Denzel Washington is one of the most successful and celebrated actors in Hollywood. Throughout his film career that spans over four decades, the star of stage and screen has racked up an impressive eight Academy Award nominations for acting, plus one more for producing the 2017 Best Picture nominee “Fences.” Washington has won on two occasions: Best Supporting Actor for “Glory” (1989) and Best Actor for “Training Day” (2001). With one more win, the versatile thespian would tie Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis and Walter Brennan as the most Academy Award-winning actors of all time with three victories each. Tour our photo gallery below to find out which films brought Denzel Washington his eight Oscar acting nominations.
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‘Cry Freedom’ (1987)
Image Credit: Marble Arch Prods/Universal/REX/Shutterstock Best Supporting Actor
Washington plays real-life black activist, Steve Biko, in this true story set in apartheid-era South Africa. Co-starring Kevin Kline as journalist Daniel Woods, Biko invites Woods to visit and witness what life is like in a black township under the apartheid system. The Oscar winner this year was Sean Connery (“The Untouchables”).
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‘Glory’ (1989)
Image Credit: Tri Star/REX/Shutterstock Best Supporting Actor
Washington portrays Private Silas Trip, a member of one of the first African-American military units to fight in the Civil War. The scene of Trip being flogged across his back, while a single tear rolls down his cheek, remains one of the most memorable scenes in the history of cinema, and earned Washington his first Oscar.
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‘Malcolm X’ (1992)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Largo International/40 Acres & A Mule/REX/Shutterstock Best Actor
Washington give a powerful portrayal of the often-times controversial, legendary African-American activist, Malcolm X. He lost Best Actor this year to Al Pacino (“Scent of a Woman”).
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‘The Hurricane’ (1999)
Image Credit: Universal/Beacon Communications/REX/Shutterstock Best Actor
A true story about Rubin “The Hurricane” Carter. Washington plays the title character in this film about a boxer who is wrongfully convicted of triple-murder in the 1966. Kevin Spacey (“American Beauty”) won the Oscar prize.
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‘Training Day’ (2001)
Image Credit: Outlaw/Warner Bros/REX/Shutterstock Best Actor
Arguably Washington’s least likable character to date, he plays Detective Alonzo Harris, a dirty LAPD narcotics officer who doesn’t exactly abide by the laws he is supposed to enforce. It was a transformative performance that earned him his second Oscar.
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‘Flight’ (2012)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Best Actor
As William “Whip” Whitaker, Sr., Washington portrays an airline pilot who successfully crash-lands a plane after a mechanical failure mid-flight, saving most of the passengers on board. But after being hailed as a hero, toxicology tests proved Whitaker was intoxicated while flying the plane, and we are shown the story of this troubled, middle-aged pilot. He lost to Daniel Day-Lewis (“Lincoln”).
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‘Fences’ (2016)
Image Credit: David Lee/Paramount Pictures/REX/Shutterstock Best Actor and Best Picture
Washington plays Troy Maxson, a garbage collector in 1950s Pittsburgh. We get a glimpse into the life of this outspoken, bitter, abusive man and his complicated relationships with his wife, played by Viola Davis, and son, played by Jovan Adepo, in a film adapted from the Pulitzer prize-winning play by August Wilson.
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‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ (2017)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Best Actor
Washington portrays the brilliant but socially awkward title character in this legal drama about a civil rights attorney thrust into the spotlight after working behind the scenes for more than 30 years. The Best Actor prize went to Gary Oldman for “Darkest Hour.”
