Denzel Washingtonhas starred in some of the most successful and well-renowned movies of his generation, and his talent certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by both critics and his fellow Academy members. The Hollywood star has found himself nominated at the Oscars ten times throughout his career, scoring two wins in 1990 and 2002.Denzel Washington has played action heroes, twisted villains, and everything in between, but the common factor is thathis characters are always gripping to watch.
While the actor has only won twice, the Academy has proven time and time again that he’s one of the strongest candidates in the field.It’s almost impossible not to nominate Denzelwhen he turns in a strong performance, and that’s resulted in a huge amount of accolades to his name.Denzel Washington has nine Oscar-nominated roles, all completely different from each other and exemplary in their own ways. However, only seven of these nine landed in the Best Actor category.
7Malcolm X
Released In 1992
Washington played the titular character in Spike Lee’sMalcolm X, the civil rights activist best known for promoting the welfare of African Americans in the 1960s before his untimely assassination.The film chronicles Malcolm’s life, exploring what led him to become the celebrity that he ultimately became.
Malcolm Xis one of Washington’s most emotional and fleshed-out roles, as the film takes place throughout a large portion of the figure’s life. He perfectly captures Malcolm’s wavering mindsets at different points in time, letting the audience into his mind and expertly navigating the intricacies of his character.
6The Hurricane
Released In 1999
The Hurricaneis another gripping drama that shows Denzel at his most intimate and vulnerable as he tackles the complex role of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter, a professional boxer facing three life terms for murder. Carter is undeniably one ofDenzel Washington’s best roles, not just because the truth of his character is always kept somewhat secret from the audience, but also thanks to his intense physicality.
Washington doesn’t shy away from the fact that Carter was an extremely gifted boxer, weaving this physical training into his performance and really capturing the sportsman’s agility and dexterity. It must have been a very draining role to adopt, both physically and mentally, but Washington does it with ease.
5Training Day
Released In 2001
One of two films that Denzel won his Best Actor award for,Training Dayis widely considered to rank high among his best. The film tells the story of an LA cop who takes a young recruit under his wing, buttheir dynamic grows complicated when the recruit becomes suspicious of his mentor’s training methods.
There are very few co-stars that Denzeldoesn’thave excellent chemistry, but Ethan Hawke might be the best example to date. The pair bounce off each other’s performances effortlessly, creating such a dynamic energy between them that’s half the reasonTraining Dayworks as well as it does.
4Flight
Released In 2013
Over a decade after his previous nomination, Washington returned to the Oscars thanks to his monumental turn inFlight. The film follows a pilot named Whip who diverts a plane during an emergency, landing it safely and becoming a hero overnight.But the captain’s life turns upside-down whenit’s discovered that he was drunk during the procedure, potentially putting everybody else’s lives at risk.
Denzel Washington’s 10 Best Thrillers
With a career as vast and varied as Denzel Washington’s, it’s no surprise this two-time Oscar winner has plenty of incredible thrillers.
Flightis one ofDenzel’s most rewatchable movies, simply because there’s so much nuance and detail to his performance. Whip is neither a hero nor a villain, but rather a fundamentally flawed character who likes to believe that he isn’t. It’s the perfect kind of enigmatic, morally complex role that Washington was born to play, and it felt like a relieving return to form after a series of somewhat underwhelming projects.
3Fences
Released In 2017
Washington actually received two nominations forFences: one for his astounding lead performance and one for producing the film as a result of its Best Picture nomination.The movie is a cinematic adaptation of August Wilson’s stage play, which follows the lives of one man’s family whose lives are ruined by the main character’s spite and anger at the society that he believes failed him.
Washington’s performance inFencesis everything that audiences have come to expect from the actor: emotional, heartbreaking, funny, frightening, and despicable all at the same time, buthe manages to blend all these emotions and traits without a second thought.Denzel’s villainous rolesare always fun, and while this isn’t strictly true here, it’s one of his more unethical protagonists.
2Roman J. Israel, Esq
Released In 2018
InRoman J. Israel,Denzel Washington plays the titular character alongside Colin Farrell and Lynda Gravatt.It’s the story of a controversial attorneywho faces conflict at the workplace as a result of his unconventional methods, but he’s forced to put those aside and work by the book when he’s hired by Farrell’s cutthroat lawyer.
While the film is certainly dark and gritty at points,Roman J. Israel, Esqis one of Washington’s funnier and more lighthearted roles in recent years. He’s given a chance to dive deep into the quirks and idiosyncrasies of this character, which is something he can’t always do with his more serious roles.
1The Tragedy Of Macbeth
Released In 2022
The Tragedy of Macbethsees Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand tackle two of the most interesting, complex characters in Shakespeare’s entire catalog.They bring all the necessary wit, grandeur, and intelligenceto these roles that are needed to capitalize on Shakespeare’s unrivaled dialogue, and Joel Coen’s stunning direction makes every single frame rich with subtextual meaning.
The Tragedy of Macbethis one of thebest-ever Shakespeare movie adaptations, taking all the themes and ideas of the original play and letting them run wild in the character’s actions and words. The detailed cinematography and purposeful set design are reminiscent of Shakespeare’s performative values, and neitherDenzel Washingtonnor McDormand are strangers to delivering his unique prose.
