Viola Davis

At 58 years old, Viola Davis has this physical status:

Career

Davis appeared onstage for the first time in 1992, as Denis and Elizabeth McGovern at the Delacorte Theatre in an off Broadway revival of William Shakespeare's As You Like It as Denis. Davis made her Broadway debut in August Wilson's Seven Guitars as the Vera's first Broadway performance. On March 6, the Walter Kerr Theatre opened on Broadway. She has been lauded for her role. Davis received her Screen Actor 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 Subpoena (1996). She was paid $518. Davis continued to perform off Broadway in various productions and appeared in bits on television, including episodes of NYPD Blue (1996) and New York Undercover (1996). She appeared in the HBO television military comedy film The Pentagon Wars (1996) starring Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes. She appeared in Steven Soderbergh's crime comedy film Out of Sight (1999), a small part of a crime comedy film.

In 2001, she appeared in King Hedley II, portraying Tonya, a "35-year-old mother who is vying for the right to abortion a pregnancy." Her appearance drew critical attention, and she was named first in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her first Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award. Lynn Nottage, a 2004 off-Broadway production of Intimate Apparel, received her second Drama Desk Award for her role.

Davis appeared in numerous films, including Soderbergh's Solaris and Traffic, as well as George Clooney's Syriana (2005), which Soderbergh produced in the early 2000s. In the first scene of Ocean's Eleven (2001), hers was the uncredited voice of the parole board interrogator who doubted Danny Ocean (Clooney). Kate & Leopold (2001) and the drama Antwone Fisher (2002) were both short films. She appeared in Todd Haynes' costume drama Far From Heaven (2001), which starred Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. Her television appearances include a regular appearance in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, two short-lived series, Traveler and Century City, as well as a special guest appearance in a Law & Order episode titled "Badge."

Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film version of John Patrick Shanley's Broadway play "Dobt" (1988), starring Meryl Stymour Hoffman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. Despite the fact that Davis had only one scene in the film, she was nevertheless a highlight of the film with noted film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, "It lasts about ten minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of Doubt," she wrote. "She goes face to face the pre-eminent film actress of this generation, and it is a clash of two equals that inspires terrifying power," Ebert continues to write. She was nominated for several awards for her appearance, including a Screen Actor Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Davis was accepted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on June 30, 2009.

Davis appeared in her third August Wilson play, this time as Rose Maxson, a co-star of Fences as Rose Maxson. Davis' appearance in Wilson's King Hedley II was lauded by critics, particularly theatre critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times, who praised her work as "extraordinary." Her visage is a strange beauty, both bone-tired and suffused with sensual radiance. Davis received her second Tony Award on June 13, 2010, for her appearance on June 13, 2010. After Phylicia Rashad, she became the second African-American to win the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play.

Davis appeared in the romantic comedy Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz as well as Julia Roberts' romantic comedy Eat Pray Love. She appeared in It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), a coming-of-age film written and directed by Anna Boden in 2006, Ned Vizzini's fifth book.

In the film version of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help, directed by Tate Taylor and co-starring Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jessica Chastain, Davis starred as Aibileen Clark, a housemaid in 1960s Mississippi. "I feel like I brought my mother to life," Davis said in the film, "I've channeled her spirit." I channeled the spirit of my grandmother, and I've sort of paid tribute to how they've contributed to my life and the lives of so many others." She has since expressed profound regret for taking on the role; although she adores the individuals she served with, she does not agree that the tale or representation of the black characters is truthful about the lives of the black characters. Davis gained acclaim for her work and later received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as other Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award nominations.

Davis was named as one of the world's most influential people in 2012 by Time magazine. Davis Glamour's Film Actress of the Year was named in 2012 by Glamour magazine. Davis received the Women in Film's Crystal Award on June 12, 2012. Davis reunited with Tate Taylor in Get on Up, a biopic of James Brown, who portrays Brown's mother. Genesis, her daughter's daughter, was also included in the film.

Davis was cast in Peter Nowalk's pilot How to Get Away with Murder (executive produced by Shonda Rhimes for her ShondaLand production firm) as the lead character in February 2014. Annalise Keating's character is a tenacious criminal prosecutor and lecturer who finds herself embroiled in a murder plot with her students. In September 2014, it began as a series. Davis received the first African-American award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in September 2015 for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. She was nominated for the role in 2016 for her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Davis also received two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in 2014 and 2015. For her appearance on the program, she received awards from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

Davis appeared in Blackhat, a Michael Mann-directed thriller film starring Chris Hemsworth, in 2015. Davis appeared in the title role as executive producer of Lila & Eve, starring herself and Jennifer Lopez. Davis appeared in the courtroom drama Custody, on which she also worked as an executive producer, and played Amanda Waller in the film Suicide Squad, which was a DC Comics version of the same name.

Davis reprised her role as Rose Maxson in the film adaptation of Fences directed by and starring Denzel Washington in 2016. Her appearance earned her third Academy Award nomination, making her the first black actress in history to do so. She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Doubt co-star Meryl St. John and friend Meryl Staceep presented Davis with the 2,597th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 6, 2017. Davis said, "It's like my life flashing before my eyes," and "God has blessed my life in abundance." Davis was also listed on the "100 Most Influential People" list for the second time, her first appearance on the second in 2012. Stennep penned the article, referring to Davis as having "carved a place for herself on the Mount Rushmore of the 21st century," claiming that "her talents as an artist are unashamed, undeniable, deep and rich, and true." But her role in the culture – her ability to recognize it, her willingness to discuss it, and taking responsibility for it – are what distinguishes her for greatness." Davis was named Artist of the Year at Harvard University in March 2017.

Davis also revealed in 2017 that she would write Corduroy Takes a Bow, a sequel to the classic picture book Corduroy. "Corduroy has always had a special place in my life," Davis wrote in a press release, first as a child scrolling through it and then with my daughter, introducing her to the adventures of the adorable teddy bear." Davis revealed the book's cover on her Twitter account on March 13, 2018. Penguin Random House published the book on September 4, 2018.

Davis' documentary series Two-Sides, which delves into police brutality in the African-American community, premiered in 2018. The series premiered on TV One and ran until mid-February. Davis appeared alongside fellow Shondaland costar Kerry Washington in a two-hour crossover episode of How to Get Away with Murder and Scandal, appropriately titled How to Get Away with Scandal. Davis' guest appearance earned her her third Emmy Award nomination and her first for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. Davis appeared in the Steve McQueen heist thriller Widows with Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Liam Neeson in the same year. The film was a recreation of the famous British miniseries of 1983. With film critic Eric Kohn of IndieWire's comment that the film "largely belongs to Davis" and "the actress has never been more commanding." She received her second award in a Leading Role from the British Academy Film Award for her performance.

Davis performed as an executive producer and appeared in the documentary film Giving Voice in 2020, following students who wanted to compete on Broadway in the August Wilson monologue competition. On January 26, the film made its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, and it was released by Netflix on December 11, 2020. She appeared alongside Chadwick Boseman, his last on-screen appearance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, based on the 1982 play of the same name and directed by George C. Wolfe, that same year. In addition to her sixth Golden Globe Award nomination and second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, she earned critical acclaim and a Screen Actor Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. With that nomination, she became the first black actress to have been nominated for Best Actress more than once in Academy Awards history, as well as the first black actress to have been nominated for Best Actress more than once. She was also on the front page of the Vanity Fair's July/August 2020 issue, which was shot by Dario Calmese.

Davis resurfaced in 2021 as Amanda Waller in the superhero film The Suicide Squad. She appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in the drama film The Unforgivable, directed by Nora Fingscheidt, and released on November 24, 2021. In season 1 of the show Peacemaker, a spin-off of The Suicide Squad, Davis appeared uncredited as Amanda Waller in two episodes, "A Whole New Whirled" and "It's Cow or Never." In The First Lady, a Showtime drama film, Davis executive produced and starred former First Lady Michelle Obama. In April 2022, it debuted in April 2022. Davis responded after being mocked on social media for her portrayal by saying, "it's my job as a leader to make bold choices." Davis revealed in 2018 that she would appear in The Woman King, influenced by true events that occurred within the Kingdom of Dahomey. Nanisca, the female general of an all-female military unit portrayed by Davis, and her daughter Nawi played by Thuso Mbedu.

Davis would appear alongside Julia Roberts in Jodi Picoult's film adaptation of Small Great Things, which was announced in January 2017. Amanda Waller will appear in Black Adam (2022), the DC superhero film in which she appeared.

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