Viola Davis is an American actress and movie producer who started her career as a theatre actress. She went into theatre acting while in high school and she was soon spotted. She continued to Rhode Island College and majored in theatre. After leaving the university, Davis developed her acting skills at the famous Juilliard School.
Davis first paid acting job was in the movie “The Substance of Fire” in 1996. However, her breakthrough came when she played the role of Tonya in the Broadway play “King Hedley II.” Since then, she has starred in a number of movies and series and won multiple awards, including an Academy Award, Emmy Award and Tony Award. She is the first Black actress to win the triple crown (earning a Tony Award, an Emmy Award, and an Academy Award in the acting categories).
Davis is also the most nominated Black woman in the history of the Academy Awards. The New York Times has also featured her on its list of Top 10 greatest actors of the 21st century.
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Some of her known movies include “Intimate Apparel”, “Out of Sight”, “Solaris”, “Antwone Fisher”, Traffic”, and “Syriana.” Others include “Doubt”, “Far From Heaven”, “Ocean’s Eleven,” and “Kate & Leopold.”
Her successful career has made her one of the highest-paid actresses in the world. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $25 million. According to the platform, the actress earned roughly $15 million between September 2019 and September 2020.
Aside from acting, Davis is also a child hunger activist. In Showtime’s anthology series “The First Lady,” she plays former first lady Michelle Obama. She told the Wall Street Journal about a difficult upbringing and how that influenced her role.
“I mean, her Hunger Free program for kids,” Davis said in reference to Michelle Obama’s advocacy for the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. “I mention that because I was a kid who was hungry. I grew up in abject poverty. I dumpster-dived. I stole money for food. And I think Michelle Obama, coming from the South Side of Chicago, was very aware of [that kind of poverty].”
Further touching on her role as Michelle Obama in another interview, she noted that stepping into the shoes of the former first lady was not an easy task. “She walks like a boss,” Davis said, according to Variety
“During the pandemic, I was like, I’m ready to jump out of a plane,” she said. “I’m ready to do something that wakes me up, good or bad. And sometimes you need that to rediscover your passion for the work again.”
Born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina, Davis is married to fellow actor Julius Tennon. She became a stepmother of Tennon’s children from his past marriage. They also have an adopted daughter.
