Viola Davis SAG Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama". E!. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017 . Retrieved April 2, 2017. EXCLUSIVE: Viola Davis Bags Amanda Waller Role In 'Suicide Squad' ". Latino Review. December 16, 2014. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014.

Fences Stars Viola Davis & Denzel Washington Win 2010 Tony Awards". broadway.com. June 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 21, 2012 . Retrieved July 8, 2012. I cried reading about Viola's childhood and the way her trauma shaped her into the woman she is today. I cheered for her, had my heart burn with pride and joy learning she's finally getting the love and life she deserves. I love the way she handles her success. She’s humble, practical, and handles criticism stoically and with pragmatism, and that is not something many people are able to pull off in general, much less publicly. I have loved this actress for a long time based solely on her skills as an actress, but now I am doubly impressed. Now when I see Viola on the big or small screen, I will see her in a different light- one that shines brighter and stronger, with an everlasting glow…And when I said that, everyone froze and fell deathly silent. For a split second, we were all in a movie, as all the now silent white boys looked at the Portuguese boy, eager to respond to anything he said. Gonzales, Erica (February 27, 2017). "Viola Davis Grew Up in Poverty and Rat-Infested Apartments—Now She Has an Oscar". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017 . Retrieved February 27, 2017. Following her gap year, during which Viola became a "professional actress", she went on to Juilliard School in New York City. She also entered into relationships with the wrong men - self-centered men who didn't treat her well. Caro, Mark (February 14, 2009). "Viola Davis: The Pop Machine interview". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015 . Retrieved September 21, 2015.

a b Hughes, Jazmine (April 12, 2022). "Viola Davis, Inside Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022 . Retrieved April 24, 2022. I wanted to celebrate her joy, her eye-opening insights….her passion….her love…her loyalty to truth….to integrity….her authenticity…..her boldness, bravery, and discovery into FINDING HERSELF… Career-wise, after Viola got a role in the 1998 HBO movie 'The Pentagon Wars', there was a domino effect, and more television work came along. Still, many roles eluded Viola because, in her words, she wasn't "pretty enough." Davis began her career in Central Falls, Rhode Island, appearing in small stage productions. After graduating from the Juilliard School in 1993, she won an Obie Award in 1999 for her performance as Ruby McCollum in Everybody's Ruby. She played minor roles in film and television in the late 1990s and early 2000s, before earning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Tonya in the 2001 Broadway production of August Wilson's King Hedley II. Her film breakthrough came with her role as a troubled mother in the drama Doubt (2008), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Davis won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her role as Rose Maxson in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's play Fences. [6] Her mother was also an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. [23] When she was two years old, Davis was taken to jail with her mother after she was arrested during a civil rights protest. [25] She has described herself as having "lived in abject poverty and dysfunction" during her childhood, [26] recalling living in "rat-infested and condemned" apartments. [27] Davis is a second cousin of actor Mike Colter, known for portraying the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. [28]Trumbore, Dave (April 5, 2019). " 'Suicide Squad' Reboot to Star Viola Davis, Returning as Amanda Waller". Collider. Archived from the original on August 22, 2023 . Retrieved June 19, 2020. In 2017, Davis was presented with the 2,597th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by her Doubt co-star and friend Meryl Streep. While accepting the honor, Davis said: "It's like my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can say is, God has blessed my life in abundance." [77] Davis was also listed among and a featured cover star of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" List for the second time, her first being in 2012. [78] Streep penned the article in the magazine, referring to Davis as having "carved a place for herself on the Mount Rushmore of the 21st century", commenting that "her gifts as an artist are unassailable, undeniable, deep and rich and true. But her importance in the culture – her ability to identify it, her willingness to speak about it and take on responsibility for it – is what marks her for greatness." [79] In March 2017, Davis was awarded the Artist of the Year Award at Harvard University. [80]