Viola Davis is a critically revered, award-winning actress, producer, and New York Times best-selling author. She is the first black actress to win two Tony Awards (Fences and King Hedley II), an Oscar (Fences), and an Emmy (How to Get Away with Murder). She also achieved EGOT status by winning a Grammy for the audiobook recording of her memoir Finding Me.

Mrs. Davis was most recently seen portraying Nanisca in The Woman King.

In 2021, Mrs. Davis received an Oscar nomination for her transformative performance as Ma Rainey in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. She also won a SAG award for the role and received a Golden Globe Award nomination and Critic’s Choice Award nomination.

In 2019, Mrs. Davis wrapped the final season of the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder from ABC Studios and Shondaland. In 2015, she received the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series in addition to becoming the first African American actress to receive the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In 2016, she received her second Screen Actors Guild Award and her second Emmy nomination for portraying Annalise Keating, and in 2019, she received her third Emmy Nomination for the role. In 2019, she was also seen in Amazon Studio’s family comedy, Troop Zero.

In 2017, she was seen in Fences for Paramount Pictures. She garnered Critics Choice, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, and an Academy award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Rose Maxson.

In 2016, Mrs. Davis was seen in the highly anticipated Suicide Squad with Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Jared Leto. The film broke the all-time opening record for August with $135 million. In 2015, Davis starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in Lila & Eve. She also took the reins as a producer on this film, along with her husband, Julius Tennon.

Mrs. Davis won the Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice Best Actress Awards for her portrayal of Aibileen and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and British Academy Film Award. The film won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble.

A graduate of The Julliard School, Mrs. Davis received an Honorary Doctorate during its 109th Commencement Ceremony, and she also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from her alma mater, Rhode Island College. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.