"Giant" Denzel Washington Celebrated by Hollywood | showbiz

LOS ANGELES, June 7 – L & American actor Denzel Washington was honored yesterday by Hollywood for a pioneering career of five decades and two Oscars that opened the door to a generation of black movie stars.

Frequent filmmaker and collaborator Spike Lee presented the American film at his 64-year Life Achievement Award of the Institute (AFI) – presented as "the greatest honor of a career in the cinema – at a gala at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

The small Hollywood elite composed of prominent black men paid tribute to Washington's pioneering career – Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx and Mahershala Ali, Academy Award winners, come on the stage, as well as Black Panther with Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan.

. You showed us the way. But what is truly monumental is that your influence, your reach, transcend the race without denying it, "said Ali.

He added, "We are here because we are standing on the shoulders of a giant. "

no Black Panther without Denzel Washington," said Boseman, referring to Marvel Studios' first film dedicated to a black superhero.

White-dominated Hollywood has been heavily criticized for its diversity problem, particularly in the OscarsSoWhite campaign surrounding the 2016 Oscars.

Washington is one of four black stars to win an Oscar for Best Actor .

He won the Best Supporting Actor Award for the epic of the American Civil War Glory (1989) and a better statuette for his character as a policeman in the crime thriller of the United States. Antoine Fuqua Training Day (2001).

One of the most versatile film actors, Washington has been hailed for its cerebral and nuanced roles and actions. parts in m Ovales like Man on Fire American Gangster and Remember the Titans .

He represented the American Muslim minister and civil rights advocate Malcolm X in Lee's 1992 biopic.

George Clooney, Al Pacino and Meryl Streep are among the recipients of the annual AFI Award for his entire work. Freeman and Sidney Poitier were also honored.

The gala, which also featured a surprise appearance by Beyonce, will be broadcast by TNT on June 20 – AFP