Viola Davis, an acclaimed American actress, was born on August 11, 1965, in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, and grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Known for her commanding performances and dignified presence, she achieved the exceptional accomplishment of securing the four major North American entertainment awards (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), thus earning an EGOT status.
Her early years were marked by financial struggles, with her father working as a horse groom and her mother in various jobs. Despite living in challenging conditions, including substandard housing and food insecurity, Davis discovered her passion for acting in school plays and theatre competitions. She pursued theatre at Rhode Island College, graduating in 1988, and further honed her craft at the Young Peoples School for the Performing Arts in Rhode Island on a scholarship. Her dedication led her to the prestigious Juilliard School, where she graduated in 1994.
Davis’s Broadway debut came in 1996 with August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars,” earning her a Tony Award nomination. Her film career began that same year with “The Substance of Fire.” She continued to collaborate with director Steven Soderbergh, appearing in “Out of Sight” (1998), “Traffic” (2000), and “Solaris” (2002). Her stage presence was further established in the Off-Broadway drama “Everybody’s Ruby” in 1999 and in her return to Broadway with Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” winning a Tony for her performance.
In film, Davis showcased her range with roles in “Far from Heaven” (2002), “Antwone Fisher” (2002), and in the Off-Broadway play “Intimate Apparel” (2004). Her brief but powerful role in “Doubt” (2008) earned her Academy and Golden Globe nominations. Her comedic talent was displayed in Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail” (2009) and on the TV series “United States of Tara” (2010). She won another Tony for “Fences” in a Broadway revival opposite Denzel Washington in 2010.
Davis gained significant acclaim for her lead role in “The Help” (2011), earning Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. She appeared in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (2011), and later in “Won’t Back Down” (2012), “Prisoners” (2013), and “Ender’s Game” (2013). In 2014, she portrayed the mother of James Brown in “Get on Up” and starred in the TV series “How to Get Away with Murder” (2014–20), winning an Emmy for her performance.
Her role in “Suicide Squad” (2016) and its sequel in 2021, and her re-collaboration with Washington in the film adaptation of “Fences” (2016), brought her a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. This achievement made her the first Black woman to win an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony for acting.
Davis continued to earn acclaim with “Widows” (2018), and her portrayal of Ma Rainey in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020) garnered her another Oscar nomination. She appeared in “The Unforgivable” (2021), portrayed Michelle Obama in “The First Lady” (2022), and starred in “The Woman King” (2022). In 2023, she featured in Ben Affleck’s “Air,” earning praise for her role.
Davis’s memoir, “Finding Me,” published in 2022, led to her winning a Grammy for its audio version in 2023, thus securing her as the third Black woman to achieve an EGOT.
