Viola Davis

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Viola Davis, see Viola Davis (disambiguation).

Viola Davis
Davis at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1965-08-11) August 11, 1965 (age 58)
St. Matthews, South Carolina, U.S.
Education
Occupations
  • Actress
  • producer
Years active1988–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
Julius Tennon
​
(m. 2003)​
Children1
RelativesMike Colter (second cousin)
AwardsFull list

Viola Davis (/vaɪˈoʊl.ə/; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. Known for her work across screen and stage, she has received numerous accolades and is one of three artists to achieve both the Triple Crown of Acting and the EGOT.[a] Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2017.[1][2] In 2020, The New York Times ranked her ninth on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century.[3][4]

A graduate of

Juilliard, Davis began her career in Central Falls, Rhode Island, appearing in small stage productions, before expanding to screen with minor roles in film and television during the late 1990s and early 2000s. She won two Tony Awards—Best Featured Actress in a Play and Best Actress in a Play—for the respective roles of Tonya in the 2001 Broadway production of August Wilson's King Hedley II (2001) and Rose Maxson in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences (2010).[5]

The drama

Academy Award nomination. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a 1960s housemaid in The Help (2011) and Ma Rainey in the biopic Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for reprising her role in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. Her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020) won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first black actress to do so.[b] Davis is also recognized for appearing in big budget blockbusters, playing Amanda Waller in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Suicide Squad (2016), and leading the historical action film The Woman King
(2022).

Davis and her husband are founders of the production company JuVee Productions, and she is also widely recognized for her advocacy and support for

L'Oréal Paris ambassador in 2019. The audiobook narration of her 2022 memoir Finding Me won her the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording
.

Early life and education

Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina,[6] to Mae Alice Davis (née Logan) and Dan Davis.[7][8][9] She was born on her grandmother's farm on the Singleton Plantation.[10] Her father was a horse trainer, and her mother was a maid, factory worker and homemaker.[11][12][13] She is the second youngest of six children, having four sisters and a brother.[14] Soon after she was born, her parents moved with Davis and two of her older siblings to Central Falls, Rhode Island, leaving her other siblings with her grandparents.[9]

Her mother was also an activist during the

Civil Rights Movement.[13] When she was two years old, Davis was taken to jail with her mother after she was arrested during a civil rights protest.[15] She has described herself as having "lived in abject poverty and dysfunction" during her childhood,[16] recalling living in "rat-infested and condemned" apartments.[17] Davis is a second cousin of actor Mike Colter, known for portraying the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage.[18]

Davis attended

TRIO Student Support Services programs.[20] 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.[21]

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,[12][13] and was a member of the school's Drama Division "Group 22" (1989–93).[22]

Career

Early work and breakthrough on stage (1992–1999)

In 1992, Davis starred in her first professional stage role, an off Broadway production of

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.[23][24] 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.[25] 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).

Film breakthrough and further stage success (2000–2010)

In 2001, she returned to the Broadway stage in another play by

Best Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award.[26] 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

Badge".[30]

In 2005 and 2006, Davis began a recurring role opposite Tom Selleck in a series of films made for television based on novels by Robert B. Parker, Jesse Stone: Stone Cold, Jesse Stone: Night Passage and Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise.

Academy Award nomination for Doubt
(2008)

In 2008, Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film adaptation of the

Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[33]

On June 30, 2009, Davis was inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[34]

In 2010, Davis returned to Broadway in her third August Wilson play, this time a revival of

Tony Award for her performance.[36] 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

Ryan Fleck, adapted from the 2006 novel by Ned Vizzini.[37]

Worldwide recognition and continued acclaim (2011–2016)

In August 2011, Davis starred as Aibileen Clark, a housemaid in 1960s Mississippi, in the film adaptation of

BAFTA Award nominations.[43][44]

In 2012,

Get on Up, a biopic of James Brown, playing Brown's mother.[48] Her daughter, Genesis, also appeared in the film.[49]

Davis at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards

In February 2014, Davis was cast in

Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her performance on the show.[59]

In 2015, Davis appeared in

Michael Mann-directed thriller film starring Chris Hemsworth.[60] Davis also served as executive-producer of the crime drama film Lila & Eve, starring herself and Jennifer Lopez in the titular roles.[61] In 2016, Davis starred in the courtroom drama Custody, on which she also served as an executive producer,[62] and played Amanda Waller in the film Suicide Squad, an adaptation of a DC Comics series of the same name.[63]

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.[64] 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,[65] and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.[66]

Established actress (2017–present)

In 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: "It's like my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can say is, God has blessed my life in abundance."[67] 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.[68] 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."[69] In March 2017, Davis was awarded the Artist of the Year Award at Harvard University.[70]

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".[71] The book was published by Penguin Random House later in 2018.[72][73]

Davis in 2022

In 2018, Davis debuted Two-Sides, a documentary series exploring police brutality towards the African-American community. The series debuted on

British Academy Film Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance.[77]

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.[78][79] That same year, she starred alongside Chadwick Boseman (in his final onscreen performance) as the titular character in the biographical drama Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, based on the 1982 play of the same name and directed by George C. Wolfe.[80] She received critical acclaim and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her performance,[81] in addition to her sixth Golden Globe Award nomination and her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, her fourth nomination overall.[82] With that nomination, she became the most-nominated black actress in the history of the Academy Awards,[83] as well as the first black actress to have been nominated for Best Actress more than once.[84] She also appeared on the cover of the July/August 2020 issue of Vanity Fair, photographed by Dario Calmese.[85]

In 2021, Davis reprised her role as Amanda Waller in the superhero film The Suicide Squad.[86] Also in 2021, she appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in the drama film The Unforgivable, directed by Nora Fingscheidt.[87][88] Davis appeared uncredited as Amanda Waller in two episodes, "A Whole New Whirled" and "It's Cow or Never", in season 1 of the show Peacemaker, a spin-off of The Suicide Squad, and in the film, Black Adam.[89][90][91] Davis executive produced and played former First Lady Michelle Obama in The First Lady, a Showtime drama series. It premiered in April 2022.[92] After receiving criticism on social media for her portrayal, Davis responded by calling the disapproval "incredibly hurtful" and saying "it is my job as a leader to make bold choices."[93][94] In 2022, Davis starred in The Woman King, inspired by true events that took place within The Kingdom of Dahomey.[95] The film tells the story of Nanisca, the general of an all-female military unit, played by Davis, and her daughter Nawi, played by Thuso Mbedu.[96] Davis was the narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional at Disneyland in 2022.[97] In August 2022, it was reported that Davis was cast as Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul in the prequel to The Hunger Games film series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.[98] In February 2023, it was announced that Davis will reprise her role as Amanda Waller in both the two upcoming HBO Max TV series, the animated Creature Commandos and the live-action Waller, with Christal Henry and Jeremy Carver as the latter show's showrunners, a series that takes place between season 1 and season 2 of Peacemaker, for which Davis will also serve as executive producer.[99]

In March 2024, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of International Women's Day, Davis was one of a number of female celebrities had their likeness turned into Barbie dolls.[100]

Also in March, Davis voiced the Chameleon, who was the main antagonist of Kung Fu Panda 4, the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

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.[101] In 2018, Davis donated funds to her alma mater, Central Falls High School, for its theater program.[102][103][104]

Since 2014, Davis has collaborated with the Hunger Is campaign to help eradicate childhood hunger across America.[105] 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."[106] 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".[107] 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.[105]

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.[103] The project provides dermatological care to help heal the skin of those affected by poverty around the world.[108][109][110] She was also a speaker at the 2018 Women's March event in Los Angeles.[111]

On New Year's Eve 2020, Davis urged Georgia voters who voted via mail or dropbox to track their ballots to ensure their votes count, directing them to VoteRiders for information and help to cure ballots that were not accepted.[112]

Personal life

Davis married actor Julius Tennon in June 2003.[113] In 2011, the couple adopted an infant daughter named Genesis. 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]

Acting credits and accolades

Main articles: Viola Davis on screen and stage and List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis

For her stage work, Davis has won two

Tony.[119] She is also the first actress of color to have received four Academy Award nominations.[120] Davis was awarded an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from her undergraduate alma mater, Rhode Island College, in 2002.[121] On January 20, 2020, Davis was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in fine arts from Indiana University.[122] In February 2023, she was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for the narration to her 2022 autobiography Finding Me, making her the 18th person to achieve EGOT status.[123]

Davis has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the following films:

Books

  • Davis, Viola (April 22, 2022). Finding Me. New York: HarperOne.
    OCLC 1303567791
    .

See also

Notes

  1. ^ After Helen Hayes and Rita Moreno
  2. ^ Since then, only Zendaya has achieved such, winning twice for her role in Euphoria (2019–present).
  3. ^ Alongside Davis, Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight, this marked the first time that both supporting role winners were people of color. Only once since have both supporting role winners been of another ethnicity other than white, this being in 2021 with Daniel Kaluuya and Youn Yuh-jung's respective wins for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
  4. of color to be nominated four times
    and twice in both acting categories.

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External links

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