Viola Davis joins an elite few with the Grammy Award she won last Sunday night at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Her newly minted Grammy the audiobook of her memoir Finding Me completes the collection of awards that gives her the highly coveted EGOT status.

She is only the 18th person and the second African-American, after Whoopi Goldberg (Star Trek‘s Guinan) to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. Dr. Davis (she has two doctorates) has also won a BAFTA, and an Obie. She has over 200 nominations for various awards ND 110 nominations so far. Given the way her career is going, it seems safe to predict future awards and nominations.

Viola Davis is well known to SCIFI.radio fans as Amanda Waller in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe).

How Did She Earn the EGOT?

EMMY

2016 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder.

four other Emmy nominations, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

GRAMMY

 2023, spoken word category for Best Audio Book Narration, And Storytelling Recording for her memoir Finding Me

OSCAR

2017, Best Supporting Actress, Rose Maxson in Fences

Viola Davis as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom {image via Netflix}

three other Oscar nominations, 2009, 2012, 2021

TONY

2001, King Hedley II

2010, Best Actress in a Play, Rose Maxson, Fences.

BAFTA

2017, Best Supporting Actress, Rose Maxson in Fences

three other BAFTA nominations, 2012, 2019, 2023.

OBIE

1999, Ruby McCollum in Everybody’s Ruby

SATURN

She was nominated for a Saturn Award in 2022 for Best Supporting Actress in Suicide Squad as Amanda Waller.

Davis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. She has been awarded two honorary doctorates, both in Fine Arts. The first was in 2002, from Rhode Island College. The second was from Indiana University in 2020.

Other Major Roles

Viola Davis in The Woman King (2022) {image via Sony}

Viola Davis has played the ruthlessly dedicated Amanda Waller in two television shows, The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker and two movies: Suicide Squad and Black Adam. She’s not always credited, but she’s always noticeable. She was Aibileen Clerk in The Help (2011). She played Nanisca in The Woman King (2022). In Widows (2018) she was Veronica. She played Michelle Obama in The First Lady. She appeared in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) as Abby Black.

In addition to her memoir, Finding Me, Dr. Davis has written a children’s book, Corduroy Takes a Bow, a sequel to Don Freeman’s popular Corduroy .

In private life, Viola Davis is Mrs. Julius Tennon. She and her husband have a daughter, Genesis Tennon. They are co-founders of a production company, JuVee Productions.

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Susan Macdonald
Susan Macdonald

Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress ”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions,  Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.