Denzel Washington on screen and stage

Today we want to talk about Denzel Washington on screen and stage, a topic that has gained great relevance in recent times. Since its emergence, Denzel Washington on screen and stage has captured the attention of many, becoming a topic of widespread interest. Its impact spans different areas, from politics to popular culture, and has generated discussions and debates around the world. In this article, we will explore Denzel Washington on screen and stage in depth, analyzing its importance, implications, and evolution over time. From its origins to its current state, we will delve into the universe of Denzel Washington on screen and stage to understand its fascinating and complex nature.

A photograph of Washington at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000
Washington attending the Berlin International Film Festival in 2000

Denzel Washington is an American actor known for his performance on stage and screen.

Washington made his feature film debut in Carbon Copy (1981). In 1982, Washington made his first appearance in the medical drama St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler. The role proved to be the breakthrough in his career. He starred as Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the drama A Soldier's Story (1984). The film was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway play A Soldier's Play (1981–1983) in which Washington had earlier portrayed the same character.

He has since gained recognition as one of the greatest actors in the 21st century. Washington went on to win two Academy Awards, his first for Best Supporting Actor as a former slave-turned-soldier in Civil War film Glory (1989) and his second for Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). By virtue of his win, he became the first African American actor to win two competitive Academy Awards, and the first since Sidney Poitier in 1964 to win the leading actor award. His other Oscar-nominated roles were 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).

Washington also established himself as a leading man in Hollywood acting in films such as the Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues (1990), the romantic drama Mississippi Masala (1991), Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing (1993), the thriller The Pelican Brief (1993), the AIDS drama Philadelphia (1993), the action thriller Crimson Tide (1995), the war drama Courage Under Fire (1996), the sports drama Remember the Titans (2000), the action thriller Man on Fire (2004), the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the crime thrillers Inside Man (2006), and American Gangster (2007). He has starred in the action thriller The Equalizer franchise (2014–2023) and has directed films such as Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), and Fences (2016)

He has also asserted himself onstage acting in The Public Theatre productions of William Shakespeare's tragedies Coriolanus (1979), and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990). He made his Broadway debut in Checkmates (1988). He went on to win the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Troy Maxson in the August Wilson play Fences (2010). His other Broadway roles include Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (2005), Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun (2014), and Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh (2018), the later of which earned him another Tony Award nomination. He is set to return to Broadway in the 2025 revival of Shakepeare's Othello playing the title role.

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
1981 Carbon Copy Roger Porter
1984 A Soldier's Story Private First Class Melvin Peterson
1986 Power Arnold Billings
1987 Cry Freedom Steve Biko
1988 For Queen and Country Reuben James
1989 The Mighty Quinn Xavier Quinn
Glory Private Silas Trip
1990 Heart Condition Napoleon Stone
Mo' Better Blues Bleek Gilliam
1991 Mississippi Masala Demetrius Williams
Ricochet Nick Styles
1992 Malcolm X Malcolm X
1993 Much Ado About Nothing Don Pedro of Aragon
The Pelican Brief Gray Grantham
Philadelphia Joe Miller
1995 Crimson Tide Lt. Commander Ron Hunter
Virtuosity Lt. Parker Barnes
Devil in a Blue Dress Easy Rawlins
1996 Courage Under Fire Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling
The Preacher's Wife Dudley
1998 Fallen Detective John Hobbes
He Got Game Jake Shuttlesworth
The Siege Anthony Hubbard
1999 The Bone Collector Lincoln Rhyme
The Hurricane Rubin Carter
2000 Remember the Titans Herman Boone
2001 Training Day Alonzo Harris
2002 John Q. John Quincy Archibald
Antwone Fisher Dr. Jerome Davenport Also director and producer
2003 Out of Time Matt Lee Whitlock
2004 Man on Fire John W. Creasy
The Manchurian Candidate Maj. Ben Marco
2006 Inside Man Keith Frazier
Déjà Vu Doug Carlin
2007 American Gangster Frank Lucas
The Great Debaters Melvin B. Tolson Also director
2009 The Taking of Pelham 123 Walter Garber
2010 The Book of Eli Eli Also producer
Unstoppable Frank Barnes
2012 Safe House Tobin Frost
Flight William "Whip" Whitaker Sr.
2013 2 Guns Robert "Bobby" Trench
2014 The Equalizer Robert McCall Also producer
2016 The Magnificent Seven Sam Chisolm
Fences Troy Maxson Also director and producer
2017 Roman J. Israel, Esq. Roman J. Israel Also producer
2018 The Equalizer 2 Robert McCall Also producer
2020 Ma Rainey's Black Bottom — Producer only
2021 The Little Things Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon
The Tragedy of Macbeth Lord Macbeth
A Journal for Jordan — Director and producer only
2023 The Equalizer 3 Robert McCall Also producer
2024 Gladiator II † TBA Post-production
TBA High and Low † TBA Filming
The Piano Lesson † — Producer only; post-production
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Year(s) Title Role(s) Notes Ref(s)
1977 The Wilma Rudolph Story Robert Eldridge – age 18 Television film
1979 Flesh & Blood Kirk Television film
1982–1988 St. Elsewhere Dr. Philip Chandler 118 episodes
1984 License to Kill Martin Sawyer Television film
1986 The George McKenna Story George McKenna Also known as Hard Lessons; Television film
1992 Great Performances Narrator Episode: "Jammin': Jelly Roll Morton on Broadway"
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II Narrator Documentary
1995, 1997 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child King Omar / Humpty Dumpty / Crooked Man Voice, 2 episodes
2013 The March Narrator Documentary
2016 Grey's Anatomy — Director of episode: "The Sound of Silence"

Theatre

Year(s) Production Role(s) Theater Notes Ref.
1979 Coriolanus Aediles / Roman Citizen / Voscian Citizen
Roman Soldier / Voscian Soldier 		Joseph Papp Public Theater June 22 − July 22
1981 When the Chickens Came Home to Roost Malcolm X New Federal Theatre
1981–1983 A Soldier's Play Private First Class Melvin Peterson Theatre Four Nov. 20, 1981 − Jan. 2, 1983
1988 Checkmates Sylvester Williams 46th Street Theatre August 4 − December 31
1990 The Tragedy of Richard III Richard III of England Joseph Papp Public Theater August 3 − September 2
2005 Julius Caesar Marcus Brutus Belasco Theatre April 3 − June 12
2010 Fences Troy Maxson Cort Theatre April 26 − July 11
2014 A Raisin in the Sun Walter Lee Younger Ethel Barrymore Theatre April 3 − June 15
2018 The Iceman Cometh Theodore "Hickey" Hickman Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre April 26 − July 1
2025 Othello Othello TBA Spring 2025

See also

References

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