Denzel Washington named recipient of AFI Life Achievement Award

Friday, Oct. 5, 2018

Denzel Washington named recipient of AFI Life Achievement Award

This Nov. 20, 2017 photo shows actor Denzel Washington posing for a portrait in New York to promote his latest film, "Roman J. Israel, Esq." (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES
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Denzel Washington will receive the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala tribute on Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Los Angeles. The AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute special will return for its seventh year with Turner Broadcasting to air on TNT, followed by encore presentations on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

“Denzel Washington is an American icon,” said Sir Howard Stringer, chair, AFI Board of Trustees. “As an actor, he stands tall as a heroic, stoic embodiment of the best in all of us, and he does so with heart, humanity and one of the brightest smiles to ever light up the screen. Equally formidable as director and producer, he is a creative force to be reckoned with--and one of the most vital, relevant artists working today.”

Actor, director and producer Washington is an iconic leading man whose career spans five decades--an esteemed repertoire ranging from screen to stage, in works defined by his towering presence as heroic everymen, troubling antiheroes and real-life figures with complicated, often controversial histories. His cinematic legacy includes powerhouse, Academy Award®-winning performances in Glory (1989) and Training Day (2001), as well as celebrated roles in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012) and Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), earning additional nominations for each. Washington has crafted compelling, unforgettable characters in recurring collaborations with master directors past and present, bringing stalwart grit and nuanced complexity to films essential to the American canon, such as Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia (1993), Spike Lee’s Inside Man (2006) and Ridley Scott’s American Gangster (2007)--and to blockbuster, crowd-pleasing fare such as Edward Zwick’s (AFI Class of 1975) Crimson Tide (1995), Tony Scott’s Man On Fire (2004) and Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven (2016). A creative force behind the camera as well, Washington has helmed critically acclaimed films, including Antwone Fisher (2002) and The Great Debaters (2007), in which he also stars. He won a 2010 Tony® for his performance in the play “Fences,” and directed, produced and starred in the 2016 film adaptation that earned him Best Actor and Best Picture Oscar® nominations, as well as AFI Awards recognition.

The son of a Pentecostal minister and a beauty parlor owner, Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, NY, on December 28, 1954. His parents’ professions shaped Washington’s ambition to begin acting, with their natural inclination toward storytelling and oration. After graduating from Fordham University with a BA in Journalism, Washington won a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, CA. Soon after leaving ACT, he appeared in off-Broadway productions and television movies before being cast in a starring role in the hit television series St. Elsewhere.

Washington’s filmography also includes Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Mississippi Masala (1991), The Pelican Brief (1993), Courage Under Fire (1996), The Mancurian Candidate (2004), The Equalizer (2014) and The Equalizer 2 (2018).

He is married to actor Pauletta Washington, with whom he has four children: John David Washington, Olivia Washington, Katia Washington and Malcolm Washington, who is an alumnus of the AFI Conservatory, Class of 2016.

Here’s a rundown of past AFI Life Achievement Award recipients