Lifetime Achievement Award for Denzel Washington

AFI Chair calls star "an American icon"

by Jennie Kermode

Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2
Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 2

The American Film Institute today announced that its 47th Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Denzel Washington at a ceremony in Los Angeles in June next year. The star, who won the 2002 Best Actor award for his work in Training Day and received the Cecil B De Mille Award at the Golden Globes in 2016, will be recognised alongside the likes of Sidney Poitier, Meryl Streep and George Clooney.

"Denzel Washington is an American icon," said AFI Chair Howard Stringer. "As an actor, he stands tall as a heroic, stoic embodiment of the best in all of us, and he does so with heart, humanity and one of the brightest smiles to ever light up the screen. Equally formidable as director and producer, he is a creative force to be reckoned with — and one of the most vital, relevant artists working today."

Washington has received acclaim for his contributions to films as diverse as Glory, Flight, Inside Man, Man On Fire and Malcolm X. Aged 63, he most recently appeared in The Equalizer 2.

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