Viola Davis is a prolific actor who is, without question, one of the best working today. With each performance, Davis brings raw emotion and charisma that many actors try to achieve but never do. Her film career started out with several minor roles, and she has since grown into a leading actor who brings in audiences to each of her movies. She has worked with major directors and studios and networks (like Netflix and ABC), and has even formed her own production company with her husband Julius called JuVee Productions. On top of that, she was the first Black actress to receive the “Triple Crown of Acting,” having won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony in acting categories.
Davis was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina to a working class family. Davis had a love for performing at a very young age and after studying theater at Rhode Island College, she attended Julliard School for four years. In 1992, Davis earned her first role in an off Broadway production of William Shakespeares’ As You Like it. She continued to work on several Broadway productions and landed bit roles on television shows such as NYPD BLUEand New York Undercover. Her career transitioned to film and she has worked her way up the ladder to superstar status. Throughout her long career, Davis has given several memorable performances, including the most recent Netflix drama The Unforgiveable. These are her 10 best performances.
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10 Prisoners
Warner Bros. Pictures
Although Davis’ performance in Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners is a supporting role, she gives it her all and the film wouldn’t be the same without her. Davis plays Nancy Birch, the mother of one of the two little girls who has been kidnapped in a Pennsylvanian town. Davis gives a real and powerful performance of a broken mother who is desperate to get back her child. The film also stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, and Hugh Jackman.
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9 Troop Zero
8 Get On Up
Imagine Entertainment
In the 2014 biographical drama Get On Up, about the life and career of James Brown (Chadwick Boseman), Davis plays a supporting role of Brown’s mother Susie Brown. Davis gives a heartbreaking and powerful performance of the mother who left James at a young age and became a sex worker. Later in James’ career, Susie returns to his life and James’ helps her financially. Davis gives a convincing performance of a mother filled with regret.
7 Won’t Back Down
won
In the 2012 film Won’t Back Down, Davis plays Nona Alberts, a Pittsburgh school teacher and mother on a quest to change her child’s school for the better. With the help of her friend Jaime Fitzpatrick (Maggie Gyllennhall), the two must overcome the bureaucracy and financial obstacles that stand in their way. Davis gives a triumphant performance of a dedicated teacher looking to change the lives of students. It is an inspirational true story that should be seen by all.
6 The Help
DreamWorks Pictures
In The Help, a drama based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel of the same name, Davis plays a maid in Jackson, Mississippi who helps a writer (Emma Stone) expose the racism and abuse from her white employers during the Civil Rights Movement. Davis gives a powerful performance and showcases the importance of courage to overcome prejudice. The film earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
5 Widows
20th Century Fox
Widows was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steve McQueen. Davis takes the lead role of Veronica Rawlings, the widow of a criminal mastermind (Liam Neeson) who must carry out an elaborate heist. Davis gives a dramatic performance that perfectly showcases female empowerment as she bands together a group of women to steal 5 million dollars from a crooked politician.
4 Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Netflix
Davis plays the “Mother of the Blues” Ma Rainey in Netflix’s critical hit Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, adapted from August Wilson’s 1982 play. Ma Rainey faces off against her white producer and manager to get the control over her music that she deserves. Davis is fierce in this film and thoroughly convincing as a musical performer. The film earned her her second Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
3 How To Get Away With Murder
The acclaimed ABC drama How To Get Away With Murder showcased a tour de force performance from Davis throughout the series. Davis plays Annalise Keating, a law professor who becomes involved with a murder plot alongside her students. Davis carried the show in a role filled with drama and sheer emotion. Audiences and critics praised the series and the show currently holds an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
2 Doubt
Miramax Films
Davis only had about eight minutes of screen time in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, but that didn’t stop her from earning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This only further proves her sheer capabilities as a performer. Her role is that of Mrs. Miller, the mother of a boy who has possibly been abused by Father Brendan Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). During her screen time, Davis goes through a roller coaster of emotions trying to figure out what to do about these accusations.
1 Fences
Paramount Pictures
It should be no surprise that Davis’ performance in Fences lands the number one spot on this list. Davis’ performance and emotion are non-stop from beginning to end. Directed by Denzel Washington, Davis plays Rose Lee Maxson, the supportive and caring wife of a man (Denzel Washington) who brutally betrays her. Through it all, Maxson does what she thinks is right by God and never stops caring for her family. In a dramatic altercation between her and her husband, Davis gives possibly the greatest performance of her career. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
