Director and frequent collaborator Spike Lee presented the 64-year-old with the American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement award – billed as “the highest honour for a career in film” – at a gala event at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Hollywood’s small elite of A-list black leading men paid tribute to Washington’s trailblazing career – fellow Oscar winners Morgan Freeman, Jamie Foxx and Mahershala Ali took to the stage, as did “Black Panther” stars Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan.

“You paved the way. You showed us the path. But what’s truly monumental is that your influence, your reach, transcends race without ever denying it,” said Ali.

He added: “We are here because we stand on the shoulders of a giant.”

“There is no ‘Black Panther’ without Denzel Washington,” said Boseman, referring to Marvel Studios’ first film to focus on a black superhero.