Denzel Washington's 66th birthday: Top 5 best performances of the Malcolm X actor

Denzel Washington is one of those Hollywood stars who never scared to take a leap of faith in selecting the scripts. From Malcolm X to Flight, the New York-born star has always amazed everyone from his performances.

On the occasion of Denzel Washington's 66th birthday, let's have a look at some of the performances that makes him one of the finest actors of our time.

Malcolm X:

Released in 1992, Malcolm X featured Denzel Washington in the titular role. The movie is written and directed by Spike Lee and features the dramatized key events in Malcolm X's life, including but not limited to his criminal career, his incarceration, his conversion to Islam, his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam, and his later falling out with the organization.

Malcolm X was well received by critics and fans. For his portrayal of Malcolm X, Denzel Washington won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Denzel lost the award to Al Pacino for his performance in Scent of a Woman.

Training Day:

Antonie Fuqua's crime-thriller movie, Training Day, featured Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt -- two LAPD narcotics officers over a 12-hour period in the gang-ridden neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.

Training Day received positive reviews from critics and instantly got a cult following, as several admired Denzel and Ethan's performances in the movie. The movie was made against a budget of $45 million and went on to gross over $104 million.

Denzel Washington's performance fetched him the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 74th Academy Awards. If you haven't watched the movie yet, then do yourself a favor and watch it right away.

The Manchurian Candidate:

The Manchurian Candidate is based on the 1959 novel of the same name and a remake of a 1962 movie, starring Denzel Washington as Bennett Marco. Even though it was Meryl Streep who stole the show with this one, it was Denzel's decision to star in this movie that's praiseworthy.

American Gangster:

Ridley Scott's American Gangster is fictionally based on the criminal career of an American gangster, who smuggled heroin in the United States on service planes returning from the Vietnam War.

Denzel Washington shared the screen with Russell Crowe, and together they completely ruled the screen, resulting in a nomination for twenty-one awards.

Remember the Titans:

Remember the Titans may not be the best picture of all time, but it surely is one of the best football films ever to be made.

Boaz Yakin's Remember the Titans is based on the true story of Black coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, and his attempts to integrate two teams from different backgrounds.

For Remember the Titans, Denzel Washington won several awards, including the Black Reel Awards of 2001 and the 2001 NAACP Image Awards.

Other than the above-mentioned movies, Denzel Washington has starred in several other classics, like John Q, Inside Man, The Great Debaters, Courage Under Fire, and others. He will soon be seen sharing screen space with Jared Leto and Rami Malek in yet another crime-thriller, The Little Things.