Denzel Washington

Actor and director Denzel Washington burst onto the big screen with an Oscar and Golden Globe-winning role in the Civil War epic “Glory” (1989). But over the following decade, the matinee-idol handsome actor became the first of his generation's African-American movie stars to land squarely on Hollywood's A-list – as likely to be tapped to play a heroic lead as any white actor would have been a shoe-in for only a decade prior. Likened to Sidney Poitier for his ability to appeal to a multiracial audience, Washington’s grounding force was a critical and audience favorite in historical dramas like