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 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 in addition to being nominated for Emmys and a Grammy. He received the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016), AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Following his training at the American Conservatory Theater, Washington began his career in theater, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series *St. Elsewhere* (between 1982 and 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (1984). He won two Oscars, his first for 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 cop in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (released in 1987), *Malcolm X* (from 1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (2021). As a major leading actor, Washington starred in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (1990), *Mississippi Masala* (released in 1991), *Philadelphia* (from 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (2006), *American Gangster* (2007), and the *Equalizer* trilogy (2014–2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). In live theater, Washington has appeared in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at The Public Theater in New York. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (in 1988). He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned father from the working class in the Broadway revival of the play *Fences* by August Wilson (released in 2010). He has also appeared in the Broadway revivals of William Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar* (2005), Lorraine Hansberry's play *A Raisin in the Sun* (2014), and Eugene O'Neill's play *The Iceman Cometh* (2018).