Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.Photo: David Lee/Netflix
Happy Birthday,Viola Davis! The master of stage, screen and television —who became an EGOTin 2023! — has much to celebrate, thanks to the love of her fans and that of her husband, Julius Tennon, and their daughter, Genesis.Here, as Davis turns 58 on Aug. 11, 2023, look back on her incredible career in photos.
Happy Birthday,Viola Davis! The master of stage, screen and television —who became an EGOTin 2023! — has much to celebrate, thanks to the love of her fans and that of her husband, Julius Tennon, and their daughter, Genesis.
Here, as Davis turns 58 on Aug. 11, 2023, look back on her incredible career in photos.
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Nanisca in ‘The Woman King’
Sony Pictures
“Sometimes you do a movie and then it’s over. And sometimes, you do a movie and it shifts you a little bit. You’re a little bit better for it,“Davis told PEOPLE in 2022. “And that’s what it’s been like for me with the training.”
02of 12Ma Rainey in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’David Lee/NetflixDavis’ performance inMa Rainey’s Black Bottomearned the actressCritics Choice,Golden Globe,Academy Award andScreen Actors Guild Award nominations(she won that one!).She also won the NAACP Image Award for her performance as Ma Rainey, a real-life blues singer.
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Ma Rainey in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
David Lee/Netflix
Davis' performance inMa Rainey’s Black Bottomearned the actressCritics Choice,Golden Globe,Academy Award andScreen Actors Guild Award nominations(she won that one!).
She also won the NAACP Image Award for her performance as Ma Rainey, a real-life blues singer.
03of 12Annalise Keating in ‘How to Get Away with Murder’HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - Stay Strong, Mama - Annalise forges ahead with her class action lawsuit and receives help from a former colleague. Meanwhile, Laurel continues to investigate her fathers company; Asher confronts Michaela about her odd behavior; and details about Isaacs past are revealed, on How to Get Away with Murder, THURSDAY, NOV. 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on The Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Mitch Haaseth/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) VIOLA DAVIS.Mitch Haaseth/Walt Disney Television via GettyDavis made history when she won an Emmy Award in 2015 for her performance as the formidable lawyer and professor Annalise Keating onHow to Get Away With Murder. She was the first woman of color to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series.“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Davis said in her acceptance speech. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.“She was nominated again for the role in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
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Annalise Keating in ‘How to Get Away with Murder’
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - Stay Strong, Mama - Annalise forges ahead with her class action lawsuit and receives help from a former colleague. Meanwhile, Laurel continues to investigate her fathers company; Asher confronts Michaela about her odd behavior; and details about Isaacs past are revealed, on How to Get Away with Murder, THURSDAY, NOV. 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on The Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Television Network. (Mitch Haaseth/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) VIOLA DAVIS.Mitch Haaseth/Walt Disney Television via Getty
Davis made history when she won an Emmy Award in 2015 for her performance as the formidable lawyer and professor Annalise Keating onHow to Get Away With Murder. She was the first woman of color to win the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series.
“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Davis said in her acceptance speech. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”
She was nominated again for the role in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
04of 12Tonya in ‘King Hedley II’Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via GettyPictured here with playwright August Wilson, Davis won her first Tony Award in 2001 for her role inKing Hedley II. She snagged the award for best featured actress in a play.
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Tonya in ‘King Hedley II’
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty
Pictured here with playwright August Wilson, Davis won her first Tony Award in 2001 for her role inKing Hedley II. She snagged the award for best featured actress in a play.
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Rose Maxson in ‘Fences’
David Lee/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
With her Oscar win, Davis made history again, becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy, Oscar and Tony Award.
06of 12Eva May in ‘Antwone Fisher'20th Century FoxBefore they costarred inFences,Davis and Washington worked together on the filmAntwone Fisher, which was also Washington’s directorial debut. In the 2002 biographical drama, Davis plays the absent mother of the titular character.
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Eva May in ‘Antwone Fisher’
20th Century Fox
Before they costarred inFences,Davis and Washington worked together on the filmAntwone Fisher, which was also Washington’s directorial debut. In the 2002 biographical drama, Davis plays the absent mother of the titular character.
07of 12Mrs. Miller in ‘Doubt’Miramax/Kobal/ShutterstockDavis’ role inDoubtis proof that there are no small parts. Though only on screen for one 10-minute scene (alongside Meryl Streep), her performance as the mother of a boy who is possibly being sexually abused earned her an Oscar nomination.Davis worked hard to get the role,tellingScreen Anarchy, “…I heard they had secured Meryl Streep. I thought, ‘I have a chance at this role. I can solicit myself — which Ineverdo — so I picked up the script four months in advance, phoned my manager and said, ‘I really want an audition.’ Now probably every other actress would say, ‘I want the role,’ but I just said, ‘I want an audition.'“She continued, “Every Black actress in America auditioned. I finally made it to the short list of seven. They screen tested in New York. They paraded us in full costume, hair, everything. Seven Mrs. Millers! They carted us into a room with the producers, the director and the full crew to do the scene and I found out maybe an hour and a half later that I got it. I felt like I had won $150,000,000 in the lottery; that was the feeling.”
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Mrs. Miller in ‘Doubt’
Miramax/Kobal/Shutterstock
Davis’ role inDoubtis proof that there are no small parts. Though only on screen for one 10-minute scene (alongside Meryl Streep), her performance as the mother of a boy who is possibly being sexually abused earned her an Oscar nomination.
Davis worked hard to get the role,tellingScreen Anarchy, “…I heard they had secured Meryl Streep. I thought, ‘I have a chance at this role. I can solicit myself — which Ineverdo — so I picked up the script four months in advance, phoned my manager and said, ‘I really want an audition.’ Now probably every other actress would say, ‘I want the role,’ but I just said, ‘I want an audition.'”
She continued, “Every Black actress in America auditioned. I finally made it to the short list of seven. They screen tested in New York. They paraded us in full costume, hair, everything. Seven Mrs. Millers! They carted us into a room with the producers, the director and the full crew to do the scene and I found out maybe an hour and a half later that I got it. I felt like I had won $150,000,000 in the lottery; that was the feeling.”
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Moselle in ‘Out of Sight’
Universal Pictures
09of 12Susie Brown in ‘Get On Up’D Stevens/Imagine/Jagged/Wyolah/Kobal/ShutterstockAged up with makeup and a wig, Davis played Susie Davis, mother of the legendary soul singer James Brown, in the 2014 biopic.
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Susie Brown in ‘Get On Up’
D Stevens/Imagine/Jagged/Wyolah/Kobal/Shutterstock
Aged up with makeup and a wig, Davis played Susie Davis, mother of the legendary soul singer James Brown, in the 2014 biopic.
10of 12Nancy Birch in ‘Prisoners’Alcon Entertainment/Kobal/ShutterstockDavis plays the mother of a missing girl in the 2013 crime thriller,Prisoners,alongside Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.
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Nancy Birch in ‘Prisoners’
Alcon Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock
Davis plays the mother of a missing girl in the 2013 crime thriller,Prisoners,alongside Terrence Howard, Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.
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Veronica in ‘Widows’
Merrick Morton/Shutterstock
Davissaid of her rolein the Steve McQueen film, “People try to be too nice with women. They keep them pretty. They keep them likable. They cater to male fantasies. They cater to the male gaze. This film didn’t do that.”
12of 12Delia Shiraz in ‘Eat Pray Love’Columbia/Kobal/ShutterstockOh, how we wish that we were besties with Davis so that she, too, could give us the advice we so desperately need. And yes, Julia Roberts’ characterignoresher advice in the film, but we would never do that. Never!
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Delia Shiraz in ‘Eat Pray Love’
Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock
Oh, how we wish that we were besties with Davis so that she, too, could give us the advice we so desperately need. And yes, Julia Roberts’ characterignoresher advice in the film, but we would never do that. Never!
source: people.com
