Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama St. Elsewhere, playing Dr. Philip Chandler for six years. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone. Washington has received two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe awards, and a Tony Award. He is notable for winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his part in Glory in 1989, and the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for his role in the film Training Day.
Academy Awards
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actor
Golden Globe Awards
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Known For
The Equalizer 3
(2023)
Robert McCall
The Equalizer
(2014)
Robert McCall
The Equalizer 2
(2018)
Robert McCall
Inside Man
(2006)
Keith Frazier
American Gangster
(2007)
Frank Lucas
Fallen
(1998)
John Hobbes
Training Day
(2001)
Alonzo
Flight
(2012)
Whip Whitaker
The Pelican Brief
(1993)
Gray Grantham
Safe House
(2012)
Tobin Frost
Man on Fire
(2004)
John W. Creasy
John Q
(2002)
John Quincy Archibald
Déjà Vu
(2006)
Doug Carlin
The Magnificent Seven
(2016)
Sam Chisolm
Unstoppable
(2010)
Frank Barnes
The Book of Eli
(2010)
Eli
Full Filmography
Acting
Wilma
(1977)
Robert Eldridge, age 18
Flesh & Blood
(1979)
Kirk
Coriolanus
(1979)
Roman Soldier / Volscian Soldier
Carbon Copy
(1981)
Roger Porter
A Soldier's Story
(1984)
Private First Class Peterson
Power
(1986)
Arnold Billings
License to Kill
(1986)
Martin Sawyer
Cry Freedom
(1987)
Steve Biko
The George McKenna Story
(1988)
George McKenna
For Queen & Country
(1988)
Reuben
Glory
(1989)
Pvt. Trip
The Mighty Quinn
(1989)
Xavier Quinn
Baka: The People of the Rainforest
(1989)
Narrator
Heart Condition
(1990)
Napoleon Stone
Mo' Better Blues
(1990)
Bleek Gilliam
Rabbit Ears - John Henry
(1990)
Narrator (voice)
Ricochet
(1991)
Nick Styles
Mississippi Masala
(1991)
Demetrius Williams
Rabbit Ears - Anansi
(1991)
Narrator (voice)
Malcolm X
(1992)
Malcolm X
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
(1992)
Narrator
Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway
(1992)
Narrator
Much Ado About Nothing
(1993)
Don Pedro of Aragon
Philadelphia
(1993)
Joe Miller
The Pelican Brief
(1993)
Gray Grantham
Devil in a Blue Dress
(1995)
Easy Rawlins
Crimson Tide
(1995)
Lt. Commander Ronald "Ron" Hunter
Virtuosity
(1995)
Lt. Parker Barnes
Courage Under Fire
(1996)
Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling
The Preacher's Wife
(1996)
Dudley
Mother Goose: A Rappin' and Rhymin' Special
(1997)
Humpty Dumpty / The Crooked Man (voice)
Fallen
(1998)
John Hobbes
He Got Game
(1998)
Jake Shuttlesworth
The Siege
(1998)
Anthony 'Hub' Hubbard
The Hurricane
(1999)
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
The Bone Collector
(1999)
Lincoln Rhyme
Remember the Titans
(2000)
Coach Herman Boone
Training Day
(2001)
Alonzo
John Q
(2002)
John Quincy Archibald
Antwone Fisher
(2002)
Dr. Jerome Davenport
Out of Time
(2003)
Matt Lee Whitlock
Man on Fire
(2004)
John W. Creasy
The Manchurian Candidate
(2004)
Major Bennett Ezekiel Marco
By Any Means Necessary: The Making of 'Malcolm X'
(2005)
Self
Inside Man
(2006)
Keith Frazier
Déjà Vu
(2006)
Doug Carlin
American Gangster
(2007)
Frank Lucas
The Great Debaters
(2007)
Melvin B. Tolson
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
(2009)
Walter Garber
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
(2009)
Self
The Book of Eli
(2010)
Eli
Unstoppable
(2010)
Frank Barnes
Safe House
(2012)
Tobin Frost
Flight
(2012)
Whip Whitaker
2 Guns
(2013)
Robert 'Bobby' Trench
The Equalizer
(2014)
Robert McCall
Fences
(2016)
Troy Maxson
The Magnificent Seven
(2016)
Sam Chisolm
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
(2017)
Roman J. Israel
Chasing Trane
(2017)
John Coltrane (voice)
The Equalizer 2
(2018)
Robert McCall
Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King
(2020)
Self (archive footage)
Giving Voice
(2020)
Self
The Tragedy of Macbeth
(2021)
Macbeth
The Little Things
(2021)
Joe "Deke" Deacon
Sidney
(2022)
Self
The Equalizer 3
(2023)
Robert McCall
Gladiator II
(2024)
Production
Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks
(2000)
Producer
Antwone Fisher
(2002)
Producer
The Book of Eli
(2010)
Producer
Safe House
(2012)
Executive Producer
The Equalizer
(2014)
Producer
Fences
(2016)
Producer
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
(2017)
Producer
The Equalizer 2
(2018)
Producer
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
(2020)
Producer
A Journal for Jordan
(2021)
Producer
The Equalizer 3
(2023)
Producer
Directing