Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1980s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in "Cry Freedom" (1987), civil rights activist and Muslim minister Malcolm X in "Malcolm X" (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in "The Hurricane" (1999), football coach Herman Boone in "Remember the Titans" (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in "The Great Debaters" (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in "American Gangster" (2007). He has been a featured actor in films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua, and Tony Scott. In 2016, he received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.