Washington (with a birthdate of December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Recognized for his powerful performances on stage and screen, he is considered one of the greatest actors of his time, with The New York Times declaring 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 as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, AFI Life Achievement Award (2019), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, he launched his career in theater, with roles in off-Broadway productions. He first came to prominence in the NBC drama *St. Elsewhere* (between 1982 and 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (1984). He has two Academy Awards to his name, his first for Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in the war drama *Glory* (released in 1989) and his second for the Best Actor category for playing a corrupt law enforcement officer in the crime thriller *Training Day* (released in 2001). He was received Oscar nominations for his performances in *Cry Freedom* (from 1987), *Malcolm X* (1992), *The Hurricane* (from 1999), *Flight* (from 2012), *Fences* (released in 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (2021). A prominent leading man, Washington appeared in movies like *Mo' Better Blues* (1990), *Mississippi Masala* (released in 1991), *Philadelphia* (1993), *Courage Under Fire* (1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (2004), *Inside Man* (2006), *American Gangster* (released in 2007), and the *Equalizer* films (released from 2014 to 2023). Washington both starred in and directed the films *Antwone Fisher* (2002), *The Great Debaters* (from 2007), and *Fences* (2016). In live theater, he has performed in productions of both Coriolanus (1979) and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at The Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (released in 1988). He won the 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 August Wilson's play *Fences* (from 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).