Denzel Washington missed the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House on Thursday due to a case of Covid-19.

Mr Washington, a 67-year-old native of Mt. Vernon, New York, has for decades been one of the US’s most acclaimed actors and was announced as one of the 17 recipients of the honor earlier this year. President Joe Biden spoke highly of him during Thursday’s ceremony with the 16 other recipients, calling Mr Washington “one of the greatest actors in our history” before noting that he’d be giving Mr Washington his award “when he gets here.”

Mr Washington has been acting professionally since 1975. He has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won two, for his roles in Glory and Training Day. He has similarly been nominated for 12 Golden Globes and won two, one for Glory and the other for his role in The Hurricane. Mr Washington was also recognised in 2016 with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”

Other recipients of the Presidental Medal of Freedom this year included soccer star and social justice activist Megan Rapinoe, former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, former university president Julieta García, and civil rights activist Raúl Yzaguirre.

The late John McCain, Steve Jobs, and former AFL-CIO Richard Trumka also received the award, the country’s highest civilian honour, posthumously.

A number of the recipients cleared their crowded schedules to ensure that they could be in Washington for the ceremony on Thursday. Ms Rapinoe, for instance, missed a World Cup qualifying match for the US women’s national team in Mexico to attend the White House ceremony.

Covid-19 cases have remained persistently high in the US since May, with a new varient of the virus reportedly more liable to escape protections from vaccinations and prior infections.

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