[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/denzel-tux.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:285:[[Film/TrainingDay King Kong ain't got shit on him.]]]]

->''“I say without hesitation that Mr. Washington is the finest young actor that I have ever known. At age 22, he has the potential for being one of the outstanding actors of the latter part of the twentieth century. If there is such a thing as genius, then I assure you Mr. Washington is one. I believe even now he is the best actor I have ever known or seen, and God only knows where this can take him.”''
-->-- A letter of recommendation from his acting instructor, '''Robert Stone''', in 1977[[note]]Washington still carries the original copy of the letter with him in his wallet.[[/note]]

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York) is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer.

Early in his career, he did a lot of theater; Washington was in the original cast of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''Theatre/ASoldiersPlay''.[[note]]He reprised his role in the film adaptation ''Film/ASoldiersStory'', which was one of his first big movie parts.[[/note]] Although his first major role was on television, in the classic '80s EnsembleCast MedicalDrama ''Series/StElsewhere'', Washington has garnered much critical acclaim for his work in film since the late 1980s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures, such as Steve Biko (''Film/CryFreedom''), UsefulNotes/MalcolmX (Creator/SpikeLee's [[Film/MalcolmX film of the same name]]), Rubin Carter (''Film/TheHurricane''), Melvin B. Tolson (''The Great Debaters''), Frank Lucas (''Film/AmericanGangster'') and Herman Boone (''Film/RememberTheTitans''). In case you're wondering, he has been approached to play UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr, but he declined for fear of the {{Typecasting}} that kind of role would create.

Washington has been awarded three MediaNotes/{{Golden Globe Award}}s and two MediaNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for his work. He is notable as the second African American man (after Creator/SidneyPoitier) to win the [[MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestActorInALeadingRole Academy Award for Best Actor]], which he received for his role in the 2001 film ''Film/TrainingDay''. He starred as John Creasy in ''Film/ManOnFire'', followed by leading roles in the 2006 thriller ''Film/DejaVu2006'', the 2009 remake of ''[[Film/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree The Taking of Pelham 123]]'', and the 2010 post-apocalyptic action film ''Film/TheBookOfEli''. He also played Joe Miller in ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'', which was the second big-budget Hollywood film to present AIDS, homophobia, and gay people in a realistic and thoughtful light.

For his 2012 film ''Safe House'', he allowed himself to be [[MethodActing water-boarded for real]] to make the performance more realistic. His next film was ''Film/{{Flight}}'', which came out in November 2012, and for which he was nominated for another Oscar. He would later be nominated for ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'' and ''Film/RomanJIsraelEsq''. He also produced films without starring in them, such as ''Film/MaRaineysBlackBottom''.

He is the father of fellow actor Creator/JohnDavidWashington.
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!!Selected filmography:
* ''Film/CarbonCopy'' (1981) - Roger Porter
* ''Series/StElsewhere'' (1982-1988) - Dr. Philip Chandler
* ''Film/ASoldiersStory'' (1984) - Pfc. Peterson
* ''Film/CryFreedom'' (1987) - Steve Biko
* ''Film/{{Glory}}'' (1989) - Pvt. Trip
* ''Film/HeartCondition'' (1990) - Napoleon Stone
* ''Film/MoBetterBlues'' (1990) - Bleek Gilliam
* ''Film/{{Ricochet}}'' (1991) - Nicholas "Nick" Styles
* ''Film/MississippiMasala'' (1991) - Demetrius
* ''Film/MalcolmX'' (1992) - UsefulNotes/MalcolmX
* ''[[Film/MuchAdoAboutNothing1993 Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (1993) - Don Pedro
* ''Film/ThePelicanBrief'' (1993) - Gray Grantham
* ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'' (1993) - Joe Miller
* ''Film/CrimsonTide'' (1995) - Lt. Commander Ron Hunter
* ''Film/{{Virtuosity}}'' (1995) - Lt. Parker Barnes
* ''Film/DevilInABlueDress'' (1995) - Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins
* ''Film/CourageUnderFire'' (1996) - Lt. Col. Nathan 'Nat' Serling
* ''Film/{{Fallen}}'' (1998) - John Hobbes
* ''Film/HeGotGame'' (1998)- Jacob "Jake" Shuttlesworth
* ''Film/TheSiege'' (1998) - Anthony "Hub" Hubbard
* ''Film/TheBoneCollector'' (1999) - Lincoln Rhyme
* ''Film/TheHurricane'' (1999) - Rubin Carter
* ''Film/RememberTheTitans'' (2000) - Coach Herman Boone
* ''Film/TrainingDay'' (2001) - Officer Alonzo Harris
* ''Film/JohnQ'' (2002) - John Quincy Archibald
* ''Film/AntwoneFisher'' (2002) - Dr. Jerome Davenport; Denzel also [[DirectedByCastMember directed]] the film
* ''Film/OutOfTime'' (2003) - Chief Matthias "Matt" Whitlock
* ''Film/{{Man on Fire|2004}}'' (2004) - John Creasy
* ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate'' (2004) - Ben Marco
* ''Film/InsideMan'' (2006) - Detective Keith Frazier
* ''Film/DejaVu2006'' (2006) - Doug Carlin
* ''Film/AmericanGangster'' (2007) - Frank Lucas
* ''Film/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree'' (2009) - Walter Garber
* ''Film/TheBookOfEli'' (2010) - Eli
* ''Film/{{Unstoppable}}'' (2010) - Frank Barnes
* ''Film/{{Flight}}'' (2012) - Flight Captain Whip Whitaker
* ''Film/SafeHouse'' (2012) - Tobin Frost
* ''Film/TwoGuns'' (2013) - DEA Special Agent Robert "Bobby" Trench
* ''Film/TheEqualizer'' (2014) - Robert [=McCall=]
* ''[[Film/TheMagnificentSeven2016 The Magnificent Seven]]'' (2016) - Sam Chisolm
* ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'' (2016) - Troy; Denzel also [[DirectedByCastMember directed]] the film
* ''Film/RomanJIsraelEsq'' (2017) - Roman
* ''Film/TheEqualizer2'' (2018) - Robert [=McCall=]
* ''Film/TheLittleThings'' (2021) - Joe "Deke" Deacon
* ''Film/TheTragedyOfMacbeth'' (2021) - Macbeth

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!!This actor's work provides examples of:
* AffablyEvil: A master of playing these types of villains and always keeping you wondering if the charm is sincere or [[FauxAffablyEvil just a facade.]].
* AntiVillain: He plays quite a lot of these, such as his portrayal of Frank Lucas and his role in ''Safe House''.
* CharacterCatchphrase: When Denzel says "I guarantee it", you can take that guarantee to the goddamn bank and cash it.
* CharacterTic: Many of his characters play with their hands because he [[{{Fingore}} broke his right pinky finger while playing American football and reinjured it many times since that it frequently dislocates and can extend out to an extreme angle]] and he is making sure that the finger is in place while shooting a scene.
* ChronicallyKilledActor: Says something that out of his seven Oscar noms, only ''The Hurricane'' and ''Flight'' have Washington ending the movie alive.
* CreatorBacklash: Washington wishes he had never done ''Heart Condition'', claiming that he was talked into making this movie by his agent and once it was slammed by critics and bombed horribly, Washington fired him shortly thereafter.
* LargeHam: Has a quite a way to ham when needed.
* MrFanservice: For a long time(especially in the 1990's/2000s), he's been the poster boy for attractive Black masculinity.
* ProductionPosse: Often works with directors Creator/SpikeLee, Creator/TonyScott, and Creator/AntoineFuqua.
* RealMenLoveJesus: He's the son of a pastor, and considered following in his father's footsteps before going into acting. He's also noted that he reads his Bible daily and prays regularly, to the point that the quote for the trope page is from him. His film roles tend to incorporate this, including ''The Book of Eli'' and ''Flight''.
* ScaryBlackMan: Although Denzel isn't exactly a physically imposing man, he often plays roles like this with his intense energy alone.
* SingleTear: During the infamous [[ATasteOfTheLash whipping scene]] in Film/{{Glory}}, he only sheds ''one'' tear, at the end, which is impressive considering the strength and length with which he was whipped. In Film/{{Flight}} he also sheds a single tear, when he starts talking about his estranged son in the hospital after the crash.
* TranquilFury: He often takes this approach when his character is threatening someone. Most of the time, it's more intimidating than if he was raising his voice.
* VillainProtagonist: Often plays these, from an abusive and unfaithful husband and father in ''Fences'', to a ruthless if affable mobster in ''American Gangster''.
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