Viola Davis

Viola Davis
Davis at the 2015 SAG Awards
Born	(1965-08-11) August 11, 1965 (age 51) St. Matthews, South Carolina, U.S.
Alma mater	Rhode Island College (1988) Juilliard School (1993)
Occupation	Actress, producer
Years active	1992–present
Home town	Central Falls, Rhode Island
Spouse(s)	Julius Tennon (m. 2003)
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Viola Davis (born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and producer. She is the only black woman to be nominated for three Academy Awards, winning one, and is the only black actress or actor to win the Triple Crown of Acting. In 2012, she was listed by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

After graduating from the Juilliard School in 1993, Davis began her career on stage and won an Obie Award in 1999 for her performance as Ruby McCollum in Everybody's Ruby. She played supporting and minor roles in several films and television series in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the films Kate & Leopold (2001) and Far from Heaven (2002), and the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2001, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Tonya in the original production of King Hedley II. Davis' film breakthrough came in 2008 when her supporting role in the drama Doubt earned her several nominations, including the Golden Globe, SAG, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Greater success came to Davis in the 2010s. She won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role as Rose Maxson in the revival of August Wilson's play Fences. For her lead role as 1960s housemaid Aibeleen Clark in the comedy-drama The Help (2011), she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress among others, and won a SAG Award.