JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Happy Birthday Viola Davis: Exploring Her Top 10 Roles As Actress Turns 59
Viola Davis is turning 59 years old, and the actress has been in the industry for a long time. Here are her top 10 performances listed below to celebrate her contribution.
Popular American actress and film producer, Viola Davis is known for her marvelous acting prowess on stage and screen. Over the years, she has honed her skills and garnered a lot of appreciation from the audience as well as the critics. She has gotten four Oscar nominations, becoming the first African-American to earn so.
From getting BAFTA and Golden Globe Award nominations to winning them, along with Screen Actors Guild Awards, and more - Viola Davis' accolades are never-ending. She gave a few iconic performances not only on big screens but also on Television. And on her 59th birthday, to celebrate this powerhouse of an actor, we have listed her top 10 roles so far. So, without any delay let’s take a look at them.
Fences (2016)
Denzel Washington’s directorial Fences is based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Viola Davis plays Rose the wife of waste collector Troy Maxson (Denzel). The drama showcases Viola’s talent as she takes down her husband’s infidelities. The way she portrayed the strong-willed character, Rose is quite commendable. The movie made her earn the first Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, and her third Screen Actors Guild Award.
The Help (2011)
Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel’s adapted interpretation, The Help, made Viola win her first two Screen Actors Guild Awards (for Best Actress and Best Ensemble Cast). In Tate Taylor’s directorial, Davis portrayed a strong-headed Aibileen Clark’s character who is a maid in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. Aibileen knows how far to speak and what to do to keep her valued job well. Viola’s acting prowess earned her the fame of being a full-fledged movie actress.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
George C. Wolfe’s directorial has seen Viola Davis’ one of the finest performances to date. In this adaptation of August Wilson’s Tony-nominated play, the actress played Ma Rainey, the blues singer. She brought in her artistic dominance to give life to her character. Her surprisingly physical performance onscreen was well complemented by Chadwick Boseman who gave his final act in this one. He portrayed a trumpet player Levee.
Doubt (2008)
This movie skyrocketed Viola’s career and ranked her from being a supportive actress to a lead award contender. She portrayed Mrs Miller, a mother to a young boy who was the only African-American student to study at a Catholic school in 1964. However, when the school’s principal Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) doubts that the school’s Father (Philip Seymour Hoffman) had molested her son, Mrs Miller shuts down those accusations. She didn’t want to jeopardize her son’s schooling. Viola earned a lot of accolades for portraying the complex character.
The Woman King (2022)
In this true historical drama set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1923, Viola Davis played the daring General Nanisca, the imposing leader of the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors. She portrayed a character out of her league and proved why she was chosen to do such a role. Even though Davis has been a part of many projects with strong women characters, never she was seen so physically demanding as a warrior like this one. This movie surely deserved to be on the list.
Eat Pray Love (2010)
Over the years, Viola Davis has played a lot of best friend characters. But her performance in Eat Pray Love is probably the best of the best. Based on the best-selling Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, Ryan Murphy’s adaptation stars Julia Roberts as Elizabeth. Elizabeth decided to divorce her husband and travel around the world, here comes her best friend, Delia Shiraz’s entry. Viola as Delia is quite refreshing.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Viola Davis has portrayed many headstrong characters, however, her villainous performance as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad deserves special mention. Her debut in the DC universe was a surprise to the audience and as Amanda, the government intelligence official who assembles and rules the Suicide Squad, her character was quite dark. The movie also stars Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, etc.
Get On Up (2014)
Get On Up is a biopic drama directed by Tate Taylor revolving around James Brown’s life and his experiences played by Chadwick Boseman. Even though Davis portrayed a supporting character as Brown’s mother Susie, this film deserves to be mentioned in this list of honors.
Prisoners (2013)
An emotional rollercoaster movie, Prisoners (2013) featured Davis as Nancy Birch, a concerned wife to Franklin (Terrence Howard) and their only child Joy. However, when they invite Grace (Maria Bello) and Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) with their daughter Anna on Thanksgiving and realize their children have gone missing, how Davis and Howard show their grief and emotions is quite commendable. This is a great movie with great actors.
Air (2023)
Ben Affleck’s directorial, Air is Viola’s latest movie. The film is about Michael Jordan who had one request for Ben to cast Davis as his mother and well it has worked out for everyone, and choosing Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan has been the perfect decision. It’s one of her beautiful works that shows her artwork with emotions.
So, these are the top 10 performances of Viola Davis. Have you watched any of these movies? Let us know your thoughts about it.
ALSO READ: Throwback: When Bradley Cooper Revealed How Being a Dad Changed His Life
Latest Articles
