Dec. 28, 1954
Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the son of a beautician and Pentecostal preacher.
Washington planned on pursuing a career in journalism, but while at Fordham University, he appeared in several student drama productions and became obsessed with acting.
After his first paying gig in a summer stock theater production in Maryland, he began to pursue television and movie roles. He made his first big screen appearance in the 1981 film, “Carbon Copy,” and a year later won the role of Dr. Philip Chandler in NBC’s hit medical series “St. Elsewhere.”
Washington continued to make films, including the 1984 film, “A Soldier’s Story,” where he drew critical notice for his performance. Five years later, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1989 film “Glory” and later won for Best Actor in the 2001 film “Training Day.”
In 2016, the Golden Globes honored him with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and three years later, the American Film Institute bestowed its Life Achievement Award. In 2022, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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