Malcolm X was immortalized in Spike Lee's biographical movie in 1992. The filmmaker told Newsweek why the life and message of the civil rights leader still resonates on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

In his new book about Malcolm X, Mark Whitaker deftly outlines the slain Black activist's wide-ranging cultural influence and the resonance his words have today.

Washington was also Oscar-nominated for his performances as Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), as Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), as Rubin Carter in The Hurricane (1999), as Whip Whitaker in Flight (2012), as Troy Maxson in Fences (2016), as Roman J. Israel in Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) and as Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021).