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The Golden Globe nominations were announced a few days ago, and Denzel Washington is among the many talents who will be recognized in the upcoming ceremony. Washington was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture category for his performance as Macrinus in Gladiator II, one of the more recent 2024 movie releases. It’s yet another honor to add to the actor’s list of many accolades. But this particular nomination also marks a milestone for Black performers.
As a result of the recognition for his work in Gladiator II, Washington is the first Black actor to receive 11 Golden Globe nominations. His history with this awards ceremony stretches back nearly four decades, and below are all of the nominations he’s racked up during that time, as well as which of those Golden Globes he ended up winning:
- 1988: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Steve Biko in Cry Freedom
- 1990: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Private Silas Trip in Glory (Won)
- 1993: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Malcolm X in Malcolm X
- 2000: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Rubin ‘The Hurricane’ Carter in The Hurricane (Won)
- 2002: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day
- 2008: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Frank Lucas in American Gangster
- 2013: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Captain William “Whip” Whitaker in Flight
- 2017: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Troy Maxson in Fences
- 2018: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Roman J. Israel in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
- 2022: Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama for Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth
- 2025: Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Macrinus in Gladiator II
Additionally, Denzel Washington was honored at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in 2016 with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. That’s an impressive lineup of award-worthy performances, and frankly, I think he should have won for a few more of this roles beyond Glory and The Hurricane. Maybe he’ll finally walk away with a third Golden Globe for his work in Gladiator II, bur regardless, this is a tremendous feat not just for him, but the Black performing community. Hopefully others will follow in Washington’s footsteps and hit that same milestone, if not surpass it.
As far as Gladiator II goes, Washington was joined in the Ridley Scott-directed picture by Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, among others. Washington will be going up in the Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture against Yuri Borisov for Anora, Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain, Edward Norton for A Complete Unknown, Guy Pearce for The Brutalist and Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice. Gladiator II was also nominated in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, which is brand-new.
Gladiator II is still playing in theaters, so head to your nearest big screen if you’re interested to see Denzel Washington’s Golden Globe nomination-worthy performance. The 82nd Golden Globes will air on the 2025 TV schedule Sunday, January 5 on CBS.