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Viola Davis

Viola Davis

Actor · born 11 August 1965 · 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).

Where to start: The Help (2011).

As actor 78

TV shows 21

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Viola Davis movie?

By viewer score, The Help (2011) at 8.2/10.

What are Viola Davis’s most popular movies?

Suicide Squad, Prisoners, Ocean's Eleven.

How many movies has Viola Davis made?

78 films on TMDB, 78 as actor.

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