They are among 17 Americans honored by President Joe Biden for "outstanding contributions" to United States prosperity and values, world peace or other projects of significance, according to a statement.

Denzel Washington, double Oscar winner, is particularly known for his roles in "Malcolm X" and "Philadelphia".

He recently starred in "The Tragedy of Macbeth," released in 2021, which earned him another Oscar nomination.

Megan Rapinoe, star of the United States women's soccer team, is "very committed to gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI + rights", welcomed the executive.

Among the winners is also Simone Biles, "the most decorated American gymnast in history" but also "great defender" of the mental health of athletes and victims of sexual assault, said the White House.

She is one of the victims of Larry Nassar, a former doctor for the American women's gymnastics team convicted of sexual assaults on more than 250 mostly underage gymnasts.

John McCain, unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2008 and elected Republican for decades, who died in 2018, will be honored posthumously, as will Steve Jobs.

The former elected Gabrielle Giffords, survivor of a shooting who has since campaigned for stricter regulation of firearms, will also receive this prestigious award, as the Biden administration tries to fight against the killings that regularly beset the country. .

© 2022 AFP