Editing Denzel Washington (section)

=== 1990–1999: Hollywood stardom and acclaim ===
In the summer of 1990, Washington had appeared in the [[Richard III of England|title role]] of the [[Public Theater]]'s production of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''. Mel Gussow of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised Washington as "an actor of range and intensity, is expert at projecting a feeling of controlled rage".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/17/theater/review-theater-denzel-washington-portrays-shakespeare-s-top-schemer.html|title= Review/Theater; Denzel Washington Portrays Shakespeare's Top Schemer|work= The New York Times|date= August 17, 1990|accessdate= September 27, 2023|last1= Gussow|first1= Mel}}</ref> Also that year Washington starred as Bleek Gilliam in the [[Spike Lee]] film ''[[Mo' Better Blues]]''. Charles Murray of ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' praised Washington's performance as a "taut portrayal of the driven musician" and "like all Lee’s film, Mo’ Better Blues is a real ensemble piece, and the standard of the performances is uniformly excellent: but Washington [and] Lee deserve extra plaudits."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mo-better-blues-review/|title= Mo Better Blues|website= Empire|date= January 2000|accessdate= September 27, 2023}}</ref> In 1991, he starred as Demetrius Williams in the [[Mira Nair]] directed romantic drama ''[[Mississippi Masala]]'' opposite [[Sarita Choudhury]]. Set primarily in [[Deep South|rural Mississippi]], the film explores [[Miscegenation|interracial romance]] between African Americans and [[Indian Americans]]. Critic [[Roger Ebert]] of ''[[The Chicago Sun-Times]]'' praised the chemistry of the two leads writing, "Washington is an actor of immense and natural charm, and he makes a good match with Sarita Choudhury".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mississippi-masala-1992|title= Mississippi Masala|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= September 27, 2023}}</ref>

Washington was reunited with Lee to play one of his most critically acclaimed roles, the [[Malcolm X|title character]] of the historical epic ''[[Malcolm X (1992 film)|Malcolm X]]'' (1992). ''[[The New York Times]]'' gave the film it's Critic's Pick with [[Vincent Canby]] declaring, "In Denzel Washington it also has a fine actor who does for "Malcolm X" what [[Ben Kingsley]] did for "[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]". Mr. Washington not only looks the part, but he also has the psychological heft, the intelligence and the reserve to give the film the dramatic excitement".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/18/movies/review-film-malcolm-x-as-complex-as-its-subject.html|title= Review/Film; 'Malcolm X,' as Complex as Its Subject|work= The New York Times|date= November 18, 1992|accessdate= September 27, 2023|last1= Canby|first1= Vincent}}</ref> His performance as the [[Black nationalism|Black nationalist]] leader earned him another nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]. Also that year, he established the production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.<ref>{{cite web| last1 = Laski| first1 = Beth| title = Mundy lane sees a full load ahead| work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| access-date = February 9, 2019| date = March 6, 1997| url = https://variety.com/1997/scene/vpage/mundy-lane-sees-a-full-load-ahead-1117343128/}}</ref> The next year, he played the lawyer defending a gay man with AIDS played by [[Tom Hanks]] in the [[Jonathan Demme]] film ''[[Philadelphia (film)|Philadelphia]]'' (1993). ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' wrote, "Casting Washington in the lead guaranteed the film the black audience that otherwise might not have had much interest in the problems of a rich white homosexual with Aids. But Aids is rampant in inner cities, where it attacks not just gay men, but IV drug users and women."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/philadelphia-un-packaging-hollywood-aids-drama-tom-hanks-denzel-washington-jonathan-demme|title= Philadelphia|website= BFI|date= May 9, 2017|accessdate= September 27, 2023}}</ref>

During the early and mid-1990s, Washington starred in several successful thrillers, including ''[[The Pelican Brief (film)|The Pelican Brief]]'' with [[Julia Roberts]] in 1993, and ''[[Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson Tide]]'' with [[Gene Hackman]] in 1995, as well as the Shakespearean comedy ''[[Much Ado About Nothing (1993 film)|Much Ado About Nothing]]'' directed by [[Kenneth Branagh]]. In 1996, he played a U.S. Army officer who investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor in ''[[Courage Under Fire]]'', opposite [[Meg Ryan]]. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "All of [the] predicaments are palpably and convincingly registered through Washington’s probing, reserved and sensitively drawn performance in a role that, in another era, might have been played by the likes of a [[Montgomery Clift]] or [[William Holden]]."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/courage-under-fire-1200444775/|title= Courage Under Fire|website= Variety|date= January 1996|accessdate= September 27, 2023}}</ref>

In 1996, he starred alongside [[Whitney Houston]], and [[Courtney B. Vance]] in the romantic comedy ''[[The Preacher's Wife]]'' directed by [[Penny Marshall]]. The film is a remake of the 1947 film ''[[The Bishop's Wife]]'' starring [[Cary Grant]], [[Loretta Young]], and [[David Niven]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Patrick|title=Praying for Crossover Appeal|date=December 11, 1996|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-11-ca-7763-story.html|access-date=June 16, 2015}}</ref> In 1998, Washington starred in Spike Lee's film ''[[He Got Game]]''. Washington played a father serving a six-year prison term when the prison warden offers him a temporary parole to convince his top-ranked high-school basketball player son ([[Ray Allen]]) to sign with the governor's alma mater, Big State. The film was Washington's third collaboration with Lee.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GOING+FOURTH+DENZEL+WASHINGTON+AND+SPIKE+LEE+ON+THEIR+QUARTET+OF...-a0143596899 |title=Going Fourth Denzel Washington And Spike Lee On Their Quartet Of Movies |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com |access-date=August 14, 2011 |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126070723/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/GOING+FOURTH+DENZEL+WASHINGTON+AND+SPIKE+LEE+ON+THEIR+QUARTET+OF...-a0143596899 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The same year he starred in [[Gregory Hoblit]]'s supernatural horror film [[Fallen (1998 film)|''Fallen'']] (1998) with [[John Goodman]], [[James Gandolfini]], and [[Donald Sutherland]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1080990-fallen|title= Fallen (1998)|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= March 23, 2024}}</ref>

In 1999, Washington acted alongside [[Angelina Jolie]] in the crime thriller ''[[The Bone Collector]]''. That same year, Washington starred in ''[[The Hurricane (1999 film)|The Hurricane]]'', a film about [[boxing|boxer]] [[Rubin Carter|Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter]], whose conviction for triple murder was overturned after he spent almost 20 years in prison. Although less successful at the box office than ''The Bone Collector'', ''Hurricane'' had a better reception from critics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bone_collector|title=''The Bone Collector''|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|date=November 5, 1999 |accessdate=January 12, 2022}}</ref> He received a Silver Bear Award at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] for his role as Carter. [[Roger Ebert]], film critic for ''[[Chicago Sun-Times|The Chicago Sun-Times]]'', wrote of Washington's performance, "This is one of Denzel Washington's great performances, on a par with his work in ''Malcolm X''."<ref>{{cite web|first=Roger|last=Ebert|authorlink=Roger Ebert|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hurricane-2000|title= The Hurricane movie review|newspaper=[[The Chicago Sun-Times]]|via=[[Rogerebert.com]]|date=January 7, 2000|accessdate= June 6, 2021}}</ref>