Viola Davis

Viola Davis

Acting
Born 1965-08-11St. Matthews, South Carolina, USA

Biography

Viola Davis (/vaɪˈoʊlə/ vy-OH-lə; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2017. The New York Times ranked her ninth on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century (2020). Davis received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2025. A graduate of Juilliard, Davis began her career in Central Falls, Rhode Island, appearing in small stage productions. She made her Broadway debut in the August Wilson play Seven Guitars (1996) for which she earned her first Tony nomination. She would later win two Tony Awards, both for Wilson plays. Her first win was for Best Featured Actress in a Play playing the titular character Tonya, a woman grappling with trauma and loss in King Hedley II (2001), followed by her second win for Best Actress in a Play playing Rose Maxson, a working class mother in Fences (2010). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for reprising her role in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. She was Oscar-nominated for playing a complex mother in Doubt (2008), a 1960s housemaid in The Help (2011) and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). On television, she became the first black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). Davis joined the DCEU playing Amanda Waller starting with Suicide Squad (2016). She has also starred in the crime drama Widows(2018), and 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 human rights and women of color. She became a 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Viola Davis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies (83)

Black Adam
6.8

Black Adam

2022Movie6.8
Prisoners
8.1

Prisoners

2013Movie8.1
The Suicide Squad
7.4

The Suicide Squad

2021Movie7.4
Ocean's Eleven
7.5

Ocean's Eleven

2001Movie7.5
Kung Fu Panda 4
7.0

Kung Fu Panda 4

2024Movie7.0
The Help
8.2

The Help

2011Movie8.2
Law Abiding Citizen
7.4

Law Abiding Citizen

2009Movie7.4
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
7.0

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

2023Movie7.0
Blackhat
5.5

Blackhat

2015Movie5.5
Suicide Squad
5.9

Suicide Squad

2016Movie5.9
Widows
6.5

Widows

2018Movie6.5
The Woman King
7.6

The Woman King

2022Movie7.6
Ender's Game
6.6

Ender's Game

2013Movie6.6
Knight and Day
6.2

Knight and Day

2010Movie6.2
Eat Pray Love
6.2

Eat Pray Love

2010Movie6.2
Traffic
7.1

Traffic

2000Movie7.1
Air
7.3

Air

2023Movie7.3
Disturbia
6.7

Disturbia

2007Movie6.7
The Unforgivable
7.4

The Unforgivable

2021Movie7.4
State of Play
6.8

State of Play

2009Movie6.8
Kate & Leopold
6.3

Kate & Leopold

2001Movie6.3
Out of Sight
6.7

Out of Sight

1998Movie6.7
Syriana
6.4

Syriana

2005Movie6.4
Trust
6.6

Trust

2010Movie6.6
Beautiful Creatures
6.0

Beautiful Creatures

2013Movie6.0
The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Mortality
1.0

The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Mortality

2025Movie1.0
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
6.6

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2020Movie6.6
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
7.0

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

2011Movie7.0
Far from Heaven
7.1

Far from Heaven

2002Movie7.1
Solaris
6.0

Solaris

2002Movie6.0
World Trade Center
6.1

World Trade Center

2006Movie6.1
Antwone Fisher
6.9

Antwone Fisher

2002Movie6.9
Fences
6.9

Fences

2016Movie6.9
It's Kind of a Funny Story
6.9

It's Kind of a Funny Story

2010Movie6.9
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
6.8

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

2005Movie6.8
G20
6.3

G20

2025Movie6.3
Doubt
7.2

Doubt

2008Movie7.2
Nights in Rodanthe
6.2

Nights in Rodanthe

2008Movie6.2
Jesse Stone: Night Passage
6.9

Jesse Stone: Night Passage

2006Movie6.9
Get On Up
6.8

Get On Up

2014Movie6.8
Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
7.5

Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

2024Movie7.5
Stone Cold
6.8

Stone Cold

2005Movie6.8
Beyond All Boundaries
6.8

Beyond All Boundaries

2009Movie6.8
Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone

2027Movie
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise
6.9

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

2006Movie6.9
Custody
6.9

Custody

2016Movie6.9
On Broadway
8.7

On Broadway

2019Movie8.7
Jesse Stone: Sea Change
7.0

Jesse Stone: Sea Change

2007Movie7.0
Ally Clark

Ally Clark

Movie
Won't Back Down
6.1

Won't Back Down

2012Movie6.1
The Shrink Is In
4.8

The Shrink Is In

2001Movie4.8
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
6.1

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"

2019Movie6.1
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them
6.2

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

2014Movie6.2
Troop Zero
7.0

Troop Zero

2019Movie7.0
The Pentagon Wars
6.9

The Pentagon Wars

1998Movie6.9
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
5.4

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

2018Movie5.4
Dark Girls
6.8

Dark Girls

2011Movie6.8
Love, Marilyn
6.5

Love, Marilyn

2013Movie6.5
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
6.6

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her

2014Movie6.6
Lila & Eve
6.1

Lila & Eve

2015Movie6.1
Madea Goes to Jail
6.5

Madea Goes to Jail

2009Movie6.5
Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
6.2

Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story

2006Movie6.2
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him
6.7

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

2014Movie6.7
The Architect
5.7

The Architect

2006Movie5.7
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause
6.0

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

2026Movie6.0
Small Great Things

Small Great Things

Movie
Doubt: Stage to Screen
6.5

Doubt: Stage to Screen

2009Movie6.5
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
7.5

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

2017Movie7.5
Grace & Glorie
6.3

Grace & Glorie

1998Movie6.3
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

2006Movie
The Substance of Fire
6.4

The Substance of Fire

1996Movie6.4
Amy & Isabelle
5.6

Amy & Isabelle

2001Movie5.6
Giving Voice
6.4

Giving Voice

2020Movie6.4
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

Movie
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand

August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand

2015Movie
Miss Apprehension and Squirt

Miss Apprehension and Squirt

1998Movie
Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event
6.4

Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event

2022Movie6.4
Operation Othello

Operation Othello

Movie
Two Butterflies

Two Butterflies

Movie
I Almost Forgot About You

I Almost Forgot About You

Movie
House of Games

House of Games

Movie
A Touch of Sugar
1.0

A Touch of Sugar

2019Movie1.0
Food 2050
10.0

Food 2050

2022Movie10.0

TV Shows (57)

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
4.9

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

2009Series4.9
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
8.0

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999Series8.0
The Simpsons
8.0

The Simpsons

1989Series8.0
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
5.8

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

2014Series5.8
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
6.1

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

2015Series6.1
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
7.6

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

2000Series7.6
The Kelly Clarkson Show
6.3

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019Series6.3
Late Night with Seth Meyers
5.1

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014Series5.1
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
7.6

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

2001Series7.6
The Graham Norton Show
7.2

The Graham Norton Show

2007Series7.2
The Jennifer Hudson Show
5.6

The Jennifer Hudson Show

2022Series5.6
NYPD Blue
7.0

NYPD Blue

1993Series7.0
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
5.3

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003Series5.3
The View
4.3

The View

1997Series4.3
Without a Trace
7.2

Without a Trace

2002Series7.2
Scandal
7.2

Scandal

2012Series7.2
How to Get Away with Murder
7.8

How to Get Away with Murder

2014Series7.8
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
5.4

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

1992Series5.4
Golden Globe Awards
7.0

Golden Globe Awards

1944Series7.0
Third Watch
7.9

Third Watch

1999Series7.9
60 Minutes
6.5

60 Minutes

1968Series6.5
CBS News Sunday Morning
6.8

CBS News Sunday Morning

1979Series6.8
Judging Amy
7.5

Judging Amy

1999Series7.5
Hot Ones
7.1

Hot Ones

2015Series7.1
The Practice
7.6

The Practice

1997Series7.6
Peacemaker
8.2

Peacemaker

2022Series8.2
Brothers and Sisters
7.1

Brothers and Sisters

2006Series7.1
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
5.6

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2003Series5.6
Tony Awards

Tony Awards

1956Series
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
6.2

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

2015Series6.2
The Division
7.1

The Division

2001Series7.1
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
4.2

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

2014Series4.2
The Guardian
7.0

The Guardian

2001Series7.0
Sofia the First
7.2

Sofia the First

2013Series7.2
Creature Commandos
7.8

Creature Commandos

2024Series7.8
Number One on the Call Sheet
3.9

Number One on the Call Sheet

2025Series3.9
The Oscars
7.0

The Oscars

1953Series7.0
Providence
6.7

Providence

1999Series6.7
Hot Ones Versus
8.8

Hot Ones Versus

2024Series8.8
United States of Tara
7.1

United States of Tara

2009Series7.1
Hack
7.7

Hack

2002Series7.7
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
10.0

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

2025Series10.0
Live from E!
3.7

Live from E!

2002Series3.7
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
6.0

The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA

1995Series6.0
C ce soir, le débat
2.0

C ce soir, le débat

2021Series2.0
Dear...
5.0

Dear...

2020Series5.0
Threshold
7.0

Threshold

2005Series7.0
Century City
6.0

Century City

2004Series6.0
Celebrity IOU
6.7

Celebrity IOU

2020Series6.7
The First Lady
5.7

The First Lady

2022Series5.7
The Andromeda Strain
6.1

The Andromeda Strain

2008Series6.1
Hollywood Black
3.0

Hollywood Black

2024Series3.0
Traveler
6.7

Traveler

2007Series6.7
City of Angels
9.0

City of Angels

2000Series9.0
Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.8

Hallmark Hall of Fame

1951Series8.8
Ascent

Ascent

Series
The Grammys
8.6

The Grammys

1959Series8.6