Age: 71
male
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, with The New York Times declaring him the greatest actor of the 21st century in 2020. Over his career, he has received 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 honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. After training at the American Conservatory Theatre, Washington began his career in theatre, acting in performances off-Broadway. He first came to prominence in the NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988) and in the war film A Soldier's Story (1984). He won two Academy Awards, his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing an American Civil War soldier in the war drama Glory (1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing a corrupt police officer in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). He was Oscar-nominated for his performances in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012), Fences (2016), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). A prominent leading man, Washington also acted in Mo' Better Blues (1990), Mississippi Masala (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Courage Under Fire (1996), Remember the Titans (2000), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), American Gangster (2007), and The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023). Washington directed and starred in the films Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), and Fences (2016). On stage, he has acted in productions of both Coriolanus (1979) and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at the Public Theater. He made his Broadway debut in the Ron Milner play Checkmates (1988). He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working-class father in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences (2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (2005), Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (2014), and Eugene O'Neill's play The Iceman Cometh (2018).
Denzel Washington
Julian Cross
for Julian Cross in BLUE MIDNIGHT (2031)
Suggested by amrowe8596
Set in 1950s Los Angeles, Blue Midnight follows Julian Cross a legendary but troubled jazz pianist at the peak of his fame. Julian’s brilliance is matched only by his self-destructive tendencies, stemming from a lifetime of regrets and broken relationships. His world changes when he meets Elliot Reed, a fiery young saxophonist with boundless talent and ambition. Julian takes Elliot under his wing, mentoring him as their jazz band embarks on a historic tour. However, their relationship grows turbulent as Julian’s perfectionism and personal demons clash with Elliot’s drive for innovation and independence. Amidst the chaos, Julian attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter, Sylvia, while grappling with the ghosts of his past, including a failed love affair with singer Lena Fields. The film builds to a climactic performance of Julian’s magnum opus, Blue Midnight, which forces him to confront the cost of his genius. As Julian’s legacy comes full circle, Elliot begins to rise as the next great figure in jazz, carrying forward both the brilliance and the burdens of his mentor.
