Viola Davis
American actress and producer · United States · On the map · Actors · Born 1965 · age 61
Viola Davis 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).
Viola Davis is read about 4,133 times a day, in 72 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 9 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
G20Film, 2025Producer2023NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion PictureAward
AirFilm, 2023Deloris Jordan2022
The Jennifer Hudson ShowSeries
Black AdamFilm, 2022Amanda Waller (uncredited)2021Hasty Pudding Woman of the YearAwardNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion PictureAward2020
Ma Rainey's Black BottomFilm, Ma Rainey2018“I was trying to fit in, stifling my voice, stifling who I was, in order to be seen as pretty, in order for people to like me.”In their wordsOn her early experiences in Hollywood in “Viola Davis: 'I stifled who I was to be seen as pretty. I lost years'” in The Guardian (2018 Oct
WidowsFilm, 2018Veronica Rawlings2017Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressAwardBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleAwardTime 100Award2016“It’s only been recently that I can admit that I would jump in trash bins looking for food and I would steal from the corner store because I was hungry.”In their words26 August 2016She said in a PSA as quoted in Entertainment Weekly
FencesFilm, 2016Rose Maxson2015Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama SeriesAward
Hot OnesSeries, 20152014
Get On UpFilm, Susie Brown2012Crystal AwardAward
ScandalSeries, 2012Annalise Keating2011
Extremely Loud & Incredibly CloseFilm, Abby Black2010Tony Award for Best Actress in a PlayAward2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenSeries
Law Abiding CitizenFilm, 2009Mayor April Henry2008
DoubtFilm, Mrs. Miller2006
World Trade CenterFilm, Mother in Hospital2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!Series2002
Antwone FisherFilm, Eva May2001Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a PlayAward
Law & Order: Criminal IntentSeries, 2001Terry Randolph
Kate & LeopoldFilm, 2001Policewoman1999
Judging AmySeries, Celeste1998
Out of SightFilm, Moselle1997
The PracticeSeries, Aisha Crenshaw1996Theatre World AwardAward1992
The Tonight Show with Jay LenoSeries1965Born11 August 1965People around Viola
Steven Soderbergh Directed Traffic, Solaris and Out of Sight
Todd Black Produced Fences and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Denzel Washington Directed Fences and Antwone Fisher
George Clooney Produced Syriana (2006)
Sandra Bullock Produced The Unforgivable (2021)
Ben Affleck Directed Air (2023)
Maria Bello Produced The Woman King (2023)
James Mangold Directed Knight and Day and Kate & Leopold
Scott Rudin Produced Doubt (2009)
Arnon Milchan Produced Widows and Knight and Day
Tate Taylor Directed The Help and Get on Up
Charles Roven Produced Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad
Gina Prince-Bythewood Directed The Woman King (2022)
George C. Wolfe Directed Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Stacey Sher Produced World Trade Center and Out of Sight
Broderick Johnson Produced Prisoners and Beautiful Creatures
Andrew Kosove Produced Prisoners and Beautiful Creatures
Cathy Konrad Produced Kate & Leopold and Knight and Day
Matt Damon Produced Air (2023), also in Syriana (2006)
Jessica Chastain Produced The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014)
Francis Lawrence Directed The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
Stephen Daldry Directed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2012)
Stephen Gaghan Directed Syriana (2006), wrote Traffic (2000)
Adrian Martinez Also in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2012)
Viola DavisPartners
Is this everyone?
Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong. A marriage is drawn as ended only where its end is recorded, so a spouse drawn here may be a former one.
Correct this familyKnown for
View all 40 titles
The Help 2011
Prisoners 2013
The Woman King 2022
Ocean's Eleven 2001
The Suicide Squad 2021
Filmography 40
167 credits on file
Television 24
Media & music
In their own words 8
, Artists and actors of color have to alter and water ourselves down for Hollywood, but I refuse to be pacified.
I always say that one thing missing in cinema is that regular black woman…Not anyone didactic, or whose sole purpose in the narrative is to illustrate some social abnormality.
…I know Jim Crow, I understand that time period. It’s a 100-year time period that was rife with lots of violence and anger, and people with lost dreams and hopes.
Awards
About this person
Davis received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2025.
