This Decade Is The Best In Denzel Washington's 40+ Year Career

Denzel Washington is one of the finest actors who has ever graced the screen. He's got an incredible career that spans over 40 years in Hollywood that includes brilliant, powerful performances across all types of genres. With $4.9 billion made at the box office, multiple Oscars, and his thoughtful approach, he remains just as big a star and memorable as an artist now as he was before.

Everyone has their own favorite or best Denzel Washington movie, with common choices including Glory, Malcolm X, Training Day, Fences, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Those are all great releases on their own, and they each also represent a different chapter of his career across five different decades.

But what decade is the best of Denzel's career? His work in the 2020s will continue, but a look at his stardom, career influence, box office appeal, and awards season performances reveals there are two primary contenders for that title: the 1990s and the 2000s. Only one can truly claim to be Denzel's best decade.

The 1990s Established Denzel Washington As A Legitimate Box Office Draw

The 1990s were transformative for Denzel in terms of his stardom. This was the time when he really started to grow as a Hollywood star whom audiences liked and wanted to see on the big screen.

He delivered major box office hits during this decade, with six movies crossing the $100 million milestone worldwide: Philadelphia ($201M), The Pelican Brief ($187M), Crimson Tide ($159M), The Bone Collector ($151M), The Siege ($116M), and Courage Under Fire ($100M).

Overall, Denzel was at the center of 18 movies during the '90s, and they collectively made $741 million domestic/$1.2 billion worldwide (not adjusted for inflation). That's only the third greatest total for the actor, trailing the 2010s' $839 million DOM /$1.44 billion WW and the 2000s' $847 million DOM/$1.46 billion WW.

But if you factor that into the equation, the 90s becomes dominant for Denzel. His domestic total during this decade jumps from $741 million to $1.9 billion adjusted for inflation. That's superior to the '00s adjusted total of $1.5 billion. And considering he put up those numbers in the 90s with dramas and thriller primarily (not the more action-heavy filmography of 21st century), it's all the more impressive.

The 1990s Are Formative For Denzel Washington's Oscar History

In addition to becoming a certifiable A-list movie star at the box office, the 1990s is also where Denzel became a recurring figure at the Oscars. His first Oscar win technically came in this decade, as he won Best Supporting Actor for Glory in 1990 following the film's release in December 1989.

Yet, somewhat surprisingly, Denzel delivered only two more Oscar-nominated performances with his 1990s movies. The first came with Malcolm X and the other was for The Hurricane (which released in 1999 but was then recognized at the 2000 Academy Awards). He didn't win for either, meaning he went the entire 1990s without delivering an Oscar-winning performance.

But that fact is a bit ridiculous. Malcolm X holds what is arguably still the greatest performance he's ever given. However, Best Actor went to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman in what Malcolm X director Spike Lee has called "egregious" and a classic "makeup call" by Oscar voters after not giving the star a win previously.

Even though he didn't win the Oscar for playing the human rights activist, Malcolm X's legacy has endured for Denzel. There's a reason it remains one of the first movies you think of when you think about his career and the best performances he's given. It might even be more widely praised now because it didn't get the awards attention it deserved at the time. As Denzel later told Ethan Hawke, "Losing was better."

This is also undoubtedly a key reason why Denzel became such a popular nominee in the following decades. He was a three time Oscar nominee and one-time winner by the time the 90s concluded. Training Day became his only 2000s movie to get him an Oscar nomination, but he took home the golden trophy. He then got three Best Actor nominations (and one in Best Picture) during the 2010s, as well as a single nomination so far in the 2020s.

So while he had stronger showings in other decades, the 1990s are still where Denzel's story with the Academy Awards really takes off and gave him the standing to eventually become one of the most nominated actors ever.

The 1990s Influenced The Rest Of Denzel Washington's Career

Another point in favor of the 1990s is how influential Denzel's movies at the time were for what came next. His ability to headline box office hits helped him star in more genre films meant to produce strong returns for the studio. Meanwhile, he could also turn any film into an awards contender.

But one of the most notable aspects of the 90s for Denzel is that this is when he established key relationships with Spike Lee and Tony Scott. He worked with Spike three times — Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, and He Got Game — during these 10 years. Their work together defined both of their careers and set them up to have more success down the road with 2006's Inside Man.

Yet it was Scott who had the more consistent presence in Denzel's career after their 1995 collaboration on Crimson Tide. They made three films during the 2000s (Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, and The Taking of Pelham 123) before working together one last time on 2010's Unstoppable. The continued success they found together wouldn't have come had their partnership in the 90s failed.

Ultimately, the 1990s is definitively Denzel Washington's best decade. The combination of how successful his movies were at the box office, the awards attention he received, and the relationships he built within Hollywood and with audiences allowed him to keep growing as the 21st Century came.