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 calling him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. Throughout his career, Washington has garnered numerous awards, including an Academy Award, Golden Globes, a SAG, and a Tony Award in addition to being nominated for two Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award. Washington has been honored with the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award, 2019 AFI Life Achievement Award, and the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom. After studying at the American Conservatory Theater, he started his acting career in theater, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series *St. Elsewhere* (from 1982 to 1988), and in the war film *A Soldier's Story* (1984). He won two Academy Awards, his first for the Best Supporting Actor category 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 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* (1992), *The Hurricane* (in 1999), *Flight* (released in 2012), *Fences* (from 2016), *Roman J. Israel, Esq.* (from 2017), and *The Tragedy of Macbeth* (released in 2021). As a major leading actor, Washington also acted in movies including *Mo' Better Blues* (in 1990), *Mississippi Masala* (in 1991), *Philadelphia* (in 1993), *Courage Under Fire* (from 1996), *Remember the Titans* (from 2000), *Man on Fire* (from 2004), *Inside Man* (released in 2006), *American Gangster* (from 2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023). Washington directed and starred in the films *Antwone Fisher* (from 2002), *The Great Debaters* (2007), and *Fences* (in 2016). On stage, he has acted in performances of *Coriolanus* (1979) and *The Tragedy of Richard III* (1990) at The Public Theater in New York. His first appearance on Broadway in the Ron Milner play *Checkmates* (released in 1988). He earned 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 August Wilson's play *Fences* (2010). He has also starred 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).