Viola Davis Biography
Summary
"Viola Davis" (born August 11, 1965) is an American actress. Davis is known primarily as a stage actress, and won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in "King Hedley II" (2001). She won a second Drama Desk Award for "Intimate Apparel" (2004).
Her films include "Traffic" (2000), "Antwone Fisher" (2002), and "Solaris" (2002). Her performance in "Doubt" (2008) brought widespread recognition and she was nominated for several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.
Early life
Davis was born on her grandmother's farm in St. Matthews, South Carolina, the daughter of Mary and Dan Davis; Her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island when she was two months old.
Davis majored in theatre at Rhode Island College, graduating in 1988; in 2002 she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the college.
Her involvements in Upward Bound and Student Support Services were important steps in her academic and social development. As a teenager, Davis's talent was recognized by Bernard Masterson when, as director of Young People's School for the Performing Arts in Rhode Island, he awarded Davis a scholarship into that program.
She also attended the Juilliard School for four years, characterizing the experience as a 'mixed blessing':
Career
In 2001, she was awarded the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Tonya in "King Hedley II", a '35-year-old mother fighting eloquently for the right to abort a pregnancy.' She has also received two Drama Desk Awards, for her work in "King Hedley II" and, in 2004, for her work in an off-Broadway production of "Intimate Apparel".
Davis has also had roles in numerous films, including three films by Steven Soderbergh ("Out of Sight", "Solaris" and "Traffic"). Viola is also the uncredited voice of the parole board interrogator who questions Danny Ocean (George Clooney) in the first scene in "Ocean's Eleven". She also gave brief performances in the films "Kate & Leopold" and "Antwone Fisher". Her television work includes a recurring role in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"; a starring role in the short-lived "Traveler"; and a special guest appearance in 'Badge', a "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" episode.
In 2008, Davis played Mrs. Miller in the film adaption to the Broadway play, "Doubt" with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. She was nominated for several awards for this performance, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
On June 30, 2009, Davis was inducted into The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Quote
In a September 2004 article published in "American Theatre" magazine, Davis commented on her frustration with casting directors who still think in broad racial stereotypes:
When I graduated from Juilliard, I remember thinking that there was no difference between me and any other student in the school; I wanted to do what they were doing. I want to do what Meryl Streep is doing....When you see black movies, they're always urban and funny, with pretty much the same actors, which is not a bad thing. The travesty is when you're not that: I don't speak Ebonics. I'm too old to be a homegirl. I'm not funny like that-sitcom, WB-UPN funny. So if I'm not that, then sometimes to the acting community you can be considered nothing, as opposed to being a wide range of things.
Personal life
Davis has been married to actor Julius Tennon since June 2003. They have two children from Tennon's previous relationships .
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Viola Davis.
