Denzel Washington

 Denzel Hayes Jr. was born on December 28 the 28th of December 1954. He is an American actor and film maker. Famous for his work on stage and screen and stage, he is described as an actor who redefined "the idea of classic film stardom". [1] He is also famous for his regular collaborations with directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua, and Tony Scott. Throughout his career spanning over forty years, Washington has received numerous awards, including an Tony Award, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. 2 He was given the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. In the year 2020, The New York Times named him the top actor of the 21st Century. 3 Washington was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022 by the President Joe Biden. He began his career as an actor in the theater and also performed off-Broadway in plays like Shakespeare's Coriolanus. Washington first rose to prominence in St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). Washington's first film roles included Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story (1984), and Richard Attenborough's Cry Freedom (87). He was awarded his first Academy Award as Best Supporting actor for his performance in the Civil War drama Glory (1989). In the 90s when he was establishing himself as an important actor in diverse films as Spike's biographical film epic Malcolm X (1992), Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing (1993) as well as Alan J. Pakula's legal thriller The Pelican Brief (1993) Jonathan Demme's drama Philadelphia (1993), and Norman Jewison's drama about the legal system The Hurricane (1999). Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as the corrupt Detective Alonzo Harris in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). [5] Washington has continued acting in different roles, like football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), drug the kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007) and an airline pilot suffering from an addiction in Flight (2012).