109-435: Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, producer, and director. Known for his dramatic roles on stage and screen , he is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Over his career he has received several accolades , including two Academy Awards , three Golden Globe Awards , a Screen Actors Guild Award , and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Emmy Awards and
218-508: A BA in Drama and Journalism from Fordham University in 1977. At Fordham, he played collegiate basketball as a guard under coach P. J. Carlesimo . After a period of indecision on which major to study and taking a semester off, Washington worked as creative arts director of the overnight summer camp at Camp Sloane YMCA in Lakeville, Connecticut . He participated in a staff talent show for
327-637: A Grammy Award . Washington has been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016, AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. In 2020, The New York Times named him the "Greatest Actor of the 21st Century (So Far)". After training at the American Conservatory Theater , Washington began his career in theater, acting in performances off-Broadway . He first came to prominence in
436-748: A Purple Heart ceremony, presenting medals to three Army soldiers recovering from wounds they received while stationed in Iraq. He also visited the fort's Fisher House facilities, and after learning that it had exceeded its capacity, made a substantial donation to the Fisher House Foundation ; this program focuses on building and providing homes for military personnel and their families free of charge while they receive medical care. Washington's other charitable contributions include US$ 1 million to Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund in 1995 and US$ 1 million to Wiley College to resuscitate
545-580: A Screen Actors Guild Award , and an Academy Award . The film was nominated for three other Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay , and won Davis her first Oscar, in the Best Supporting Actress category. The following year, Washington starred in the legal drama film Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017). Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "[He]'s a star player, styling out his character’s complicated and tricky mix of attributes...However contrived, this character
654-511: A leading man in Hollywood acting in films such as The Mighty Quinn (1989) , Spike Lee 's Mo' Better Blues (1990), the romantic drama Mississippi Masala (1991), Kenneth Branagh 's Much Ado About Nothing (1993), the thriller The Pelican Brief (1993), the AIDS drama Philadelphia (1993), the action thriller Crimson Tide (1995), the war drama Courage Under Fire (1996),
763-602: A Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill 's The Iceman Cometh . The production, directed by George C. Wolfe , began regular performances April 26 and ran for 14 weeks. Washington received positive reviews with Alexis Soloski of The Guardian writing, "For most of it, Washington is playing Washington, letting his good looks and irrepressible charm do most of the character work, though the play’s most exciting moments are when he lets that charm falter (something he’s also been exploring in his recent film work, too) showing something uglier and more ravaged underneath." In 2020, he produced
872-597: A Roman toga. At one point a clock is heard to strike and Brutus notes it with "Count the clock". Maria Wyke has written that the play reflects the general anxiety of Elizabethan England over a succession of leadership. At the time of its creation and first performance, Queen Elizabeth , a strong ruler, was elderly and had refused to name a successor, leading to worries that a civil war similar to that of Rome might break out after her death. Critics of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar differ greatly in their views of Caesar and Brutus. Many have debated whether Caesar or Brutus
981-407: A Tide in its American edition, refers to an iconic line of Brutus: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." (Act IV, Scene III). The line "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take
1090-506: A book of the same name by Robert Kaplow , is a fictional story centered around Orson Welles ' famous 1937 production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theatre . British actor Christian McKay is cast as Welles, and co-stars with Zac Efron and Claire Danes . The 2012 Italian drama film Caesar Must Die ( Italian : Cesare deve morire ), directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani , follows convicts in their rehearsals ahead of
1199-412: A confident grasp of cinematic narrative in a hearty meat-and-potatoes style. But the most remarkable aspect of his behind-the-camera debut is his brilliantly surefooted handling of actors." He also praised his acting adding, "[He] is so sensitively reactive that his performance seems more lived than acted". Between 2003 and 2004, Washington appeared in a series of thrillers that performed generally well at
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#17327798396321308-574: A corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). By virtue of his win, he became the first African American actor to win two competitive Academy Awards, and the first since Sidney Poitier in 1964 to win the leading actor award. His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012), Fences (2016), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). Washington also established himself as
1417-520: A disreputable joke of a man by calling him an alchemist , "Oh, he sits high in all the people's hearts,/And that which would appear offense in us/ His countenance, like richest alchemy,/ Will change to virtue and worthiness" (I.iii.158–160). Reynolds also talks about Caesar and his "Colossus" epithet, which he points out has obvious connotations of power and manliness, but also lesser-known connotations of an outward glorious front and inward chaos. Myron Taylor, in his essay "Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and
1526-541: A distinguished military career, returns to a civilian life where racism and inner-city life lead to vigilantism and violence. In the summer of 1990, Washington had appeared in the title role of the Public Theater 's production of William Shakespeare 's Richard III . Mel Gussow of The New York Times praised Washington as "an actor of range and intensity, is expert at projecting a feeling of controlled rage". Also that year Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in
1635-551: A father serving a six-year prison term when the prison warden offers him a temporary parole to convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son ( Ray Allen ) to sign with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film was Washington's third collaboration with Lee. The same year he starred in Gregory Hoblit 's supernatural horror film Fallen (1998) with John Goodman , James Gandolfini , and Donald Sutherland . In 1999, Washington acted alongside Angelina Jolie in
1744-561: A loyal soldier. The play ends with a tribute to Brutus by Antony, who proclaims that Brutus has remained "the noblest Roman of them all" because he was the only conspirator who acted, in his mind, for the good of Rome. There is then a small hint at the friction between Antony and Octavius which characterizes another of Shakespeare's Roman plays, Antony and Cleopatra . Triumvirs after Caesar's death Conspirators against Caesar Tribunes Roman Senate Senators Citizens Loyal to Brutus and Cassius Other The main source of
1853-491: A modern adaptation of the play at New York's Shakespeare in the Park (performed by The Public Theater ) depicted Caesar with the likeness of then-president Donald Trump and thereby aroused ferocious controversy, drawing criticism by media outlets such as The Daily Caller and Breitbart and prompting corporate sponsors Bank of America and Delta Air Lines to pull their financial support. The Public Theater stated that
1962-529: A nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . In 1989, Washington won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a defiant, self-possessed ex-slave soldier in the film Glory . That same year, he appeared in the film The Mighty Quinn ; and in For Queen and Country , where he played the conflicted and disillusioned Reuben James, a British soldier who, despite
2071-537: A penetrating portrait of life at its most extreme. He takes the viewer into the mind of a man experiencing confinement and physical deprivation. More profoundly, he shows what it's like to deal every day with the torments of wild rage and impotence, despair and hope." In 2000, he portrayed Herman Boone , the high school football coach in the Disney sports drama film Remember the Titans which grossed over US$ 100 million in
2180-626: A plane crash. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House , where he prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding . In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns , alongside Mark Wahlberg . From April to June 2014, Washington played the leading role in the Broadway production of Lorraine Hansberry 's classic drama A Raisin in the Sun , directed by Kenny Leon . The show received positive reviews and won
2289-570: A prison performance of Julius Caesar . In the Ray Bradbury book Fahrenheit 451 , some of the character Beatty's last words are "There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats, for I am armed so strong in honesty that they pass me as an idle wind, which I respect not!" The play's line "the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves", spoken by Cassius in Act I, scene 2, is often referenced in popular culture. The line gave its name to
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#17327798396322398-615: A producer of The Piano Lesson , the Netflix film adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name starring John David Washington , Danielle Deadwyler , and Samuel L. Jackson . Washington was also cast as Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix film; the decision was controversial in Tunisia . In 2024, Washington was set to reunite with Spike Lee on the police procedural drama film High and Low ,
2507-607: A professional acting career. Washington spent the summer of 1976 in St. Mary's City, Maryland , in summer stock theater performing Wings of the Morning , the Maryland State play, which was written for him by incorporating an African-American character/narrator based loosely on the historical figure from early colonial Maryland, Mathias de Sousa . Shortly after graduating from Fordham, Washington made his screen acting debut in
2616-520: A rare villainous role; he doesn't look, sound or move like his usual likable characters...he's like a monster from a horror film, unkillable and implacable." Washington won an Academy Award for Best Actor becoming the second African-American actor to win the category after Poitier, who was presented with an Honorary Academy Award the same night. He also received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and
2725-485: A recognizable political world within the production. And often people in the title role itself look like or feel like somebody either in recent or current politics." A 2012 production of Julius Caesar by the Guthrie Theater and The Acting Company "presented Caesar in the guise of a black actor who was meant to suggest President Obama ." This production was not particularly controversial. In 2017, however,
2834-458: A remake of the 1960 western film of the same name , alongside Chris Pratt , Ethan Hawke , Vincent D'Onofrio , Lee Byung-hun , Manuel Garcia-Rulfo , Martin Sensmeier , Haley Bennett , and Peter Sarsgaard . Principal photography began on May 18, 2015, in north Baton Rouge, Louisiana . The film premiered on September 8 at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival , and was released in
2943-419: A remake of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa film of the same name . The film will be a joint production with A24 and Apple TV+ and will also star Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera . That same year, it was announced that Washington would return to Broadway portraying the title role in a revival of William Shakespeare 's play Othello starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago . The production will start in
3052-522: A role that, in another era, might have been played by the likes of a Montgomery Clift or William Holden ." In 1996, he starred alongside Whitney Houston , and Courtney B. Vance in the romantic comedy The Preacher's Wife directed by Penny Marshall . The film is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant , Loretta Young , and David Niven . In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film He Got Game . Washington played
3161-583: A veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable , about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). In 2012, Washington starred in Flight , for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as an alcoholic airline pilot facing investigation for his part in
3270-685: Is a Pentecostal Evangelical Christian and a member of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ , located in Los Angeles. He has considered becoming a preacher. He stated in 1999, "A part of me still says, 'Maybe, Denzel, you're supposed to preach. Maybe you're still compromising.' I've had an opportunity to play great men and, through their words, to preach. I take what talent I've been given seriously, and I want to use it for good." In 1995, he donated US$ 2.5 million to help build
3379-425: Is always fully and comfortably inhabited, and Washington brings off the funny moments". While the film received mixed reviews, his performance was praised by critics and led to nominations for a Golden Globe Award , a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award , Washington's ninth Oscar nomination overall, and his sixth for Best Actor. Beginning March 22, 2018, Washington starred as Theodore "Hickey" Hickman in
Denzel Washington - Misplaced Pages Continue
3488-425: Is assassinated to stop him from becoming a dictator. Result: civil war , massive slaughter, creation of an emperor, execution of many who sympathized with the conspiracy . Doesn't look much like a successful result for the conspirators to me ." The play was interrupted several times by right-wing protesters, who accused the play of "violence against the right", and actors and members of theatres with Shakespeare in
3597-427: Is comes from Washington's intense, humane performance and the supporting players' sterling attempts to rise above the stereotypical roles with which they have been saddled." That same year Washington directed his first film, a well-reviewed drama called Antwone Fisher (2002), in which he also co-starred as a Navy psychiatrist. Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised his direction writing, "Mr. Washington shows
3706-667: Is generally accepted to have played leading men Brutus and Hamlet, and the older John Heminges to have played Caesar and Polonius. In 1851, the German composer Robert Schumann wrote a concert overture Julius Caesar , inspired by Shakespeare's play. Other musical settings include those by Giovanni Bononcini , Hans von Bülow , Felix Draeseke , Josef Bohuslav Foerster , John Ireland , John Foulds , Gian Francesco Malipiero , Manfred Gurlitt , Darius Milhaud , and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco . The Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster parodied Julius Caesar in their 1958 sketch Rinse
3815-590: Is one of Denzel Washington's great performances, on a par with his work in Malcolm X ." At the 57th Golden Globe Awards in 2000, Washington won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his work in The Hurricane . He was the first black actor to win the award since Sidney Poitier in 1963. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle declared, "Washington gives
3924-470: Is the protagonist of the play. Intertwined in this debate is a smattering of philosophical and psychological ideologies on republicanism and monarchism . One author, Robert C. Reynolds, devotes attention to the names or epithets given to both Brutus and Caesar in his essay "Ironic Epithet in Julius Caesar ". He points out that Casca praises Brutus at face value, but then inadvertently compares him to
4033-433: Is the view that Antony expresses in the final scene. But one of the central strengths of the play is that it resists categorizing its characters as either simple heroes or villains. The political journalist and classicist Garry Wills maintains that "This play is distinctive because it has no villains". It is a drama famous for the difficulty of deciding which role to emphasize. The characters rotate around each other like
4142-517: The Black nationalist leader earned him another nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . Also that year, he established the production company Mundy Lane Entertainment. The next year, he played the lawyer defending a gay man with AIDS played by Tom Hanks in the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia (1993). Sight & Sound wrote, "Casting Washington in the lead guaranteed the film
4251-705: The Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2016 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2019. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. He is also a 13-time NAACP Image Award winner with four consecutive wins in the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award category from 1993–1997 and again from 2000–2003. Over his career he has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for
4360-523: The J.M. Barrie play Dear Brutus , and also gave its name to the best-selling young adult novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and its film adaptation . The same line was quoted in Edward R. Murrow 's epilogue of his famous 1954 See It Now documentary broadcast concerning Senator Joseph R. McCarthy . This speech and the line were recreated in the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck . It
4469-915: The NBC medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988), and in the war film A Soldier's Story (1984). He won two Academy Awards , his first for Best Supporting Actor for playing American Civil War soldier in the war drama Glory (1989) and his second for Best Actor for playing corrupt police officer in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). He was Oscar-nominated for his roles in Cry Freedom (1987), Malcolm X (1992), The Hurricane (1999), Flight (2012), Fences (2016), Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). A prominent leading man in Hollywood , Washington also acted in numerous films including Mo' Better Blues (1990), Mississippi Masala (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Courage Under Fire (1996), Remember
Denzel Washington - Misplaced Pages Continue
4578-477: The Netflix film adaptation of the August Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom starring Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis . The film was directed by George C. Wolfe and received positive reviews. The following year he portrayed Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon in the crime thriller The Little Things acting opposite Rami Malek and Jared Leto . The film was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and
4687-575: The Ron Milner play Checkmates (1988). He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a disillusioned working class father in the Broadway revival of August Wilson 's play Fences (2010). He has also acted in the Broadway revivals of William Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar (2005), Lorraine Hansberry 's play A Raisin in the Sun (2014), and Eugene O'Neill 's play The Iceman Cometh (2018). Denzel Hayes Washington Jr.
4796-618: The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role . In 2002, he starred in the Nick Cassavettes directed healthcare-themed drama John Q. (2002) portraying John Quincy Archibald. Washington acted opposite James Woods , Robert Duvall , and Ray Liotta . The film was a financial success but received mixed reviews with critics praising Washington's performances. BBC film critic Neil Smith wrote, "What credibility there
4905-616: The Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues . Charles Murray of Empire praised Washington's performance as a "taut portrayal of the driven musician" and "like all Lee’s film, Mo’ Better Blues is a real ensemble piece, and the standard of the performances is uniformly excellent: but Washington [and] Lee deserve extra plaudits." In 1991, he starred as Demetrius Williams in the Mira Nair directed romantic drama Mississippi Masala opposite Sarita Choudhury . Set primarily in rural Mississippi ,
5014-443: The Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Troy Maxson in the August Wilson play Fences (2010). His other Broadway roles include Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (2005), Lorraine Hansberry 's A Raisin in the Sun (2014), and Eugene O'Neill 's The Iceman Cometh (2018), the later of which earned him another Tony Award nomination. He is set to return to Broadway in the 2025 revival of Shakepeare's Othello playing
5123-813: The United States Army made Washington the 2021 Honorary Sergeant Major of the Army at the Annual Association of the U.S. Army conference for his work with the Fisher House Foundation (providing free homes for military families while receiving medical care). Sergeant Major of the Army Michael A. Grinston presented Washington with the award and said that Washington represented everything he was looking for in this year's honoree: humility, dedication to soldiers, and respect for
5232-528: The time travel movie Déjà Vu released in November. In 2005, he was back onstage playing Brutus in the Broadway revival of Julius Caesar . Theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, "Washington does not embarrass himself, as leading citizens of Hollywood have been known to do on Broadway. But even brilliantined in the glow of his inescapable fame, he can't help getting lost amid
5341-455: The title role . Julius Caesar (play) The Tragedy of Julius Caesar ( First Folio title: The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar ), often shortened to Julius Caesar , is a history play and tragedy by William Shakespeare first performed in 1599. In the play, Brutus joins a conspiracy led by Cassius to assassinate Julius Caesar , to prevent him from becoming a tyrant. Caesar's right-hand man Antony stirs up hostility against
5450-701: The 1977 made-for-television film Wilma which was a docudrama about sprinter Wilma Rudolph , and made his first Hollywood appearance in the 1981 film Carbon Copy . He shared a 1982 Distinguished Ensemble Performance Obie Award for playing Private First Class Melvin Peterson in the Off-Broadway Negro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play which premiered November 20, 1981. A major career break came when he starred as Dr. Phillip Chandler in NBC 's television hospital drama St. Elsewhere , which ran from 1982 to 1988. He
5559-583: The 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. That same year he starred in The Equalizer (2014), an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk , based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward . He reprised his role in his first sequel, The Equalizer 2 (2018) and the third and final sequel The Equalizer 3 (2023). In 2016, Washington starred in The Magnificent Seven ,
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#17327798396325668-531: The Army. In 2022, Washington received the Presidential Medal of Freedom . Washington has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards , a Tony Award , three Golden Globe Awards , a Screen Actors Guild Award and two Silver Bears. He has also received nominations for a Grammy Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards . Washington has also received numerous honorary awards such as the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award in 2007,
5777-622: The Australian comedy team The Chaser wrote a comedy musical called Dead Caesar which was shown at the Sydney Theatre Company in Sydney. The line "The Evil That Men Do", from the speech made by Mark Antony following Caesar's death ("The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.") has had many references in media, including the titles of: The 2008 movie Me and Orson Welles , based on
5886-770: The Blood off My Toga . Flavius Maximus, Private Roman Eye, is hired by Brutus to investigate the death of Caesar. The police procedural combines Shakespeare, Dragnet , and vaudeville jokes and was first broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show . In 1984, the Riverside Shakespeare Company of New York City produced a modern dress Julius Caesar set in contemporary Washington, called simply CAESAR! , starring Harold Scott as Brutus, Herman Petras as Caesar, Marya Lowry as Portia, Robert Walsh as Antony, and Michael Cook as Cassius, directed by W. Stuart McDowell at The Shakespeare Center . In 2006, Chris Taylor from
5995-575: The First Folio is the only authoritative text for the play. The Folio text is notable for its quality and consistency; scholars judge it to have been set into type from a theatrical prompt-book. The play contains many anachronistic elements from the Elizabethan era . The characters mention objects such as doublets (large, heavy jackets) – which did not exist in ancient Rome. Caesar is mentioned to be wearing an Elizabethan doublet instead of
6104-457: The Irony of History", compares the logic and philosophies of Caesar and Brutus. Caesar is deemed an intuitive philosopher who is always right when he goes with his instinct; for instance, when he says he fears Cassius as a threat to him before he is killed, his intuition is correct. Brutus is portrayed as a man similar to Caesar, but whose passions lead him to the wrong reasoning, which he realizes in
6213-594: The Shakespearean comedy Much Ado About Nothing directed by Kenneth Branagh . In 1996, he played a U.S. Army officer who investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor in Courage Under Fire , opposite Meg Ryan . Variety wrote, "All of [the] predicaments are palpably and convincingly registered through Washington’s probing, reserved and sensitively drawn performance in
6322-542: The Titans (2000), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), American Gangster (2007), The Equalizer trilogy (2014–2023), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Gladiator II (2024). Washington made his directorial film debut with Antwone Fisher (2002) followed by The Great Debaters (2007), Fences (2016), and A Journal for Jordan (2021). On stage, he has acted in productions of both Coriolanus (1979), and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990) at The Public Theater . He made his Broadway debut in
6431-591: The U.S. Andrew O'Hehir of Salon wrote, "Washington is of course the linchpin of Remember the Titans ; he's a commanding actor in a commanding role, and as memorable as he was in The Hurricane . Washington starred in the Antoine Fuqua directed crime thriller Training Day (2001) acting opposite Ethan Hawke . He portrayed Detective Alonzo Harris , a corrupt Los Angeles cop . Roger Ebert wrote of his performance, "For Denzel Washington, [it is]
6540-534: The United States in conventional and IMAX theaters on September 23, 2016. In The Magnificent Seven , Washington plays Sam Chisolm ("the Bounty Hunter"), a duly sworn warrant officer from Wichita, Kansas . His character was renamed from Chris Adams (played by Yul Brynner in the original film) to Sam Chisolm. It is Washington's first Western film. Washington did not watch Westerns growing up, as it
6649-530: The Younger in his diary in September 1599. The play is not mentioned in the list of Shakespeare's plays published by Francis Meres in 1598. Based on these two points, as well as several contemporary allusions, and the belief that the play is similar to Hamlet in vocabulary, and to Henry V and As You Like It in metre, scholars have suggested 1599 as a probable date. The text of Julius Caesar in
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#17327798396326758-450: The battle, Cassius has his servant kill him after hearing of the capture of his best friend, Titinius . After Titinius, who was not captured, sees Cassius's corpse, he commits suicide. However, Brutus wins that stage of the battle, but his victory is not conclusive. With a heavy heart, Brutus battles again the next day. He asks his friends to kill him, but the friends refuse. He loses and commits suicide by running on his sword, held for him by
6867-431: The black audience that otherwise might not have had much interest in the problems of a rich white homosexual with Aids. But Aids is rampant in inner cities, where it attacks not just gay men, but IV drug users and women." During the early and mid-1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including The Pelican Brief with Julia Roberts in 1993, and Crimson Tide with Gene Hackman in 1995, as well as
6976-659: The box office, including Carl Franklin 's Out of Time opposite Eva Mendez and Tony Scott 's Man on Fire alongside Dakota Fanning . In 2004 he acted opposite Meryl Streep in the remake of the 1962 film of the same name , The Manchurian Candidate . In 2006, he starred in Inside Man , a Spike Lee -directed bank heist thriller co-starring Jodie Foster and Clive Owen . Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, it's "flashy cast, clever script and vibrant showcasing of New York City are strong plusses for Spike Lee's most mainstream studio venture". Later that year he starred in
7085-637: The campers and a colleague suggested he try acting. Returning to Fordham that fall with a renewed purpose, Washington enrolled at the Lincoln Center campus to study acting, where he was cast in the title roles in Eugene O'Neill 's The Emperor Jones and Shakespeare 's Othello . He then attended graduate school at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California, where he stayed for one year before returning to New York to begin
7194-511: The college's debate team. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) named Washington as one of three people (the others being directors Oliver Stone and Michael Moore ) with whom they were willing to negotiate for the release of three defense contractors the group had held captive from 2003 to 2008. That effort by FARC was unsuccessful. On May 18, 1991, Washington was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University , for having "impressively succeeded in exploring
7303-453: The commoners, who return the insults. During the feast of Lupercal , Caesar holds a victory parade and a soothsayer warns him to "Beware the ides of March ," which he ignores. Meanwhile, Cassius attempts to convince Brutus to join his conspiracy to kill Caesar. Although Brutus, friendly towards Caesar, is hesitant to kill him, he agrees that Caesar may be abusing his power. They then hear from Casca that Mark Antony has offered Caesar
7412-419: The conspirators and Rome becomes embroiled in a dramatic civil war. The play opens with two tribunes (appointed leaders/officials of Rome) discovering the commoners of Rome celebrating Julius Caesar 's triumphant return from defeating the sons of his military rival, Pompey . The tribunes, insulting the crowd for their change in loyalty from Pompey to Caesar, attempt to end the festivities and break up
7521-648: The crime thriller The Bone Collector . That same year, Washington starred in The Hurricane , a film about boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter , whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. Although less successful at the box office than The Bone Collector , Hurricane had a better reception from critics. He received a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his role as Carter. Roger Ebert , film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times , wrote of Washington's performance, "This
7630-411: The crowd is on his side. However, Antony makes a subtle and eloquent speech over Caesar's corpse, beginning " Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears !" He deftly turns public opinion against the assassins by manipulating the emotions of the common people , in contrast to the rational tone of Brutus's speech, yet there is a method in his rhetorical speech and gestures. Antony reminds the crowd of
7739-496: The crown of Rome three times. Casca tells them that each time Caesar refused it with increasing reluctance, hoping that the crowd watching would insist that he accept the crown. He describes how the crowd applauded Caesar for denying the crown, and how this upset Caesar. On the eve of the ides of March, the conspirators meet and reveal that they have forged letters of support from the Roman people to tempt Brutus into joining. Brutus reads
7848-569: The current when it serves, or lose our ventures" is recited by Jean-Luc Picard at the end of the Star Trek: Picard series finale, " The Last Generation ." The play was previously discussed in a conversation between Julian Bashir and Elim Garak in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Improbable Cause ". Julius Caesar has been adapted to a number of film productions, including: Modern adaptions of
7957-608: The drama A Soldier's Story (1984). The film was an adaptation of the Off-Broadway play A Soldier's Play (1981–1983) in which Washington had earlier portrayed the same character. He has since gained recognition as one of the greatest actors in the 21st century. Washington went on to win two [[Academy his first for Best Supporting Actor as a former slave-turned-soldier in Civil War film Glory (1989) and his second for Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as
8066-543: The drama The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker . He next appeared in Tony Scott's 2009 film The Taking of Pelham 123 (a remake of the 1974 thriller of the same name), where he played New York City subway security chief Walter Garber opposite John Travolta 's villain. Washington returned to Broadway playing Troy Maxson, opposite Viola Davis , in the revival of August Wilson 's Fences (2010). Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Washington has
8175-479: The edge of his multifaceted talent". In 2011, he donated US$ 2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well as US$ 250,000 to establish a theater-specific scholarship at the school. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007 and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011. On October 11, 2021,
8284-435: The end when he says in V.v.50–51, "Caesar, now be still:/ I killed not thee with half so good a will". Joseph W. Houppert acknowledges that some critics have tried to cast Caesar as the protagonist, but that ultimately Brutus is the driving force in the play and is, therefore, the tragic hero. Brutus attempts to put the republic over his relationship with Caesar and kills him. Brutus makes the political mistakes that bring down
8393-403: The film explores interracial romance between African Americans and Indian Americans . Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times praised the chemistry of the two leads writing, "Washington is an actor of immense and natural charm, and he makes a good match with Sarita Choudhury". Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, the title character of
8502-474: The fluid naturalness we associate with good screen actors... face and stance alone provide fascinating (and damning) glimpses into Troy’s attitudes toward his son from an earlier relationships". Washington won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play on June 13, 2010. That same year, Washington starred in The Book of Eli (2010), a post-apocalyptic action-drama set in the near future. Also in 2010, he starred as
8611-510: The following performances: Denzel Washington on screen and stage Denzel Washington is an American actor known for his performance on stage and screen. Washington made his feature film debut in Carbon Copy (1981). In 1982, Washington made his first appearance in the medical drama St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler. The role proved to be the breakthrough in his career. He starred as Private First Class Melvin Peterson in
8720-482: The good Caesar had done for Rome, his sympathy with the poor, and his refusal of the crown at the Lupercal, thus questioning Brutus's claim of Caesar's ambition; he shows Caesar's bloody, lifeless body to the crowd to have them shed tears and gain sympathy for their fallen hero; and he reads Caesar's will, in which every Roman citizen would receive 75 drachmas . Antony, even as he states his intentions against it, rouses
8829-416: The historical epic Malcolm X (1992). The New York Times gave the film it's Critic's Pick with Vincent Canby declaring, "In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for "Malcolm X" what Ben Kingsley did for " Gandhi ". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement". His performance as
8938-512: The letters and, after much moral debate, decides to join the conspiracy, thinking that Caesar should be killed to prevent him from doing anything against the people of Rome if he were ever to be crowned. After ignoring the soothsayer, as well as his wife Calpurnia 's own premonitions, Caesar goes to the Senate. The conspirators approach him with a fake petition pleading on behalf of Metellus Cimber 's banished brother. As Caesar predictably rejects
9047-473: The memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy . It received a wide theatrical release on December 25, 2021 and received mixed reviews from critics. In 2023, Washington was cast in Ridley Scott 's epic historical drama Gladiator II alongside Paul Mescal , Pedro Pascal , and Derek Jacobi . The film is a sequel to Scott's Gladiator (2000). In 2024, Washington served as
9156-448: The message of the play is not pro-assassination and that the point is that "those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic means pay a terrible price and destroy the very thing they are fighting to save." Shakespeare scholars Stephen Greenblatt and Peter Holland agreed with this statement. Pallotta stated that "I have never read anyone suggesting that 'Julius Caesar' is a play that recommends assassination. Look what happens: Caesar
9265-553: The mob to drive the conspirators from Rome. Amid the violence, an innocent poet, Cinna , is confused with the conspirator Lucius Cinna and is taken by the mob, which kills him for such "offenses" as his bad verses. Brutus then attacks Cassius for supposedly soiling the noble act of regicide by having accepted bribes. ("Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? / What villain touched his body, that did stab, / And not for justice?" ) The two are reconciled, especially after Brutus reveals that his beloved wife committed suicide under
9374-449: The name were harassed and received death threats , including the wife of the play's director Oskar Eustis . The protests were praised by American Family Association director Sandy Rios who compared the play with the execution of Christians by damnatio ad bestias . The 2018 Bridge Theatre production also incorporates modern political imagery. The commoners in the first scene sing modern punk music and Caesar distributes red hats to
9483-467: The new West Angeles Church of God in Christ facility in Los Angeles. Washington says he reads the Bible daily. Washington has served as the national spokesman for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993 and has appeared in public service announcements and awareness campaigns for the organization. In addition, he has served as a board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995. In 2006, for
9592-409: The offer. In 2016, Washington directed the film Fences , co-starring Viola Davis and Stephen McKinley Henderson and based on August Wilson 's play of the same name , with a script by Wilson. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, Washington plays a former Negro league baseball player working as a garbage collector who struggles to provide for his family and come to terms with the events of his life. The film
9701-821: The organization's 100 anniversary, helped put together together with Daniel Paisner, a book that underscores the lesson: “If you want to change the world, start by changing the life of a child”. " A hand to guide me " features examples from leaders as they tell their life-changing stories of mentorship, when as youngsters they were guided by a caring adult, which shaped the rest of their life, including over 70 of America's leading personalities in theater, sports, business, and politics such as Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton , Whoopi Goldberg , Muhammad Ali , Yogi Berra , Toni Morrison , Cal Ripken Jr. and Colin Powell . In mid-2004, Washington visited Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston , where he participated in
9810-403: The petition, Casca and the others suddenly stab him; Brutus is last. At this, Caesar asks " Et tu, Brute? " ("And you, Brutus?"), concluding with "Then fall, Caesar!" The conspirators attempt to demonstrate that they killed Caesar for the good of Rome, to prevent an autocrat. They prove this by not attempting to flee the scene. Brutus delivers an oration defending his actions, and for the moment,
9919-467: The plates of a Calder mobile . Touch one and it affects the position of all the others. Raise one, and another sinks. But they keep coming back into a precarious balance. The play was probably one of Shakespeare's first to be performed at the Globe Theatre . Thomas Platter the Younger , a Swiss traveler, saw a tragedy about Julius Caesar at a Bankside theatre on 21 September 1599, and this
10028-415: The play have often made contemporary political references, with Caesar depicted as resembling a variety of political leaders, including Huey Long , Margaret Thatcher , and Tony Blair , as well as Fidel Castro and Oliver North . Scholar A. J. Hartley stated that this is a fairly "common trope" of Julius Caesar performances: "Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, the rule has been to create
10137-459: The play is Thomas North 's translation of Plutarch 's Lives . Shakespeare deviated from these historical facts to curtail time and compress the facts so that the play could be staged more easily. The tragic force is condensed into a few scenes for heightened effect. Julius Caesar was originally published in the First Folio of 1623, but a performance was mentioned by Thomas Platter
10246-409: The republic that his ancestors created. He acts on his passions, does not gather enough evidence to make reasonable decisions, and is manipulated by Cassius and the other conspirators. Traditional readings of the play may maintain that Cassius and the other conspirators are motivated largely by envy and ambition, whereas Brutus is motivated by the demands of honor and patriotism . Certainly, this
10355-802: The sports drama Remember the Titans (2000), the action thriller Man on Fire (2004), the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate (2004), the crime thrillers Inside Man (2006), and American Gangster (2007). He has starred in the action thriller The Equalizer franchise (2014–2023) and has directed films such as Antwone Fisher (2002), The Great Debaters (2007), and Fences (2016). He has also asserted himself onstage acting in The Public Theatre productions of William Shakespeare 's tragedies Coriolanus (1979), and The Tragedy of Richard III (1990). He made his Broadway debut in Checkmates (1988). He went on to win
10464-502: The spring of 2025 and will be directed by Kenny Leon , who previously directed Washington in the Broadway revivals of Fences and A Raisin in the Sun . Washington announced in November, that he would be starring in the untitled Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sequel , set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe . On June 25, 1983, Washington married Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen work,
10573-784: The streets got them." After Oakland, he attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida , from 1970 to 1971. He was interested in attending Texas Tech University : "I grew up in the Boys Club in Mount Vernon, and we were the Red Raiders. So when I was in high school, I wanted to go to Texas Tech in Lubbock just because they were called the Red Raiders and their uniforms looked like ours." Instead, he earned
10682-551: The stress of his absence from Rome; they prepare for a civil war against Antony, Caesar's adopted son Octavius , and Lepidus who have formed a triumvirate in Rome. That night, Caesar's ghost appears to Brutus with a warning of defeat. (He informs Brutus, "Thou shalt see me at Philippi." ) At the Battle of Philippi , Cassius and Brutus, knowing that they will probably both die, smile their last smiles to each other and hold hands. During
10791-860: The television film Wilma . They have four children: John David (born July 28, 1984), also an actor and a former football player, Katia (born November 27, 1986) who graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2010, and twins Olivia and Malcolm (born April 10, 1991). Malcolm graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in film studies, and Olivia played a role in Lee Daniels 's film The Butler . Malcolm made his directorial debut with The Piano Lesson , with Denzel producing and John David starring in it. In 1995, Washington and his wife renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Desmond Tutu officiating. Washington
10900-457: The wandering, mismatched crowd and the heavy topical artillery that have been assembled here." Despite mixed reviews, the production's limited run was a consistent sell-out. In 2007, he co-starred with Russell Crowe for the second time (the first was 1995's Virtuosity ) in Ridley Scott 's crime drama American Gangster for which he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama nomination. He also directed and starred in
11009-467: Was 14, his parents divorced and his mother sent him to the private preparatory school Oakland Military Academy in New Windsor, New York . Washington later said, "That decision changed my life, because I wouldn't have survived in the direction I was going. The guys I was hanging out with at the time, my running buddies, have now done maybe 40 years combined in the penitentiary. They were nice guys, but
11118-641: Was also quoted by George Clooney 's character in the Coen brothers film Intolerable Cruelty . The line "And therefore think him as a serpent's egg / Which hatched, would, as his kind grow mischievous; And kill him in the shell" spoken by Brutus in Act II, Scene 1, is referenced in the Dead Kennedys song " California über alles ". The title of Agatha Christie 's novel Taken at the Flood , titled There Is
11227-771: Was born in Mount Vernon, New York , on December 28, 1954. His mother, Lennis "Lynne", was a beauty parlor owner and operator born in Georgia and partly raised in Harlem, New York . His father, Denzel Hayes Washington Sr., a native of Buckingham County, Virginia , was an ordained Pentecostal minister who was also an employee of the New York City Water Department , and worked at a local S. Klein department store. Washington attended Pennington-Grimes Elementary School in Mount Vernon until 1968. When he
11336-653: Was most likely Shakespeare's play, as there is no obvious alternative candidate. (While the story of Julius Caesar was dramatized repeatedly in the Elizabethan/Jacobean period, none of the other plays known is as good a match with Platter's description as Shakespeare's play.) After the theatres re-opened at the start of the Restoration era, the play was revived by Thomas Killigrew 's King's Company in 1672. Charles Hart initially played Brutus, as did Thomas Betterton in later productions. Julius Caesar
11445-488: Was one of only a few African-American actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run. He also appeared in several television, motion picture and stage roles, such as the films A Soldier's Story (1984), Hard Lessons (1986) and Power (1986). In 1987, he starred as South African anti-apartheid political activist Stephen Biko in Richard Attenborough 's Cry Freedom , for which he received
11554-618: Was one of the very few Shakespeare plays that was not adapted during the Restoration period or the eighteenth century. One of the earliest cultural references to the play came in Shakespeare's own Hamlet . Prince Hamlet asks Polonius about his career as a thespian at university, and Polonius replies: "I did enact Julius Caesar. I was killed in the Capitol. Brutus killed me." This is a likely meta-reference , as Richard Burbage
11663-509: Was released in theaters and on HBO Max . Also in 2021, Washington portrayed the titular character in the 2021 film adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth . He received universal acclaim for his performance and was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award , and a Screen Actors Guild Award . That same year, Washington directed the drama A Journal for Jordan , based on
11772-462: Was released on December 16, 2016, by Paramount Pictures . Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "Washington, as both actor and director, gets the conversation humming with a speed and alacrity that keeps the audience jazzed...Washington tears through it with a joyful ferocity, like a man possessed." For his performance, Washington was nominated in the Best Actor category for a Golden Globe Award ,
11881-551: Was the end of the Western era in the movies. Moreover, he and his siblings were barred from going to the cinema by his father, a minister in a church. They grew up watching Biblical films instead, like King of Kings and The Ten Commandments , although he has said that he watched portions of the shows Rawhide and Bonanza . He did not view the original film in preparation, but has watched Seven Samurai . Fuqua flew to New York City to negotiate with Washington, who accepted
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