Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen, he is widely regarded as one of the best actors of his generation. His career has given him several accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022.

After his training at the American Conservatory Theater, his career took off in theater, and he became prominent in the NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere. He made his Hollywood debut with a war film A Soldier's Story and has won two Academy Awards for his roles in the war drama Glory and the crime thriller Training Day. Washington has also directed numerous films including Antwone Fisher, The Great Debaters, Fences, and A Journal for Jordan.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York, on December 28, 1954, Washington grew up in a religious household. His parents divorced when he was 14, and he was sent to a private preparatory school Oakland Military Academy in New Windsor, New York. His love for drama and journalism took him to Fordham University where he received his BA degree. After a brief phase of indecision, he chose to pursue acting as a career which he studied at the Lincoln Center campus and later attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.