Viola Davis
Viola Davis

Viola Davis

Born: August 11, 1965 (60 years)
St. Matthews, South Carolina, USA

Viola Davis (/vaɪˈoʊlə/ vy-OH-lə; born August 11, 1965) 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). Davis received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2025. A graduate of Juilliard, Davis began her career in Central Falls, Rhode Island, appearing in small stage productions. She made her Broadway debut in the August Wilson play Seven Guitars (1996) for which she earned her first Tony nomination. She would later win two Tony Awards, both for Wilson plays. Her first win was for Best Featured Actress in a Play playing the titular character Tonya, a woman grappling with trauma and loss in King Hedley II (2001), followed by her second win for Best Actress in a Play playing Rose Maxson, a working class mother in Fences (2010). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for reprising her role in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. She was Oscar-nominated for playing a complex mother in Doubt (2008), a 1960s housemaid in The Help (2011) and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). On television, she became the first black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). Davis joined the DCEU playing Amanda Waller starting with Suicide Squad (2016). She has also starred in the crime drama Widows(2018), and historical action film The Woman King (2022). Davis and her husband are founders of the production company JuVee Productions, and she is also widely recognized for her advocacy and support for human rights and women of color. She became a L'Oréal Paris ambassador in 2019. The audiobook narration of her 2022 memoir Finding Me won her the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. Description above from the Wikipedia article Viola Davis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies as Actor (83)
Children of Blood and Bone

Children of Blood and Bone

as Mama Agba

Jan 14, 2027

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause

as Narrator (voice)

May 19, 2026

G20

G20

as President Danielle Sutton

Apr 10, 2025

The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Mortality

The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Mortality

as Narration

Feb 13, 2025

Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4

as The Chameleon (voice)

Mar 2, 2024

Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

as Self (Dr. Volumnia Gaul)

Feb 13, 2024

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

as Dr. Volumnia Gaul

Nov 15, 2023

Air

Air

as Deloris Jordan

Apr 5, 2023

Food 2050

Food 2050

as Self - Narrator (voice)

Nov 7, 2022

Black Adam

Black Adam

as Amanda Waller (uncredited)

Oct 19, 2022

The Woman King

The Woman King

as Nanisca

Sep 16, 2022

Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event

Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event

as Self

Apr 22, 2022

The Unforgivable

The Unforgivable

as Liz Ingram

Nov 24, 2021

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad

as Amanda Waller

Jul 28, 2021

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

as Ma Rainey

Nov 25, 2020

Giving Voice

Giving Voice

as Self

Jan 26, 2020

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"

as Florida Evans

Dec 18, 2019

On Broadway

On Broadway

as Self (archive footage)

Oct 12, 2019

Operation Othello

Operation Othello

as Narrator

May 14, 2019

A Touch of Sugar

A Touch of Sugar

as Narrator

Apr 24, 2019

Troop Zero

Troop Zero

as Miss Rayleen

Feb 1, 2019

Widows

Widows

as Veronica Rawlings

Nov 6, 2018

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

as Self (archive footage)

Aug 21, 2018

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

as Self (uncredited)

Jan 11, 2017

Fences

Fences

as Rose Maxson

Dec 16, 2016

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

as Amanda Waller

Aug 3, 2016

Custody

Custody

as Martha Schulman

Apr 17, 2016

Lila & Eve

Lila & Eve

as Lila Walcott

Jul 31, 2015

August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand

August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand

as Self

Feb 20, 2015

Blackhat

Blackhat

as Carol Barrett

Jan 13, 2015

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her

as Professor Lillian Friedman

Oct 10, 2014

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

as Professor Lillian Friedman

Oct 10, 2014

Get On Up

Get On Up

as Susie Brown

Aug 1, 2014

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them

as Professor Lillian Friedman

May 14, 2014

Ender's Game

Ender's Game

as Major Gwen Anderson

Oct 24, 2013

Prisoners

Prisoners

as Nancy Birch

Sep 19, 2013

Love, Marilyn

Love, Marilyn

as Self

May 30, 2013

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

as Amma Treadeau

Feb 13, 2013

Won't Back Down

Won't Back Down

as Nona Alberts

Sep 28, 2012

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

as Abby Black

Dec 25, 2011

Dark Girls

Dark Girls

as Self

Nov 17, 2011

The Help

The Help

as Aibileen Clark

Aug 9, 2011

It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story

as Dr. Eden Minerva

Oct 8, 2010

Trust

Trust

as Gail Friedman

Sep 10, 2010

Eat Pray Love

Eat Pray Love

as Delia Shiraz

Aug 12, 2010

Knight and Day

Knight and Day

as CIA Director Isabel George

Jun 15, 2010

Beyond All Boundaries

Beyond All Boundaries

as Hortense Johnson

Nov 9, 2009

Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen

as Mayor April Henry

Oct 15, 2009

State of Play

State of Play

as Dr. Judith Franklin

Apr 17, 2009

Doubt: Stage to Screen

Doubt: Stage to Screen

as Self

Apr 7, 2009

Madea Goes to Jail

Madea Goes to Jail

as Ellen

Feb 20, 2009

Doubt

Doubt

as Mrs. Miller

Dec 12, 2008

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe

as Jean

Sep 26, 2008

Jesse Stone: Sea Change

Jesse Stone: Sea Change

as Molly Crane

May 22, 2007

Disturbia

Disturbia

as Detective Parker

Mar 27, 2007

The Architect

The Architect

as Tonya Neely

Dec 1, 2006

Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story

Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story

as Diane Barrino

Aug 19, 2006

World Trade Center

World Trade Center

as Mother in Hospital

Aug 9, 2006

The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays

as Tonya (segment "King Hedley II")

May 2, 2006

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

as Molly Crane

Apr 30, 2006

Jesse Stone: Night Passage

Jesse Stone: Night Passage

as Officer Molly Crane

Jan 15, 2006

Syriana

Syriana

as CIA Chairwoman

Nov 23, 2005

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

Get Rich or Die Tryin'

as Grandma

Nov 9, 2005

Stone Cold

Stone Cold

as Molly Crane

Feb 20, 2005

Antwone Fisher

Antwone Fisher

as Eva May

Dec 19, 2002

Solaris

Solaris

as Gordon

Nov 27, 2002

Far from Heaven

Far from Heaven

as Sybil

Nov 8, 2002

Kate & Leopold

Kate & Leopold

as Policewoman

Dec 25, 2001

Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven

as Parole Board Interrogator (voice) (uncredited)

Dec 7, 2001

The Shrink Is In

The Shrink Is In

as Robin

Aug 1, 2001

Amy & Isabelle

Amy & Isabelle

as Dottie

Mar 4, 2001

Traffic

Traffic

as Social Worker

Dec 27, 2000

Grace & Glorie

Grace & Glorie

as Rosemary Allbright

Dec 13, 1998

Out of Sight

Out of Sight

as Moselle

Jun 26, 1998

The Pentagon Wars

The Pentagon Wars

as Sgt. Fanning

Feb 28, 1998

Miss Apprehension and Squirt

Miss Apprehension and Squirt

as Sharon Hughes

Jan 1, 1998

The Substance of Fire

The Substance of Fire

as Nurse

Sep 11, 1996

Two Butterflies

Two Butterflies

I Almost Forgot About You

I Almost Forgot About You

as Dr. Georgia Young

Small Great Things

Small Great Things

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

as Rachel Dupree

Ally Clark

Ally Clark

as Ally Clark

House of Games

House of Games

TV Shows as Actor (55)
Number One on the Call Sheet

Number One on the Call Sheet

as Self

Mar 27, 2025

Creature Commandos

Creature Commandos

as Amanda Waller (voice)

Dec 5, 2024

Hollywood Black

Hollywood Black

as Self (archive footage)

Aug 11, 2024

Hot Ones Versus

Hot Ones Versus

as Self

Jan 31, 2024

The Jennifer Hudson Show

The Jennifer Hudson Show

as Self

Sep 12, 2022

The First Lady

The First Lady

as Michelle Obama

Apr 17, 2022

Peacemaker

Peacemaker

as Amanda Waller (uncredited)

Jan 13, 2022

C ce soir, le débat

C ce soir, le débat

as Self - Guest

Jan 25, 2021

Dear...

Dear...

as Self

Jun 5, 2020

Celebrity IOU

Celebrity IOU

as Self

Apr 13, 2020

The Kelly Clarkson Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

as Self

Sep 9, 2019

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

as Self, Self - Guest

Sep 8, 2015

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter

as Self

Aug 2, 2015

Hot Ones

Hot Ones

as Self

Mar 12, 2015

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

as Self

Dec 21, 2014

How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder

as Annalise Keating

Sep 25, 2014

Late Night with Seth Meyers

Late Night with Seth Meyers

as Self - Guest

Feb 25, 2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

as Self, Self - Guest

Feb 17, 2014

Sofia the First

Sofia the First

as Helen Hanshaw (voice)

Jan 11, 2013

Scandal

Scandal

as Annalise Keating

Apr 5, 2012

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

as Self - Guest

Jul 16, 2009

United States of Tara

United States of Tara

Jan 18, 2009

The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain

as Dr. Charlene Barton

May 26, 2008

Traveler

Traveler

as Agent Jan Marlow

May 10, 2007

The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show

as Self

Feb 22, 2007

Brothers and Sisters

Brothers and Sisters

as Ellen Snyder

Sep 24, 2006

Threshold

Threshold

Sep 16, 2005

Century City

Century City

as Hannah Crane

Mar 16, 2004

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

as Self

Sep 8, 2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

as Self, Self - Guest

Jan 26, 2003

Hack

Hack

as Stevie Morgan

Sep 27, 2002

Without a Trace

Without a Trace

as Audrey Williams

Sep 26, 2002

Live from E!

Live from E!

as Self

Jan 13, 2002

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Law & Order: Criminal Intent

as Terry Randolph

Sep 30, 2001

The Guardian

The Guardian

as Suzanna Clemons' Attorney

Sep 25, 2001

The Division

The Division

as Dr. Georgia Davis

Jan 7, 2001

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

as Attorney Campbell

Oct 6, 2000

City of Angels

City of Angels

as Lynnette Peeler

Jan 16, 2000

Third Watch

Third Watch

as Margo Rodriguez

Sep 23, 1999

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

as Donna Emmett

Sep 20, 1999

Judging Amy

Judging Amy

as Celeste

Sep 19, 1999

Providence

Providence

as Dr. Eleanor Weiss

Jan 8, 1999

The View

The View

as Self - Guest, Self

Aug 11, 1997

The Practice

The Practice

as Aisha Crenshaw

Mar 4, 1997

The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA

The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA

as Self

Feb 25, 1995

NYPD Blue

NYPD Blue

as Woman

Sep 21, 1993

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

as Self - Guest

May 25, 1992

The Simpsons

The Simpsons

as Narrator (voice)

Dec 17, 1989

CBS News Sunday Morning

CBS News Sunday Morning

as Self

Jan 28, 1979

60 Minutes

60 Minutes

as Self

Sep 24, 1968

The Grammys

The Grammys

as Self

Nov 29, 1959

Tony Awards

Tony Awards

as Self - Presenter

Apr 1, 1956

The Oscars

The Oscars

as Self

Mar 19, 1953

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame

as Rosemary Allbright

Dec 24, 1951

Golden Globe Awards

Golden Globe Awards

as Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee

Jan 20, 1944