It is always a special holiday season for Denzel Washington, but this one even more so.
Right between Christmas Day and New Years Eve, on December 28, the Hollywood legend rang in his milestone 70th trip around the sun.
It has been a big year for the actor, who spent much of it promoting Ridley Scott’sGladiator sequel, alongside co-stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger, among others.
WATCH: Denzel Washington breaks down in tears as he is ordained in NYC church
He also most recently had another big reason to celebrate: just ahead of his milestone birthday, he was given a minister’s license at a church ceremony in Harlem, at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, where he was also baptized, a moment that brought him to tears.
Below, take a look back at some of the most epic photos of Denzel’s career and family life.
The actor, pictured above with his Checkmates co-stars in 1988, prides himself in his Broadway roots, and will next star in a new production of Othello alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.