Viola Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Viola Davis
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Davis in 2023
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| Born | August 11, 1965 |
| Education |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Julius Tennon
(m. 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Mike Colter (second cousin) |
| Awards | Full list |
Viola Davis (born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. She has won many important awards, including the Triple Crown of Acting and the EGOT. The Triple Crown means she has won an Academy Award (Oscar), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. EGOT means she has won all those plus a Grammy Award.
Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2017. The New York Times also called her one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. She received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2025 for her amazing career.
Viola Davis studied at the Juilliard School, a famous performing arts school. She started her acting career in small plays. She made her Broadway debut in 1996 in a play called Seven Guitars. She later won two Tony Awards for her roles in other plays by August Wilson: King Hedley II (2001) and Fences (2010).
She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Rose Maxson in the 2016 film Fences, which was based on the play. She was also nominated for Oscars for her roles in Doubt (2008), The Help (2011), and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020).
On television, she made history as the first Black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This was for her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the TV show How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). She also plays Amanda Waller in the DCEU movies, starting with Suicide Squad (2016). Other major films she has starred in include Widows (2018) and The Woman King (2022).
Viola Davis and her husband started a production company called JuVee Productions. She is also known for supporting human rights and helping women of color. In 2022, her memoir Finding Me won a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for its audiobook version.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Her parents were Mae Alice Davis and Dan Davis. She was born on her grandmother's farm. Her father trained horses, and her mother worked as a maid and factory worker. Viola is one of six children. When she was very young, her parents moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, with her and two older siblings.
Her mother was also an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. When Viola was two, she went to jail with her mother after her mother was arrested during a civil rights protest. Viola has shared that her childhood was very difficult. She remembers living in apartments that were in poor condition and struggling to find enough food. Viola Davis is a second cousin to actor Mike Colter, who is known for playing Luke Cage.
Davis went to Central Falls High School. She credits her love for acting to her involvement in the arts programs there. As a teenager, she participated in federal programs that helped students prepare for college. Her talent was noticed by a director at the Young People's School for the Performing Arts.
After high school, Davis studied theater at Rhode Island College and graduated in 1988. Then, she attended the Juilliard School for four years, where she continued to develop her acting skills.
Acting Career Highlights
Starting on Stage and Screen (1992–1999)
In 1992, Viola Davis got her first professional stage role in a play by William Shakespeare. In 1996, she made her debut on Broadway in the play Seven Guitars. Critics praised her performance. That same year, she got her Screen Actors Guild card for a small role as a nurse in the film The Substance of Fire. She also appeared in TV shows like NYPD Blue and New York Undercover. In 1998, she had a small role in the crime film Out of Sight.
Broadway Success and Film Roles (2000–2010)
In 2001, Davis returned to Broadway in another play by August Wilson, King Hedley II. Her performance earned her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She also won a Drama Desk Award. She won another Drama Desk Award in 2004 for her work in an off-Broadway play called Intimate Apparel.
During the early 2000s, Davis appeared in many films. She had roles in Solaris and Traffic. She also had a small, uncredited voice role in Ocean's Eleven. She appeared in Kate & Leopold (2001) and Antwone Fisher (2002). Her TV work included a recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2008, Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film Doubt. Even though she had only one scene, her performance was highly praised. Film critic Roger Ebert said her scene was "the emotional heart and soul" of the film. She was nominated for several awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2010, Davis returned to Broadway in a new production of Fences, starring alongside Denzel Washington. Critics loved her performance. She won her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Play. She was the second African-American actress to win this award. In 2010, she also had small roles in films like Knight and Day and Eat Pray Love.
Worldwide Fame and Awards (2011–2016)
In 2011, Davis starred as Aibileen Clark in The Help. She played a housemaid in 1960s Mississippi. Davis said she channeled her mother and grandmother for the role. She received great praise for her work. She won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and was nominated for her second Academy Award. She also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award.
In 2012, Time magazine named Davis one of the most influential people in the world. In 2014, Davis worked again with The Help director Tate Taylor in Get on Up, a movie about James Brown. Her daughter, Genesis, also appeared in the film.
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In 2014, Davis was cast as the main character in the TV show How to Get Away with Murder. In 2015, she became the first African-American actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for this role. She won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performance in 2014 and 2015.
In 2016, Davis played Rose Maxson again in the film version of Fences, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. Her performance was highly praised. She received her third Academy Award nomination, making her the first Black actress to achieve this. She then won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for this role.
Continued Success (2017–present)
In 2017, Viola Davis received the 2,597th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her friend and Doubt co-star Meryl Streep presented the award to her. Davis was also named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" for the second time. Meryl Streep wrote the article about her, calling Davis's acting "unassailable, undeniable, deep and rich and true." In March 2017, Davis received the Artist of the Year Award from Harvard University.
In 2017, Davis announced she would write a sequel to the children's book Corduroy, called Corduroy Takes a Bow. The book was published in 2018.
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In 2018, Davis launched Two-Sides, a documentary series exploring how police interact with the African-American community. She also starred in a special crossover episode of How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal. This guest appearance earned her another Emmy Award nomination. That same year, Davis starred in the heist thriller Widows. Critics praised her performance, with one calling her "never more commanding." She received a British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Actress for this role.
In 2020, Davis was an executive producer and appeared in the documentary film Giving Voice. This film followed students competing in an August Wilson monologue competition. That same year, she starred alongside Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. She played the main character, Ma Rainey. She received critical acclaim and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her performance. She also received her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the most-nominated Black actress in Oscar history.
In 2021, Davis played Amanda Waller again in the superhero film The Suicide Squad. She also appeared in the drama film The Unforgivable. Davis appeared as Amanda Waller in the TV show Peacemaker and the film Black Adam. In 2022, Davis executive produced and played former First Lady Michelle Obama in the TV series The First Lady. She also starred in The Woman King, a historical action film. In August 2022, it was announced that Davis was cast as Dr. Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
In March 2024, Viola Davis was honored with her own Barbie doll to celebrate International Women's Day. She also voiced the Chameleon, the main villain in Kung Fu Panda 4. In December 2024, Davis returned as Amanda Waller in the animated TV series Creature Commandos.
Giving Back and Activism
In 2011, Viola Davis donated money to her hometown public library in Central Falls, Rhode Island. This helped prevent its closure due to a lack of funding. In 2018, she also donated to her old high school's theater program.
Since 2014, Davis has worked with the Hunger Is campaign to help end childhood hunger in America. She shared that she was one of those children who went to bed hungry. She recalled having to find food in difficult ways. She said that everyone should have a chance to grow up and achieve their dreams. In September 2017, Davis started the $30K in 30 Days Project with Hunger Is. She awarded a $1,000 grant to a food bank in her home state.
As part of her work with Vaseline, Davis helped open a free community health center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 2016. This project helps people affected by poverty get skin care. She was also a speaker at the 2018 Women's March event in Los Angeles.
Personal Life
Viola Davis married actor Julius Tennon in June 2003. In 2011, they adopted a daughter named Genesis. Davis is also a stepmother to Tennon's two children from previous relationships.
Achievements and Awards
Viola Davis is considered one of the greatest actors of her time. Many critics praise her ability to show deep emotions in her performances. Steve McQueen, who directed her in Widows, called her "one of the greatest actors of her generation."
For her stage work, Davis has won two Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, an Obie Award, and a Theater World Award. She was the first actress of color to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Davis is also the first African-American to win five Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She has also been nominated for six Golden Globes Awards and three BAFTA Awards, winning one of each. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences (2016). This made her the first Black performer to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting (winning an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony). She is also the first actress of color to receive four Academy Award nominations.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has recognized Davis for these films:
- Doubt (2008): Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
- The Help (2011): Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
- Fences (2016): Won Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020): Nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Davis received honorary doctorates from Rhode Island College in 2002 and Indiana University in 2020. In February 2023, she won a Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her autobiography Finding Me. This made her the 18th person to achieve EGOT status. In 2024, it was announced she would receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. In December 2024, Davis and her husband Julius Tennon received an award for their production company, JuVee Productions.
See also
In Spanish: Viola Davis para niños
