Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer and director. In a career spanning over four decades, Washington has received numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and two Silver Bears. In 2016, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2020, The New York Times named him the greatest actor of the 21st century. In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.Washington began his acting career in theatre, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988), and took on roles in the war films A Soldier's Story (1984), Cry Freedom (1987), and Glory (1989), winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the lattermost. He established himself as a leading star with starring roles in Malcolm X (1992), The Pelican Brief (1993), Philadelphia (1993), The Hurricane (1999), and Remember the Titans (2000). Washington won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). Further acclaim came for starring in American Gangster (2007), Flight (2012), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), as he starred in several action films, including Man on Fire (2004) and The Equalizer (2014).

He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for starring in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences in 2010. Washington later directed, produced, and starred in an acclaimed film adaptation in 2016.