Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington was given the Golden Globe for lifetime achievement on Sunday, becoming the third African-American actor to receive the award. Washington joins the likes of Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro in being given the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his work both in front of and behind the camera, according to Reuters.
He was introduced by his "Philadelphia" co-star Tom Hanks, who described him as an actor with the "mysterious power not just to hold our attention, but demand it."
"The list is finite. The club is exclusive. But it includes the actor who is being given the Cecil B. DeMille Award tonight," Hanks said.
Washington brought his wife and three children with him onstage. However, his speech was cut short due to him forgetting to bring his glasses with him and had difficulty while delivering his remarks.
The actor received Oscar awards for his roles in the films "Training Day" and "Glory." His other film credits include "Malcolm X," ''The Hurricane," ''Flight," ''The Manchurian Candidate" and "Mo' Better Blues," according to The Associated Press.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced back in November that Washington would be given the prestigious award during this year's Golden Globes.
"Washington's long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera," Lorenzo Soria, the president of the association, said in a statement published on the Globe's official website.
