Denzel Washington is an award winning actor that has played some of the most iconic roles in recent history. His powerful acting draws the audience’s attention and never lets go.

Denzel Washington has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures such as Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone.

Malcolm X written by Spike Lee

If the so-called Negro in America was truly an American citizen, we wouldn’t have a racial problem. If the Emancipation Proclamation was authentic, we wouldn’t have a racial problem. If the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the Constitution were authentic, we wouldn’t have a racial problem. If the Supreme Court desegregation decision were authentic, we would not have a race problem. But you have to see that all of this is hypocrisy. These Negro leaders are running around telling the white man that everything is all right, that we got everything under control, that everything the honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches is wrong, but I’m telling you Mr. Muhammad said these things were going to come to pass, and now these things are starting to come to pass. Now these same Negro leaders are running around talking about that there’s about to be a racial explosion. Ha, ha, yes, there’s going to be a racial explosion, and a racial explosion is more dangerous than an atomic explosion. There’s going to be an explosion, because black people are dissatisfied; they’re dissatisfied not only with the white man, but with these Uncle Tom Negro leaders that are trying to pose as, as spokesmen for you and I. Just like you have a, just like you have a powder keg–when you have a powder keg, and there’s too many sparks around it, the thing’s going to explode. And if the thing that’s going to explode is sitting inside the house, and if it explodes, then the house is going to be destroyed–I said the house is going to be destroyed! So the honorable Elijah Muhammad is teaching you and I, and trying to tell the white man, to get this powder keg out of his house–let the black man separate from his house. Let the black man have his own house! Let the black man have his own land, and his own property! The honorable Elijah Muhammad is trying to tell the white man that this thing, this explosion, is going to bring down his house. This is what he’s trying to tell him, and more importantly, he’s trying to tell him that if he doesn’t do something about it, if he doesn’t do something about it, it’s going to explode any day now. I’m just here to tell you, I’m going to make it very short. I’m going to tell you about the honorable Elijah Muhammad’s greatest greatness–his greatest greatness is that he has the only solution for peace in this country. The honorable Elijah Muhammad’s solution is the only solution for you and I–it’s the only solution for the white man: complete separation between the black race and the white race. It’s the only solution.

Training Day

Awwww, you motherfuckers. Okay. Alright. I’m putting cases on all you bitches! Huh. You think you can do this shit. Jake! You think you can do this to me?! You motherfuckers will be playing basketball in Pelican Bay when I get finished with you! SHU program, nigga. 23 hour lockdown! I’m the man up in this piece! You’ll never see the light of…..who the fuck do you think you’re fucking with? I’m the police, I run shit around here. You just live here! Yeah, that’s right, you better walk away! Go on and walk away, ’cause I’m gonna burn this motherfucker down. King Kong ain’t got shit on me! That’s right, that’s right. Shit, I don’t, fuck. I’m winning anyway, I’m winning… I’m winning any motherfucking way. I can’t lose. Yeah, you can shoot me, but you can’t kill me.

Glory

I ain’t much about no prayin’, now. I ain’t never had no family, and… killed off my mama. … Feel funny … Well, I just… Um, y’all’s the onliest family I got. And uh, I love the 54th. Ain’t much a matter what happens tomorrow, ’cause we men, ain’t we?… We men ain’t we? … Shit.

Remember the Titans

Anybody know what this place is? This is Gettysburg. This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg. Fifty thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we’re still fighting amongst ourselves today. This green field right here was painted red, bubbling with the blood of young boys. Smoke and hot lead pouring right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, man. I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family. You listen and take a lesson from the dead. If we don’t come together right now, on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed just like they were. … I don’t care if you don’t like each other, but you will respect each other. I don’t know, maybe we’ll learn to play this game like men.

Philadelphia

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Forget everything you’ve seen on television. There’s not going to be any surprise, last minute witnesses. Nobody’s going to break down on the stand with a tearful confession. You’re going to be presented with a simple fact: Andrew Beckett was fired. You’ll hear two explanations as to why he was fired. Ours, and theirs. It’s up to you to sit through layer upon layer of truth until you determine for yourself which version sounds the most true. There’s certain points I must prove to you. Point number one: Andrew Beckett is a brilliant lawyer, a great lawyer. Point number two: Andrew Beckett is inflicted with a debilitating disease and it may be understandable. Maybe even personable, that he made the legal choice to keep the fact of his secret to himself. Point number three: His employers discovered his illness and ladies and gentlemen, the illness I’m referring to is AIDS. Point number four: They panicked. And in their panic, they did what most of us would like to do with AIDS which is to get it and everybody who has it, as far away from the rest of us as possible. Now, the behavior of Andrew Beckett’s employers may seem reasonable. It does to me. But no matter how you come to judge Charles Wheeler and his partners in ethical, moral, and inhuman terms, the fact of the matter is, when they fired Andrew Beckett because he has AIDS, they broke the law.

The Book of Eli

Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path. And for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost. Thank you for your protection and your many signs along the way. Thank you for any good that I may have done, I’m so sorry about the bad. Thank you for the friend I made. Please watch over her as you watched over me. Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I’m so very tired, but I go now to my rest at peace. Knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth. I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.