Children of Blood and Bone
2027 · Movie
as Mama Agba
Viola Davis
1965-08-11
•
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). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for reprising her role in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. She was Oscar-nominated for playing a complex mother in Doubt (2008), a 1960s housemaid in The Help (2011) and Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). On television, she became the first black actress to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC legal drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020). Davis joined the DCEU playing Amanda Waller starting with Suicide Squad (2016). She has also starred in the crime drama Widows(2018), and historical action film The Woman King (2022). Davis and her husband are founders of the production company JuVee Productions, and she is also widely recognized for her advocacy and support for human rights and women of color. She became a L'Oréal Paris ambassador in 2019. The audiobook narration of her 2022 memoir Finding Me won her the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. Description above from the Wikipedia article Viola Davis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause
2026 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
G20
2025 · Movie
as President Danielle Sutton
The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Mortality
2025 · Movie
as Narration
Number One on the Call Sheet
2025 · TV Show
as Self
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
2025 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Kung Fu Panda 4
2024 · Movie
as The Chameleon (voice)
Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
2024 · Movie
as Self (Dr. Volumnia Gaul)
Creature Commandos
2024 · TV Show
as Amanda Waller (voice)
Hot Ones Versus
2024 · TV Show
as Self
Hollywood Black
2024 · TV Show
as Self (archive footage)
Air
2023 · Movie
as Deloris Jordan
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
2023 · Movie
as Dr. Volumnia Gaul
Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event
2022 · Movie
as Self
Black Adam
2022 · Movie
as Amanda Waller (uncredited)
The Woman King
2022 · Movie
as Nanisca
Food 2050
2022 · Movie
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Peacemaker
2022 · TV Show
as Amanda Waller (uncredited)
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022 · TV Show
as Self
The First Lady
2022 · TV Show
as Michelle Obama
The Suicide Squad
2021 · Movie
as Amanda Waller
The Unforgivable
2021 · Movie
as Liz Ingram
C ce soir, le débat
2021 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Giving Voice
2020 · Movie
as Self
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
2020 · Movie
as Ma Rainey
Dear...
2020 · TV Show
as Self
Celebrity IOU
2020 · TV Show
as Self
Operation Othello
2019 · Movie
as Narrator
On Broadway
2019 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Troop Zero
2019 · Movie
as Miss Rayleen
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: "All in the Family" and "Good Times"
2019 · Movie
as Florida Evans
A Touch of Sugar
2019 · Movie
as Narrator
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019 · TV Show
as Self
Widows
2018 · Movie
as Veronica Rawlings
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
2018 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
2017 · Movie
as Self (uncredited)
Suicide Squad
2016 · Movie
as Amanda Waller
Custody
2016 · Movie
as Martha Schulman
Fences
2016 · Movie
as Rose Maxson
Blackhat
2015 · Movie
as Carol Barrett
Lila & Eve
2015 · Movie
as Lila Walcott
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
2015 · Movie
as Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015 · TV Show
as Self, Self - Guest
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015 · TV Show
as Self
Hot Ones
2015 · TV Show
as Self
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them
2014 · Movie
as Professor Lillian Friedman
Get On Up
2014 · Movie
as Susie Brown
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
2014 · Movie
as Professor Lillian Friedman
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him
2014 · Movie
as Professor Lillian Friedman
How to Get Away with Murder
2014 · TV Show
as Annalise Keating
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014 · TV Show
as Self, Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014 · TV Show
as Self
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Ender's Game
2013 · Movie
as Major Gwen Anderson
Love, Marilyn
2013 · Movie
as Self
Beautiful Creatures
2013 · Movie
as Amma Treadeau
Prisoners
2013 · Movie
as Nancy Birch
Sofia the First
2013 · TV Show
as Helen Hanshaw (voice)
Won't Back Down
2012 · Movie
as Nona Alberts
Scandal
2012 · TV Show
as Annalise Keating
The Help
2011 · Movie
as Aibileen Clark
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
2011 · Movie
as Abby Black
Dark Girls
2011 · Movie
as Self
Knight and Day
2010 · Movie
as CIA Director Isabel George
Eat Pray Love
2010 · Movie
as Delia Shiraz
Trust
2010 · Movie
as Gail Friedman
It's Kind of a Funny Story
2010 · Movie
as Dr. Eden Minerva
Doubt: Stage to Screen
2009 · Movie
as Self
Law Abiding Citizen
2009 · Movie
as Mayor April Henry
Madea Goes to Jail
2009 · Movie
as Ellen
State of Play
2009 · Movie
as Dr. Judith Franklin
Beyond All Boundaries
2009 · Movie
as Hortense Johnson
United States of Tara
2009 · TV Show
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Nights in Rodanthe
2008 · Movie
as Jean
Doubt
2008 · Movie
as Mrs. Miller
The Andromeda Strain
2008 · TV Show
as Dr. Charlene Barton
Disturbia
2007 · Movie
as Detective Parker
Jesse Stone: Sea Change
2007 · Movie
as Molly Crane
Traveler
2007 · TV Show
as Agent Jan Marlow
The Graham Norton Show
2007 · TV Show
as Self
World Trade Center
2006 · Movie
as Mother in Hospital
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise
2006 · Movie
as Molly Crane
Jesse Stone: Night Passage
2006 · Movie
as Officer Molly Crane
The Architect
2006 · Movie
as Tonya Neely
The Best of The Tony Awards: The Plays
2006 · Movie
as Tonya (segment "King Hedley II")
Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
2006 · Movie
as Diane Barrino
Brothers and Sisters
2006 · TV Show
as Ellen Snyder
Get Rich or Die Tryin'
2005 · Movie
as Grandma
Stone Cold
2005 · Movie
as Molly Crane
Syriana
2005 · Movie
as CIA Chairwoman
Threshold
2005 · TV Show
Century City
2004 · TV Show
as Hannah Crane
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003 · TV Show
as Self, Self - Guest
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003 · TV Show
as Self
Solaris
2002 · Movie
as Gordon
Far from Heaven
2002 · Movie
as Sybil
Antwone Fisher
2002 · Movie
as Eva May
Without a Trace
2002 · TV Show
as Audrey Williams
Live from E!
2002 · TV Show
as Self
Hack
2002 · TV Show
as Stevie Morgan
The Shrink Is In
2001 · Movie
as Robin
Amy & Isabelle
2001 · Movie
as Dottie
Ocean's Eleven
2001 · Movie
as Parole Board Interrogator (voice) (uncredited)
Kate & Leopold
2001 · Movie
as Policewoman
The Division
2001 · TV Show
as Dr. Georgia Davis
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001 · TV Show
as Terry Randolph
The Guardian
2001 · TV Show
as Suzanna Clemons' Attorney
Traffic
2000 · Movie
as Social Worker
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000 · TV Show
as Attorney Campbell
City of Angels
2000 · TV Show
as Lynnette Peeler
Third Watch
1999 · TV Show
as Margo Rodriguez
Providence
1999 · TV Show
as Dr. Eleanor Weiss
Judging Amy
1999 · TV Show
as Celeste
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999 · TV Show
as Donna Emmett
The Pentagon Wars
1998 · Movie
as Sgt. Fanning
No image
Miss Apprehension and Squirt
1998 · Movie
as Sharon Hughes
Out of Sight
1998 · Movie
as Moselle
Grace & Glorie
1998 · Movie
as Rosemary Allbright
The Practice
1997 · TV Show
as Aisha Crenshaw
The View
1997 · TV Show
as Self - Guest, Self
The Substance of Fire
1996 · Movie
as Nurse
The Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA
1995 · TV Show
as Self
NYPD Blue
1993 · TV Show
as Woman
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
The Simpsons
1989 · TV Show
as Narrator (voice)
CBS News Sunday Morning
1979 · TV Show
as Self
60 Minutes
1968 · TV Show
as Self
The Grammys
1959 · TV Show
as Self
Tony Awards
1956 · TV Show
as Self - Presenter
The Oscars
1953 · TV Show
as Self
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951 · TV Show
as Rosemary Allbright
Golden Globe Awards
1944 · TV Show
as Self - Presenter, Self - Nominee
No image
Two Butterflies
· Movie
No image
I Almost Forgot About You
· Movie
as Dr. Georgia Young
No image
Small Great Things
· Movie
No image
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree
· Movie
as Rachel Dupree
No image
Ally Clark
· Movie
as Ally Clark
No image
House of Games
· Movie
No image
Ascent
· TV Show
as Catriona Vail
Crew Credits
G20
2025 · Movie
Producer
No image
ASALI: Power of the Pollinators
2025 · Movie
Executive Producer
Number One on the Call Sheet
2025 · TV Show
Executive Producer
Silver Dollar Road
2023 · Movie
Executive Producer
The Woman King
2022 · Movie
Producer
The First Lady
2022 · TV Show
Executive Producer
Operation Othello
2019 · Movie
Executive Producer
Troop Zero
2019 · Movie
Producer
Emanuel
2019 · Movie
Executive Producer
In a Man's World
2019 · TV Show
Executive Producer, Creator
The Last Defense
2018 · TV Show
Executive Producer
Night Shift
2017 · Movie
Executive Producer
How to Get Away with Murder
2014 · TV Show
Producer
No image
Ally Clark
· Movie
Producer
No image
House of Games
· Movie
Producer
Mfinda
· Movie
Executive Producer
No image
Black Boys Don't Sew
· Movie
Executive Producer
No image
The Untamed: A Sinner's Prayer
· Movie
Producer
No image
A Menina Que Voa
· Movie
Production Accountant
No image
Rise of the Empress
· TV Show
Executive Producer
