Viola Davis

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For other people named Viola Davis, see Viola Davis (disambiguation).

Viola Davis
Viola Davis attending the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Davis at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1965-08-11) August 11, 1965 (age 56)
St. Matthews, South Carolina, U.S.
EducationRhode Island College (BA)
Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupation
  • Actress
  • producer
Years active1996–present
Works
Full list
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Spouse(s)
Julius Tennon
​
(m. 2003)​
Children1
RelativesMike Colter (second cousin)
AwardsFull list

Viola Davis (born August 11, 1965)[1] is an American actress and producer. The recipient of an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards, she is the youngest actor and the first African-American to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting".[2] Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2017.[3][4] In 2017, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[5] In 2020, The New York Times ranked Davis ninth on its list of "The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century".[6]

Born in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Davis began her acting career in Central Falls, Rhode Island, starring in minor theater productions. After graduating from the Juilliard School in 1993, she won an Obie Award in 1999 for her performance as Ruby McCollum in Everybody's Ruby. She played minor roles in several films and television series in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Tonya in the 2001 Broadway production of August Wilson's King Hedley II. Davis's film breakthrough came in 2008, when her role as a troubled mother in the film Doubt earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Greater success came to Davis in the 2010s. She won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for playing Rose Maxson in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences.[7] For starring as a 1960s housemaid in the comedy-drama The Help (2011), Davis received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Screen Actors Guild Award.[8] In 2014, Davis began playing lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC television drama series How to Get Away with Murder, and in 2015, she became the first Black woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.[9] In 2016, Davis reprised the role of Maxson in the film adaptation of Fences,[10] winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[11][12] She went on to receive a BAFTA nomination for her performance in Steve McQueen's heist film Widows (2018). In 2020, Davis garnered universal acclaim for her performance in the titular role of the film adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,[13] for which she received an NAACP Image Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[14] With that nomination, Davis became the most nominated Black actress in the history of the Academy Awards, with four acting nominations,[15] and the first Black actress to have been nominated for Best Actress more than once.[16]

Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, are founders of a production company, JuVee Productions. Davis is also widely recognized for her advocacy and support of human rights and equal rights for women and women of color.[17]

Early life and education[]

Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. She is the daughter of Mary Alice (née Logan) and Dan Davis.[18][19] She was born on her grandmother's farm on the Singleton Plantation.[20] Her father was a horse trainer, and her mother was a maid, factory worker and homemaker.[21][22][23] She is the second youngest of six children, having four sisters and a brother.[24] Two months after she was born, her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, with Davis and two of her sisters, leaving her older sister and brother with her grandparents.

Her mother was also an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. At age two, Davis was taken to jail with her mother after she was arrested during a civil rights protest.[25] She has described herself as having "lived in abject poverty and dysfunction" during her childhood,[26] recalling living in "rat-infested and condemned" apartments.[27] Davis is a second cousin of actor Mike Colter, known for portraying the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage.[28]

Davis attended Central Falls High School, the alma mater to which she partially credits her love of stage acting with her involvement in the arts.[29] As a teen, she was involved in the federal TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Student Support Services programs.[30] While enrolled at the Young People's School for the Performing Arts in West Warwick, Rhode Island, Davis's talent was recognized by a director at the program, Bernard Masterson.[31]

After graduating from high school, Davis studied at Rhode Island College, majoring in theater and participating in the National Student Exchange before graduating in 1988. Next, she attended the Juilliard School for four years,[22] and was a member of the school's Drama Division "Group 22" (1989–93).[32]

Career[]

1992-1999: Early work and success on stage[]

In 1992, Davis starred in her first professional stage role, an off Broadway production of William Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It as Denis alongside Elizabeth McGovern at the Delacorte Theatre. In 1996, Davis made her Broadway debut in the original Broadway production of August Wilson's Seven Guitars as the Vera, alongside Keith David. The play opened on Broadway on March 6 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. She earned critical praise for her performance.[33][34] That same year, Davis received her Screen Actors Guild card in 1996 for doing one day of work, playing a nurse who passes a vial of blood to future "How to Get Away with Murder" co-star Timothy Hutton in the film The Substance of Fire (1996). She was paid $518.[35] Davis continued acting off Broadway in various productions, and appeared in bit parts on television including episodes of NYPD Blue (1996), and New York Undercover (1996). She also appeared in the HBO television military comedy film, The Pentagon Wars (1996) starring Kelsey Grammer, and Cary Elwes. In 1998, she played a small role in Steven Soderbergh's crime comedy film Out of Sight (1999).

2000-2010: Film breakthrough and continued stage success[]

In 2001, she returned to the Broadway stage in another play by August Wilson titled King Hedley II, portraying Tonya, a "35-year-old mother fighting eloquently for the right to abort a pregnancy." Her performance earned critical attention, and she received her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award.[36] She won another Drama Desk Award for her work in a 2004 off-Broadway production of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage.

Throughout the early 2000s Davis appeared in numerous films, including Soderbergh's Solaris and Traffic, as well as George Clooney's Syriana (2005), which Soderbergh produced. Hers was the uncredited voice of the parole board interrogator who questions Danny Ocean (Clooney) in the first scene in Ocean's Eleven (2001).[37] She also gave brief performances in the film such as the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold (2001) and the drama Antwone Fisher (2002). She also played secondary roles in Todd Haynes' costume drama Far From Heaven (2002), starring Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. Her television work includes a recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,[38] starring roles in two short-lived series, Traveler and Century City,[39] and a special guest appearance in a Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode entitled "Badge".[40]

Davis at the 81st Academy Awards in 2009, where she received her first Academy Award nomination for Doubt (2008)

In 2008, Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film adaptation of the Broadway play by John Patrick Shanley, Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. Though Davis had only one scene in the film, she remained a highlight of the film with noted film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times specifically praising her performance writing, "It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of "Doubt," and if Viola Davis isn't nominated by the Academy, an injustice will have been done." Ebert would further go on to write, "She goes face to face with the pre-eminent film actress of this generation, and it is a confrontation of two equals that generates terrifying power."[41][42] She was nominated for several awards for her performance, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[43]

On June 30, 2009, Davis was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[44]

In 2010, Davis returned to Broadway in her third August Wilson play, this time a revival of Fences as Rose Maxson, acting alongside Denzel Washington. Her performance received raves from critics in particular theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times who described Davis' performance as "extraordinary", adding "Ms. Davis, who won a Tony for her performance in Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” may well pick up another for her work here. Her face is a poignant paradox, both bone-tired and suffused with sensual radiance."[45] On June 13, 2010, Davis won her second Tony Award for her performance.[46] She was the second African-American to win the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, after Phylicia Rashad.[citation needed]

In 2010 Davis had small roles in the romantic comedy thriller Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz and the romantic comedy Eat Pray Love starring Julia Roberts. That same year she also played the role of Dr. Minerva in It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), a coming-of-age film written and directed by Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck, adapted from the 2006 novel by Ned Vizzini.[47]

2011-2016: Worldwide recognition and critical acclaim[]

In August 2011, Davis starred as Aibileen Clark, a housemaid in 1960s Mississippi, in the film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help, directed by Tate Taylor and co-starring alongside Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jessica Chastain.[48] Davis described her performance in the film as channeling her mother and grandmother saying, "I feel like I brought my mom to life; I've channeled her spirit. I channeled the spirit of my grandmother, and I've kind of paid homage to how they've contributed to my life and the lives of so many people".[48] She has since expressed deep regret over taking on the role; although she still admires the people she worked with, she does not think the story or portrayal is truthful about the lives of the black characters.[49] Davis garnered critical acclaim for her performance and eventually won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to receiving her second Academy Award nomination,[50] as well as Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award nominations.[51][52] In 2012, Time magazine listed Davis as one of the most influential people in the world.[53] Also in 2012, Glamour magazine named Davis Glamour's Film Actress of the year.[54]

On June 12, 2012, Davis was presented with the Women in Film's Crystal Award by her friend and Oscar rival that year, Meryl Streep.[55] On June 25, 2012, the Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Davis was part of the new group of entertainment professionals who have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.[56] On January 5, 2017, Davis received the 2,597th star on the Walk of Fame.[57]

In 2014, Davis reunited with The Help director Tate Taylor in Get on Up, a biopic of James Brown, playing Brown's mother.[58] Her 3-year-old daughter, Genesis also appeared in the movie.[59] In February 2014, Davis was cast in Peter Nowalk's pilot How to Get Away with Murder (executive produced by Shonda Rhimes for her ShondaLand production company) as the lead character.[60] Her character, Annalise Keating, is a tough criminal defense attorney and professor who becomes entangled in murder plot with her students.[61][62][63] It began as a series in September 2014.[64]

Davis at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards

In September 2015, Davis became the first African-American to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role on How to Get Away with Murder.[65][66][67][68] She received a second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the role in 2016.[69] Davis also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 2014 and 2015.[70] She received nominations from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on the show.[71]

In 2015, Davis appeared in Blackhat, a Michael Mann-directed thriller film starring Chris Hemsworth.[72] Davis also served as executive-producer of the crime drama film Lila & Eve, starring herself and Jennifer Lopez in the titular roles.[73] In 2016, Davis starred in the courtroom drama Custody, on which she also served as an executive producer,[74] and played Amanda Waller in the film Suicide Squad, an adaptation of a DC Comics series of the same name.[75]

In 2016, Davis reprised her role as Rose Maxson for the film adaptation of Fences directed by and starring Denzel Washington. Her performance garnered critical acclaim and she received her third Academy Award nomination, making her the first black actress in history to achieve this feat.[76] She subsequently went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role,[77] and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[78]

2017-present: Established actress and further acclaim[]

On January 6, 2017, Davis was presented with the 2,597th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by her Doubt co-star and friend Meryl Streep. While accepting the honor, Davis said she could not believe her life: "It's like my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can say is, God has blessed my life in abundance."[79] Davis was also listed among and a featured cover star of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" List for the second time, her first being in 2012.[80] Streep penned the article in the magazine, referring to Davis as having "carved a place for herself on the Mount Rushmore of the 21st century", commenting that "her gifts as an artist are unassailable, undeniable, deep and rich and true. But her importance in the culture – her ability to identify it, her willingness to speak about it and take on responsibility for it – is what marks her for greatness."[81] On March 2017, Davis was awarded the Artist of the Year Award at Harvard University.[82]

Also in 2017, Davis announced that she would write the sequel to the classic picture book Corduroy, titled Corduroy Takes a Bow. In a press release, Davis stated that "Corduroy has always held a special place in my life, first as a child paging through it, and then again with my daughter, introducing her to the adventures of that adorable teddy bear".[83] On March 13, 2018, Davis shared the cover of the book on her Twitter account.[84] The book was published by Penguin Random House on September 4, 2018.[85]

In 2018, Davis debuted Two-Sides, a documentary series exploring police brutality towards the African-American community. The series debuted on TV One, running through till mid-February.[86] Davis also starred alongside fellow Shondaland costar Kerry Washington for a special two-hour crossover episode of How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal, aptly titled How to Get Away with Scandal. Davis's guest appearance garnered her a fourth Emmy Award nomination, and her first for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[87] That same year, Davis starred in the Steve McQueen heist thriller Widows alongside Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Liam Neeson. The film was an adaptation of the popular 1983 British miniseries. She received critical acclaim, with film critic Eric Kohn of IndieWire writing, that the film "largely belongs to Davis...the actress has never been more commanding".[88] She received her second British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance.[89]

In 2020, Davis served as an executive producer and appeared in the documentary film Giving Voice, following students entering the August Wilson monologue competition for a chance to compete on Broadway. The film had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 26 and was released by Netflix on December 11, 2020.[90][91] That same year, Davis starred in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom as the titular character based upon the play of the same name acting alongside Chadwick Boseman in his final onscreen performance. The project was directed by George C. Wolfe for Netflix.[92] She also appeared on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Vanity Fair, photographed by Dario Calmese.[93]

In August 2021, Davis reprised her role as Amanda Waller in the superhero film The Suicide Squad.[94]

Upcoming projects[]

Davis will be co-starring alongside Sandra Bullock in the upcoming drama film The Unforgivable, directed by Nora Fingscheidt and set to be released on November 24, 2021.[95][96]

In January 2017, it was announced that Davis would star alongside Julia Roberts in the film adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel, Small Great Things.[97] In 2018, Davis announced that she would star alongside Lupita Nyong'o in The Woman King, inspired by true events that took place within The Kingdom of Dahomey.[98] The film will tell the story of Nanisca, the general of an all-female military unit, played by Davis, and her daughter Nawi, played by Nyong'o.[99] In February 2020, it was announced that Davis will portray former First Lady Michelle Obama in a one-hour drama series titled The First Lady for Showtime, in addition to serving as an executive producer. The series will premiere in 2022.[100][101]

Philanthropy and activism[]

In 2011, Davis donated funds to her hometown public library in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to assist in preventing its closure due to a lack of city funding.[102] In 2018, Davis donated funds to her alma mater, Central Falls High School, for its theater program.[103][104][105]

Since 2014, Davis has collaborated with the Hunger Is campaign to help eradicate childhood hunger across America.[106] Speaking on her work, Davis said that "seventeen million kids in this country, so one in five kids in this country, go to bed hungry. I was one of those kids, because I grew up in abject poverty; I did everything that you could possibly imagine to get food: I rummaged in the garbage cans, I stole from the local store constantly."[107] As an honoree at the 2014 Variety Power of Women luncheon, Davis further commented that "the thing that made me join...was the word 'eradicate', 'get rid of' - not by thirty-percent not by twenty-percent not by fifty-percent, but to do away [with it]. Because everyone should be a child, and should grow up and have a chance at the American dream".[108] In September 2017, Davis started the $30K in 30 Days Project with Hunger Is, awarding a $1,000 grant to the Rhode Island Community food bank in her home state.[106]

As part of her partnership with Vaseline to promote the Vaseline Healing Project, Davis attended the groundbreaking of a free community health center in Central Falls, Rhode Island in October 2016 that was sponsored by the project.[104] The project provides dermatological care to help heal the skin of those affected by poverty around the world.[109][110][111] She was also a speaker at the 2018 Women's March event in Los Angeles.[112]

Personal life[]

Davis married actor Julius Tennon in June 2003.[113] In 2011, the couple adopted an infant daughter. Davis is also a stepmother to Tennon's two children from previous relationships.[114]

Davis is a Christian and regularly attends services at Oasis Church in Los Angeles.[115][116]

Filmography[]

Davis promoting Suicide Squad at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International
Main article: Viola Davis on screen and stage

Accolades[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis

Throughout her career, Davis has received numerous industry and critic awards. For her stage work, she has won two Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, an Obie Award, and a Theater World Award.

She holds the distinction of becoming the first actress of color to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and is the first African-American to win five Screen Actors Guild Awards.[117] She has also received nominations for four Golden Globes Awards and two British Academy Film Awards, winning one of each, in addition to winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fences (2016). This led to her becoming the first person of color to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting by winning a competitive Oscar, Emmy and Tony.[118] She is also the first actress of color to have received four Academy Award nominations.[119] Davis was awarded an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from her undergraduate alma mater, Rhode Island College, in 2002.[120] On January 20, 2020, Davis was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in fine arts from Indiana University.[121]

See also[]

References[]

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