Denzel Washington Receives Cecil B. DeMille Award at 2016 Golden Globes

George Clooney accepted the prestigeous award last year

By Dominique Haikel Jan 11, 2016 3:19 AMTags
Denzel Washington, Golden Globe AwardsPaul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Image

Denzel Washington killed it tonight, receiving the honorable Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2016 Golden GlobesTom Hanks, presenting with a cold, introduced a touching montage reflecting on Washington's extensive career achievements. "The list is finite. The club is exclusive," Hanks said when talking about the honor of receiving the prestigious award.

The audience stood in applause to congratulate Washington upon his arrival to stage. "I lost my speech," Washington said as the crowd cheered. The actor thanked the Hollywood Forgein Press Association, Freddie Fields, William Morris Endeavor, his first agent, and his mother to name a few. While giving his thanks on stage, he and his wife joked about needing their glasses to read his speech. "God bless you all, thank you," Denzel said at the end of his speech. 

This is not the Washington's first award, however. Washington's career has earned him seven Golden Globe Award nominations and two wins. In addition to the aforementioned accolades, Washington has won two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two Emmy nominations, an NAACP Image Award and even a Grammy.  

Former recipients of the prestigious award include Jodie Foster, Woody Allen, Morgan Freeman, Martin Scorsese, Robin Williams, Harrison Ford and more. Clooney's memorable acceptance speech last year included a touching moment with his wife, Amal Clooney. The actor gushed, "It's a humbling thing to find someone you love. Even better if you've been waiting your whole life...Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldn't be prouder to be your husband." The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Washington's win Nov. 16. President Lorenzo Soria said via press release, "Washington's long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera. It is the HFPA's privilege to honor his contributions to the entertainment industry with the Cecil B. DeMille Award." Congrats, Denzel! 

Don't forget to check out our full list of tonight's winners and tell us what you think in the comments! 

E! Kicks off 2016 Golden Globes Afterparty tonight!