21) Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his performances on the screen and stage, he has been described as an actor who reconfigured “the concept of classic movie stardom”, associating with characters defined by their grace, dignity, humanity, and inner strength.

He first gained prominence in the medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982-1988). Throughout the 1990s he established himself as a leading man in such varied films like Spike Lee’s biographical film epic Malcolm X (1992), Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptation Much Ado About Nothing, Alan J. Pakula’s legal thriller The Pelican Brief, Jonathan Demme’s drama Philadelphia (all 1993), and Norman Jewison’s sports drama The Hurricane (1999). For his role as corrupt detective Alonzo Harris in the crime thriller Training Day (2001), he won his second Academy Award this time for Best Actor.

Washington has continued acting in diverse roles such as football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007), and the airline pilot with addiction in Flight (2012).