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Viola Davis (born August 11, 1965 in St. Matthews, South Carolina) is an American actress of screen and stage.

She earned acclaim and [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] nominations for her roles in ''Film/{{Doubt}}'' and ''Film/TheHelp''. She starred as criminal law professor Annalise Keating on Creator/ShondaRhimes' ABC drama ''Series/HowToGetAwayWithMurder'', for which she won the MediaNotes/{{Emmy|Award}} for Best Actress in a Drama, making her the first Black actor to ever win the award, and played ComicBook/AmandaWaller in ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}''. Her role in the film adaptation of ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'' earned her an Oscar and a MediaNotes/{{Golden Globe|Award}} for Best Supporting Actress.

She is the first Black actor to achieve the "Triple Crown of acting" – an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony in the competitive acting categories. In 2021, she received another Oscar nomination for ''Film/MaRaineysBlackBottom'', becoming the second-most Oscar-nominated Black actor (behind Creator/DenzelWashington) and the first one with two Best Actress nominations. In 2023, she became the third Black woman and 18th person overall to attain [[MediaNotes/TheEGOTs EGOT]] status when she won a MediaNotes/{{Grammy|Award}} for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for ''Finding Me''.

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!! Selected filmography:
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[[folder:Film roles]]
* ''Film/ThePentagonWars'' (1998) as SFC Fanning
* ''Film/OutOfSight'' (1998) as Moselle Miller
* ''Film/{{Traffic|2000}}'' (2000) as Social Worker
* ''Film/FarFromHeaven'' (2002) as Sybil
* ''Film/AntwoneFisher'' (2002) as Eva May Fisher
* ''Film/{{Solaris|2002}}'' (2002) as Dr. Gordon
* ''Film/{{Syriana}}'' (2005) as CIA Chairwoman ({{uncredited|role}})
* ''Film/WorldTradeCenter'' (2006) as Mother in Hospital
* ''Film/{{Disturbia}}'' (2007) as Detective Parker
* ''Film/NightsInRodanthe'' (2008) as Jean
* ''Film/{{Doubt}}'' (2008) as Mrs. Miller [[note]]MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Supporting Actress[[/note]]
* ''Film/MadeaGoesToJail'' (2009) as Ellen St. Matthews
* ''Film/StateOfPlay'' (2009) as Dr. Judith Franklin
* ''Film/LawAbidingCitizen'' (2009) as Mayor April Henry
* ''Film/KnightAndDay'' (2010) as Director Isabel George
* ''Film/EatPrayLove'' (2010) as Delia Shiraz
* ''Film/ItsKindOfAFunnyStory'' (2010) as Dr. Minerva
* ''Film/{{Trust}}'' (2011) as Gail Friedman
* ''Film/TheHelp'' (2011) as Aibileen Clark [[note]]MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actress[[/note]]
* ''Film/ExtremelyLoudAndIncrediblyClose'' (2012) as Abby Black
* ''Film/BeautifulCreatures'' (2013) as Amarie "Amma" Treadeau
* ''Film/EndersGame'' (2013) as Major Anderson
* ''Film/TheDisappearanceOfEleanorRigby'' (2013) as Prof. Lillian Friedman
* ''Film/{{Prisoners}}'' (2013) as Nancy Birch
* ''Film/GetOnUp'' (2014) as Susie Brown
* ''Film/{{Blackhat}}'' (2015) as Agent Carol Barrett
* Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and DC Universe as ComicBook/AmandaWaller
** ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' (2016)
** ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'' (2021)
** ''Series/{{Peacemaker|2022}}'' (2022)
** ''Film/{{Black Adam|2022}}'' (2022)
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Creature Commandos|2024}}''
* ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'' (2016) as Rose Maxson [[note]]MediaNotes/AcademyAward win for Best Supporting Actress (and won a Tony Award for playing the role on the stage)[[/note]]
* ''Film/{{Widows}}'' (2018) as Veronica
* ''Film/TroopZero'' (2019) as Rayleen
* ''Film/MaRaineysBlackBottom'' (2020) as Gertrude "Ma Rainey" Pridgett
* ''Film/TheWomanKing'' (2022) as General Nanisca
* ''Film/{{Air|2023}}'' (2023) as Deloris Jordan
* ''Film/TheHungerGamesTheBalladOfSongbirdsAndSnakes'' (2023) as Dr. Volumnia Gaul
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda4'' (2024) as The Chameleon
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[[folder:Television roles]]
* ''Series/CityOfAngels'' (2000) as Lynnette Peeler
* ''Series/CenturyCity'' (2004) as Hannah Crane
* ''Series/{{Traveler|2007}}'' (2007) as Agent Jan Marlow
* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' (2003–08) as Donna Emmett
* ''Series/UnitedStatesOfTara'' (2009) as Lynda P Frazier
* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' (2013) as Helen Hanshaw (replaced by Dawnn Lewis in her second speaking appearance)
* ''Series/HowToGetAwayWithMurder'' (2014–20) as Annalise Keating [[note]]MediaNotes/EmmyAward win for Best Leading Actress – Drama[[/note]]
* ''Series/TheFirstLady'' (2022) as UsefulNotes/MichelleObama
[[/folder]]
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