Davis, Viola, 1965-,
African-American actress and producer, b. St. Matthews, S.C., Rhode Island
College (B.A., 1988), Juilliard (1993, acting; honorary doctorate, 2014).
Davis’s family relocated to Central Falls, R.I., shortly after her
birth; her father was a horse trainer and her mother was a civil rights
activist who worked as a maid and factory worker to help support the family.
Davis began acting in high school, and then studied her craft in college and
at Juilliard. She made her Broadway debut in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars
(1996). Television and film work followed, with a return to
Broadway in Wilson’s King Hedley II (2001), for
which she won her first Tony and Drama Desk Awards; a second Tony Award came
in 2010 for her appearance in the revival of Wilson’s
Fences. Notable film appearances include
Doubt (2008, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and
Academy awards),The Help (2011; two Screen Actors Guild
Awards) and the film version of Fences (2016; Academy
Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and BAFTA awards). She starred in
the TV drama How to Get Away with Murder (2014-20),
becoming the first Black actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead
Actress in a Drama Series. Davis was honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
in 2017.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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