is considered one of the greatest actors of his time, with The New York Times calling him the top actor of the 21st century in the year 2020. He has won several prestigious awards over his career, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for Emmys and a Grammy. He has been awarded the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following his training at the American Conservatory Theater, he launched his career in theater, starring in off-Broadway shows. He gained early fame in the medical drama *St. Elsewhere* on NBC (1982–1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (in 1984). He won two Oscars, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing a soldier during the Civil War in the war drama *Glory* (from 1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (in 2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (from 1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). A prominent 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* (2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (released in 2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (from 2014 to 2023). Washington starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (2002), *The Great Debaters* (2007), and *Fences* (from 2016). In theater, he has performed in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at New York’s Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He received a Tony Award for Best Actor in the Play category for his role as a disheartened blue-collar father in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (from 2010). He has also starred in the Broadway revivals of the plays *Julius Caesar* (2005), *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).