Viola Davis Biography

Viola Davis (born August 11, 1965) is an American actress.

Beginning her career on the stage, Davis won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for her role in August Wilson's King Hedley II (2001). She won a second Drama Desk Award for Intimate Apparel (2004), followed by a second Tony and a third Drama Desk Award for her role in Fences (2010).

Among her most notable films are Traffic (2000), Antwone Fisher (2002), Solaris (2002) and The Help (2011). Her eleven-minute-long performance in the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2008) earned several honors, including an Academy Award nomination. Her role in the film The Help has garnered two Screen Actors Guild Awards (one for Lead Actress and one for Best Ensemble in a motion picture), a BAFTA Award nomination, another Academy Award nomination, and a Golden Globe nomination. In addition to her success, she was listed in Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012.

Early life

Davis was born on her grandmother's farm, on the former Singleton Plantation, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. She is the second youngest of six children. Her father, Dan Davis, was a horse trainer; her mother, Mary Alice, was a maid, factory worker, and homemaker, as well as a civil rights activist. Her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island a few months after she was born. Davis has described herself as having "lived in abject poverty and dysfunction" during her childhood.

Davis partially credits her love of stage acting with her involvement in the arts at her alma mater, Central Falls High School. Davis majored in theatre at Rhode Island College, graduating in 1988; in 2002 she received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from the college. She was involved in the federal TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Student Support Services programs. While Davis was a teenager, her talent was recognized by Bernard Masterson when, as director of Young People's School for the Performing Arts in West Warwick, Rhode Island, he awarded Davis a scholarship into that program.

She also attended the Juilliard School for four years, as a member of the Drama Division's Group 22 (1989"1993).

Career

In 2001, she won the Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal of Tonya in King Hedley II, a "35-year-old mother fighting eloquently for the right to abort a pregnancy." She has also won another Drama Desk Award for her work in a 2004 off-Broadway production of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage.

Davis appeared in numerous films, including three films directed by Steven Soderbergh - Out of Sight, Solaris and Traffic, as well as Syriana, which Soderbergh produced. Viola was also the uncredited voice of the parole board interrogator who questions Danny Ocean (George Clooney) in the first scene in Ocean's Eleven. She also gave brief performances in the films Kate & Leopold and Antwone Fisher. Her television work includes a recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; starring roles in two short-lived series, Traveler and Century City; and a special guest appearance in "Badge", a Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode. In 2008, Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film adaptation to the Broadway play Doubt, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. Davis was nominated for several awards for this performance, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

On June 30, 2009, Davis was inducted into The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On June 13, 2010, Davis won her second Tony Award for her role as Rose Maxson in a revival of August Wilson's Fences. She is the second African-American woman to win the award, after Phylicia Rash?d.

Davis played the role of Dr. Minerva in It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), a coming-of-age film written and directed by Anna Boden with Ryan Fleck, adapted from the 2006 novel by Ned Vizzini. In August 2011, Davis played the role of Aibileen Clark in the screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help, directed by Tate Taylor. For her performance, Davis garnered great critical acclaim, and eventually received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as her second Academy Award nomination, which she ultimately lost to her good friend Meryl Streep. She also received Golden Globe Award and BAFTA nominations for the same performance.

In 2012, Time magazine listed Davis as one of the most influential people in the world. Also in 2012, Glamour magazine named Davis Glamour's Film Actress of the year. On June 12, 2012, Davis was presented with the [[Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards|Women in Film's Crystal Award]] by her friend and Oscar rival that year Meryl Streep. On June 25, 2012, The Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Davis was part of the new group of entertainment professionals who have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013.

In April 2013 it was reported that Davis is in talks to play a starring role in the untitled Michael Mann directed film that will star Chris Hemsworth and Maggie Casey as his love interest. Legendary Pictures is producing the thriller.

Personal life

Davis has been married to actor Julius Tennon since June 2003. They have a daughter, Genesis, whom they adopted as a newborn in October 2011. Davis is stepmother to Tennon's two sons from previous relationships.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	'	Nurse
1998	Out of Sight	Moselle Miller
2000	Traffic	Social Worker
2001	'	Robin
2001	Kate & Leopold	Policewoman
2002	Far from Heaven	Sybil
2002	Antwone Fisher	Eva May
2002	Solaris	Gordon
2005	Get Rich or Die Tryin'	Grandma
2005	Syriana	CIA Chairwoman	Uncredited
2006	'	Tonya Neely
2006	World Trade Center	Mother in hospital
2007	Disturbia	Detective Parker
2008	Nights in Rodanthe	Jean
2008	Doubt	Mrs. Miller
2009	Madea Goes to Jail	Ellen
2009	State of Play	Dr. Judith Franklin
2009	Law Abiding Citizen	Mayor April Henry
2010	Knight & Day	Director George
2010	Eat Pray Love	Delia
2010	It's Kind of a Funny Story	Dr. Minerva
2010	Trust	Gail Friedman
2011	The Help	Aibileen Clark
2011	Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close	Abby Black
2012	Won't Back Down	Nona Alberts
2013	Beautiful Creatures	Amma
2013	Ender's Game	Major Anderson	Post-Production
2013	The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby	Professor Lillian Friedman	Post-Production
2013	Prisoners	Nancy Birch
2014	Cyber		Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	NYPD Blue	Woman	Episode: "Moby Greg"
1996	New York Undercover	Mrs. Stapleton	Episode: "Smack is Back"
1998	'	Platoon Sgt. Fanning
1998	Grace & Glorie	Rosemary Allbright
2000	Judging Amy	Celeste	Episode: "Blast from the Past"
2000	City of Angels	Nurse Lynnette Peeler	19 episodes
2001	Amy & Isabelle	Dottie
2001	Providence	Dr. Eleanor Weiss	Episode: "You Can Count On Me"
2001	'	Attorney Suzanna Clemons	Episode: "The Men from the Boys"
2001	Third Watch	Margo Rodriguez	Episode: "Act Brave"
2002	Father Lefty
2002	Law & Order: Criminal Intent	Terry Randolph	Episode: "Badge"
2002	'	Dr. Georgia Davis	Episode: "Remembrance"
2002	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Attorney Campbell	Episode: "The Execution of Catherine Willows"
2003	Hack	Stevie Morgan	Episode: "Third Strike"
2003	'	Aisha Crenshaw	Episode: "We the People"
2004	Century City	Hannah Crane	9 episodes
2005	Jesse Stone: Stone Cold	Molly Crane
2005	Threshold	Victoria Rossi	Episode: "Shock"
2006	Jesse Stone: Night Passage	Molly Crane
2006	Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise	Molly Crane
2006	Without a Trace	Audrey Williams	Episode: "White Balance"
2006	Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story	Diane Barrino	TV movie
2007	Fort Pit
2007	Jesse Stone: Sea Change	Molly Crane
2007	Traveler	Agent Jan Marlow	8 episodes
2008	Brothers & Sisters	Ellen Snyder	Episode: "Double Negative"
2008	'	Dr. Charlene Barton
2003"2008	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Donna Emmett	7 episodes
2009	United States of Tara	Lynda P Frazier	6 episodes

Theatre credits

Year	Title	Role	Venue
1996	Seven Guitars	Vera	Broadway
1997	God's Heart	Eleanor	Off Broadway
1998	Pericles	2nd Fisherman/Lychorida/Bawd	Off Broadway
1999	Everybody's Ruby	Ruby McCollum	Off Broadway
1999	The Vagina Monologues	Performer (Replacement)	Off Broadway
2001	King Hedley II	Tonya	Broadway
2004	Intimate Apparel	Esther	Off Broadway
2010	Fences	Rose	Broadway Revival

Awards and nominations

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