Who is Viola Davis?
Viola Davis is an American actress and film producer who was born on August 11, 1965. EGOT and the Triple Crown of Acting are among her honors. In 2012 and 2017, Time named her one of the world’s 100 most influential people. She came in at number nine on the New York Times’ 2020 list of the finest actors of the twenty-first century. In 2025, Davis was granted the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
After graduating from Juilliard, Viola Davis started her career in small-scale theatrical performances in Central Falls, Rhode Island. She received her first Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in the August Wilson drama Seven Guitars (1996). Later on, she would win two Tony Awards for her plays by Wilson. In King Hedley II (2001), she won Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Tonya, a lady coping with pain and grief. In Fences (2010), she won Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Rose Maxson, a working-class mother.
In the 2016 Fences movie, she reprised her role and took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her roles as a complicated mother in Doubt (2008), a housemaid from the 1960s in The Help (2011), and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) earned her an Oscar nomination.
Her portrayal of attorney Annalise Keating in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020) earned her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead woman in a Drama Series, making her the first black woman to do so. From Suicide Squad (2016) to Black Adam (2022), Davis played Amanda Waller in the DC Extended Universe. In the DC Universe reboot, she plays the same role again. In addition, she starred in the historical action movie The Woman King (2022) and the criminal drama Widows (2018).
In addition to being well-known for her support and advocacy of women of color and human rights, Davis and her husband founded the production business JuVee Productions. In 2019, she was appointed ambassador to L’Oréal Paris. She received the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her 2022 memoir Finding Me’s audiobook narration.
Early Life and Education
Mae Alice Davis (née Logan) and Dan Davis welcomed Davis into the world on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Viola Davis was born on the Singleton Plantation, on her grandmother’s estate. Her mother worked as a maid, a factory worker, and a homemaker, while her father trained horses. She has four sisters and a brother, making her the second youngest of six children. Her siblings were left with her grandparents when her parents relocated to Central Falls, Rhode Island, shortly after she was born, along with Davis and two of her elder siblings.
Her mother participated in the Civil Rights Movement as an activist as well. Davis was detained at a civil rights demonstration when she was two years old, and she and her mother were transported to jail. According to her own account, she “lived in abject poverty and dysfunction” as a youngster, remembering “rat-infested and condemned” apartments. Actor Mike Colter, best known for playing Luke Cage in Marvel Comics, has Davis as a second cousin.
Davis’ passion of stage acting and her interest in the arts are partly attributed to her time at Central Falls High School, her alma mater. She participated in the government TRIO Student Support Services and TRIO Upward Bound programs as a teenager. Bernard Masterson, a director at the Young People’s School for the Performing Arts in West Warwick, Rhode Island, noticed Davis’s talent while he was a student there. Following high school, Davis attended Rhode Island College, where he majored in drama and took part in the National Student Exchange before earning his degree in 1988.
She then spent four years at the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York City, where she participated in the Drama Division’s “Group 22” (1989–93). According to Davis’s 2025 interview, her Julliard degree improved her as a “white actress” but not necessarily as an actor. However, she continued, “what it denies is the human being behind all that, and as a black actress I’m always asked to show range by doing white work.” She explained that her formal technical training aided her in playing classic parts from Shakespeare, Chekhov, O’Neill, and Strindberg. “I can do what I can with Tennessee Williams, but he writes for frail white women,” she said.
It’s not me, but it’s beautiful work.” According to her, black playwrights like Lorraine Hansberry and August Wilson aren’t studied as much as the others she trained under.
Career
Early work and breakthrough on stage (1992–1999)
Alongside Elizabeth McGovern, Viola Davis played Denis in the Delacorte Theatre’s 1992 off-Broadway adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It, marking her first professional theatrical performance. Alongside Keith David, she debuted on Broadway in 1996 as Vera in the original Broadway production of August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. On March 6, the drama debuted at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway. Her performance was praised by critics. In 1996, Viola Davis earned her Screen Actors Guild card for a single day of work in the movie The Substance of Fire, in which she plays a nurse who gives a vial of blood to Timothy Hutton, her future co-star in How to Get Away with Murder. $518 was paid to her.
Viola Davis kept performing off Broadway in a variety of shows and made brief appearances on television, such as in NYPD Blue (1996) and New York Undercover (1996). She also starred alongside Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes in the 1996 military comedy film The Pentagon Wars, which was broadcast on HBO. She had a minor part in Out of Sight (1999), a crime comedy directed by Steven Soderbergh, in 1998.
Film breakthrough and further stage success (2000–2010)
In King Hedley II, another August Wilson piece, she made her Broadway comeback in 2001, playing Tonya, a “35-year-old mother fighting eloquently for the right to abort a pregnancy.” She won a Drama Desk Award and her first Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance, which was praised by critics. Her performance in Lynn Nottage’s 2004 off-Broadway staging of Intimate Apparel earned her another Drama Desk Award.
Viola Davis starred in a number of films in the early 2000s, such as Soderbergh’s Solaris and Traffic and George Clooney’s Syriana (2005), which Soderbergh produced. In the opening sequence of Ocean’s Eleven (2001), she provided the uncredited voice of the parole board interrogator who questions Danny Ocean (Clooney). She also made cameos in the drama Antwone Fisher (2002) and the romance comedy Kate & Leopold (2001). She also had supporting parts in Far From Heaven (2002), a costume drama directed by Todd Haynes and starring Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore. Her television credits include a special guest appearance in the “Badge” episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and major roles in the short-lived shows Traveler and Century City.
In the television movies Jesse Stone: Stone Cold, Jesse Stone: Night Passage, and Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, which were adapted from Robert B. Parker’s novels, Davis started playing a recurrent role opposite Tom Selleck in 2005 and 2006.
Viola Davis portrayed Mrs. Miller in the 2008 movie Doubt, which starred Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Meryl Streep and was based on the Broadway play by John Patrick Shanley. Even though Davis only appeared in a few scenes, her performance was praised by renowned Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert, who wrote, “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.” In addition, Ebert would 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.” For her work, she received nominations for multiple prizes, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. Davis received his Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences induction on June 30, 2009.
In 2010, she made her Broadway comeback in a revival of Fences as Rose Maxson, costarring with Denzel Washington in her third August Wilson piece. Criticism praised her performance, with theater reviewer Ben Brantley of The New York Times calling it “extraordinary” and stating that “Ms. Davis, who won a Tony for her performance in Wilson’s King Hedley II, may well pick up another for her work here.” Bone-tired and infused with sensual brightness, her face is a poignant oxymoron. A second Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play went to Davis on June 13, 2010.
In 2010, Viola Davis played minor parts in the romantic comedy Eat Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts, and the romantic comedy thriller Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. In the same year, she also portrayed Dr. Minerva in the coming-of-age movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010), which was written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and was based on Ned Vizzini’s 2006 novel.
Worldwide recognition and continued acclaim (2011–2016)
In the August 2011 Tate Taylor-directed film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help, Viola Davis played Aibileen Clark, a housemaid in 1960s Mississippi, costarring with Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jessica Chastain. According to Davis, she channeled her grandmother and mother during her portrayal in the movie, adding, “I feel like I brought my mom to life; I’ve channeled her spirit.” In a way, I honored my grandmother’s contributions to my life and the lives of countless others by channeling her spirit.
Since then, she has voiced her sincere regret for accepting the job; while she still has a lot of respect for the people she worked with, she believes that the portrayal and storyline do not accurately reflect the lives of the black characters. After garnering recognition for her effort, Davis went on to win two Screen Actors Guild Awards, her second Academy Award nomination, and nominations for the Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards.
Time magazine named Viola Davis one of the world’s most influential persons in 2012. She was voted the Glamour magazine’s Film Actress of the Year in 2012. Viola Davis was given the Women in Film Crystal Award on June 12, 2012. In 2014, She played James Brown’s mother in the biopic Get on Up, which reunited her with Tate Taylor, the director of The Help. Genesis, her daughter, also made an appearance in the movie.
Viola Davis starred in the 2015 thriller Blackhat, which was directed by Michael Mann and starred Chris Hemsworth. The murder drama film Lila & Eve, which starred Davis and Jennifer Lopez in the title characters, was also executive-produced by Davis. In 2016, she played Amanda Waller in the movie Suicide Squad, which was based on the DC Comics book of the same name, and also starred in the courtroom drama Custody, on which she also acted as executive producer.
In the Denzel Washington-directed and starred Fences movie from 2016, Davis returned to her role as Rose Maxson. She became the first black actress in history to receive both a third Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance. She later won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Established actress (2017–present)
Meryl Streep, Davis’s friend and co-star from Doubt, gave her the 2,597th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. “It’s like my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can say is, God has blessed my life in abundance,” Davis remarked as he accepted the medal. Additionally, for the second time since her debut in 2012, Viola Davis was featured on the cover and included in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” List. According to the magazine’s article, Streep wrote that Davis has “carved a place for herself on the Mount Rushmore of the 21st century” and that “her gifts as an artist are unassailable, undeniable, deep and rich and true.”
But what makes her exceptional is her significance to the culture, her capacity to recognize it, and her readiness to discuss and accept responsibility for it. Viola Davis received Harvard University’s Artist of the Year Award in March 2017.
In a press release, Viola Davis said, “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.” In 2017, she also revealed that she would write Corduroy Takes a Bow, the sequel to the beloved picture book Corduroy. The book was published by Penguin Random House later in 2018.
In 2020, she was an executive producer and starred in the documentary Giving Voice, which followed kids as they competed on Broadway in the August Wilson monologue competition. In the same year, she costarred with Chadwick Boseman (in his last on-screen role) as the title character in the George C. Wolfe-directed biographical drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which was based on the 1982 play of the same name. In addition to her sixth Golden Globe nomination and her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, her fourth overall, she was praised by critics and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding portrayal by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her portrayal.
With the nomination, she became the first black actress to get multiple Best Actress nominations and the most nominated black actress in Academy Awards history. Additionally, she was photographed by Dario Calmese and featured on the cover of Vanity Fair’s July/August 2020 edition.
Viola Davis was one of several female celebrities whose likenesses were converted into Barbie dolls in March 2024 to mark the 65th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The Chameleon, the primary adversary of Kung Fu Panda 4, the fourth game in the series of the same name, was voiced by Davis in March as well. Davis played Amanda Waller again in the animated Max TV series Creature Commandos in December 2024. Davis portrayed the president of the United States in the action thriller G20 in 2025.
Viola Davis Material Status
In June 2003, Viola Davis wed Julius Tennon, an actor. Genesis (b. 2010), the couple’s adopted daughter, was born in 2011. Tennon’s two children from other relationships are also stepmothered by Davis.
Faith
The award-winning Fences actress prayed to God for a husband who gave her everything she wanted. Three weeks later, her request was fulfilled. After Viola Davis accepted his invitation to church, she and Julius Tennon exchanged a permanent “I do” statement. They also worked together to co-produce the documentary Emmanuel, which chronicles the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Viola Davis Net Worth
In 2025, Viola Davis is expected to have a net worth of USD 25 million. Davis’s earnings as an actress and producer make up the majority of her 2025 net worth.
Accolades and acting credits
Many people consider Viola Davis to be among the best actors of her generation. “Delivering deeply felt performances, unmatched in their ability to access a seemingly endless well of emotion while remaining undeniably grounded” is how Chris Murphy of Vanity Fair attributed her success and recognition. The director of Widows, Steve McQueen, referred to Davis as “one of the greatest actors of her generation” and said she could play any part given the chance.
Viola Davis has received two Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, an Obie Award, and a Theater World Award for her stage performance. She is notable for being the first actress of color to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy. Having won five Screen Actors Guild Awards, Viola Davis is the only African-American to do so. With six total wins, she is the most honoured African American and tied for the most film victories for an actress at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition to winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences (2016), she has been nominated for six Golden Globes and three BAFTA Awards, winning one of each.
As a result, she won a competitive Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony, making her the first Black actor to win the Triple Crown of Acting. In addition, she is the first actress of color to be nominated for four Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has honoured Davis for the following motion films:
- 81st Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, nomination, for Doubt (2008)
- 84th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, for The Help (2011)
- 89th Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, win, for Fences (2016)
- 93rd Academy Awards, Best Actress in a Leading Role, nomination, for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
In 2002, she received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Rhode Island College, where she completed her undergraduate studies. Viola Davis received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Indiana University on January 20, 2020. She became the 18th person to reach EGOT status in February 2023 when she won the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for the narration of her 2022 autobiography Finding Me. It was revealed in 2024 that she would be the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award. For the efforts of their production firm JuVee Productions, Davis and her husband Julius Tennon received the first-ever Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honor from the Coalition for Faith and Media in December 2024.
