Viola Davis is arguably one of the most brilliant actors of our generation. Davis has taken Hollywood by storm, making history with many of her works. Since the new year, she has broken records as a black actress with Oscar nominations and Screen Actors Guild Award wins. She is well known for a number of her roles including the seemingly unbeatable lawyer, Annalise Keating, from How to Get Away with Murder or the southern housekeeper, Aibileen Clark, challenging social norms in The Help. With each project she takes on, she seems to receive more praise and recognition.
Appearing alongside Denzel Washington, Davis takes part in the new film release, Fences. You can see Viola Davis in her history-making role of Rose Maxson when the film hits cinemas February 10th. Rose and Troy Maxon (Denzel Washington) live in Pittsburgh in the 1950s when tensions build between the family as they reflect on their past and future. We Doubt Viola Davis will be going anywhere soon, so we thought we would provide The Help and share 10 facts about Viola Davis in order for you to get to know the distinguished actress. So let your Fences down and read on to learn more.
- She’s made history with award wins and nominations
Receiving a major award nomination is one of the highest of praises in Hollywood. To receive a nomination all while making a mark in history is an entirely new level of praise. With her most recent Best Supporting Actress nomination for Fences, Viola Davis has made history as the most Oscar nominated black woman – ever. At a total of three, her previous two nominations came from her roles in Doubt (2009) and The Help (2012). Her recognition does not end there. Davis received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in How to Get Away with Murder in 2015, making her the first black actress to win a Primetime Emmy. At the 2017 SAG Awards, Davis received her fifth award, becoming (you guessed it) the first black actress to ever do so. With so much ahead of her, there’s no doubt Davis will continue to make history.
- She was nominated for an Oscar with less than 20 minutes of screen time
As mentioned, Davis was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in the film Doubt starring names like Meryl Streep. The catch? She was only on screen for mere minutes. Within 20 minutes, Davis was able to showcase her incredible talents and earned herself a nod from The Academy.
- Her cousin is actor Mike Colter
It’s always mind blowing to hear of family connections in Hollywood. It just so happens that Viola Davis and Mike Colter are second cousins! Mike Colter is known for his roles in films like Million Dollar Baby and the TV series The Good Wife. Currently, audiences can catch him as the crime-fighting ex-convict, Luke Cage, in Netflix’s Marvel show named after Colter’s character. Viola and Colter are both from a small town in South Carolina, although Davis did eventually move to Rhode Island. Safe to say acting talent runs in the family blood.
- She’s spent time on the Broadway stage
Before Viola graced us with her presence on screen, she was on the stage. After graduating college, she was in Everybody’s Ruby in 1999 and received her first Tony Award a few years later for her work in the production of King Hedley II. Her second Tony Award recognition was a result of her time in the Broadway revival of Fences in 2010.
- She was on the stage version of Fences
That’s right, the upcoming film is not her first run with Rose Maxon. Fences was written by August Wilson and first hit the stage in 1983. It was brought back to Broadway in 2010, for which Denzel Washington and Viola Davis took the two lead roles. Both of them were awarded with Tony’s for Best Actor and Actress. In 2013, Washington announced that he was set to both direct and star in the film adaptation of the play. Viola signed on to play her original role as well. Having received the Broadway equivalent of an Oscar, their Oscar nominations for the film Fences should be of no surprise.
- She grew up in poverty
Davis has spoken about her difficult childhood before. Growing up in South Carolina with 5 other siblings, her family lived in great poverty. She would go days being unsure of her next meal and even dug through trash to find any bit of food. Knowing of what Davis went through makes being able to witness her record breaking talent even that much more incredible.
- She graduated from Julliard
She first attended Rhode Island College, where she received a full ride scholarship. Afterwards, she received another scholarship to attend the iconic Juilliard School of Arts in New York City. There, she continued to develop her passion for theatre. She stayed in New York after graduating from Juilliard and that was when spent time on the stage.
- She recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
What better way to start the new year than to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Viola Davis was the first celebrity of 2017 to receive the honour. Good friend, Meryl Streep, presented her with the star in a ceremony on January 5th. A few weeks later, The Academy announced her 3rd Oscar nomination. Just another big milestone to add to her endless list of achievements.
- She was one of Time’s Most Influential People in 2012
Some of the names that have been a part of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People include Nelson Mendela, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Jobs. Along those names is Viola Davis. She is no doubt an influence to many aspiring actors in the world of minority groups or difficult backgrounds. She has shared stories of her own journey that brought her to where she is now, and has taken time to give back to important foundations like Hunger Is.
- She co-founded a production company called JuVee Production
A brilliant actor on stage and on screen, Davis also deserves praise behind the scenes. Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, created a production company called JuVee Production. The two met on the CBS show, City of Angels in 1999. Together they brought their artistic passion to start JuVee Production, which produces independent content that explores artistic approaches to stories.
Fences is in select UK cinemas now and is released everywhere on 17th February.
