Denzel Washington Movie Trivia
Two Oscars, ten nominations, forty years of classics. My man. How well do you really know Denzel?
Questions & Answers
Which film earned Denzel Washington his first Oscar?
Answer: Glory (1989), Best Supporting Actor
The single tear in the whipping scene was real — one unbroken take.
For which role did Denzel win Best Actor?
Answer: Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day (2001)
'King Kong ain't got nothin' on me!' was largely improvised.
Which Spike Lee epic saw Denzel play a civil-rights icon?
Answer: Malcolm X (1992)
He'd already played Malcolm on stage in 'When the Chickens Come Home to Roost.'
In Remember the Titans, what team does Coach Boone lead?
Answer: The T.C. Williams Titans
Based on the real integrated 1971 Virginia state champions.
What's Denzel's directorial debut?
Answer: Antwone Fisher (2002)
He directed himself as the Navy psychiatrist.
In which film does Denzel play a hijacked-subway dispatcher opposite John Travolta?
Answer: The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
One of five collaborations with director Tony Scott.
Which August Wilson play did Denzel direct and star in on film?
Answer: Fences (2016)
Viola Davis won the Oscar; both had won Tonys for the same roles on Broadway.
In Mo' Better Blues, what instrument does Denzel's Bleek Gilliam play?
Answer: Trumpet
His first of four films with Spike Lee.
What real-life figure does Denzel play in The Hurricane?
Answer: Boxer Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter
It won him the Golden Globe and a fourth Oscar nomination.
In American Gangster, Denzel plays which Harlem kingpin?
Answer: Frank Lucas
Opposite Russell Crowe, directed by Ridley Scott.
Which 1993 legal drama paired Denzel with Tom Hanks?
Answer: Philadelphia
Hanks won the Oscar; Denzel's Joe Miller carried the film's conscience.
What is Denzel's character's job in Man on Fire?
Answer: Bodyguard to a young girl in Mexico City
Dakota Fanning's Pita gives one of the great child performances.
In which film does Denzel play a pilot who lands a plane inverted?
Answer: Flight (2012)
The role earned his sixth Oscar nomination.
Denzel and Viola Davis first shared the screen in which 2002 thriller?
Answer: Antwone Fisher — then reunited for Fences
Davis has called him her favorite scene partner.
How many Oscar nominations does Denzel hold as of 2026?
Answer: Ten acting nominations — the most of any Black actor
Two wins: Glory and Training Day.
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