Washington (with a birthdate of December 28, 1954) is an American actor, 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 declaring him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. Over his career he has received several accolades, including two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a SAG 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), 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, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series *St. Elsewhere* (1982–1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (in 1984). He won two Academy Awards, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing a Union soldier in the war drama *Glory* (from 1989) and his second for the Best Actor category for playing a corrupt police officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (2001). He was Oscar-nominated for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (from 1987), *Malcolm X* (1992), *The Hurricane* (from 1999), *Flight* (2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (in 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (released in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (in 1996), *Remember the Titans* (in 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (in 2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (released from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (in 2007), and *Fences* (from 2016). On stage, he has acted 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 disillusioned father from the working class in the Broadway revival of *Fences* by August Wilson (released in 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).