Contents
Viola Davis
Playing Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder and Rose in Fences.
The Help · Fences
- Born
- 11 August 1965
- Birthplace
- St. Matthews, South Carolina, United States
More people
Viola Davis
An American actor and producer whose career connects theatre, television and film, with major performances in works by August Wilson.
Early life
Rhode Island upbringing
Grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in a family facing poverty.
Training
Studied theatre at Rhode Island College and then at Juilliard.
Career
- 1996
Broadway debut
Appeared in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars.
- 2001–2010
Theatre recognition
Won Tony Awards for King Hedley II and Fences.
- 2014–2020
Television lead
Played lawyer Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder.
- 2017–2023
Awards across media
Won an Oscar for Fences and later a Grammy for narrating her memoir.
Selected work
The Help
Played Aibileen Clark in the period drama.
Fences
Reprised Rose Maxson for the screen.
The Woman King
Led an ensemble as warrior Nanisca.
Finding Me
A memoir about her upbringing and career.
Beyond acting
Producing
Co-founded JuVee Productions with Julius Tennon.
Hunger advocacy
Has spoken about childhood food insecurity and supported efforts addressing it.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Nomoretitanic. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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