actor
Personal Information
Born in 1965, in South Carolina, raised in Central Falls, RI.
Education: Rhode Island College, bachelor of arts, theater, 1988; Julliard School of Performing Arts, New York, NY, certificate in acting, 1994.
Career
Actress. Broadway, King Hedley II, Seven Guitars; New York Shakespeare Festival, Everybody's Ruby, Pericles, As You Like It; Off-Broadway, God's Heart; Other, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Measure for Measure, The Rover; Television: cast member, City of Angels; guest appearances: NYPD Blue, NY Undercover, Grace and Glory, Third Watch, The Guardian, Judging Amy; made-for-TV movies, Amy and Isabelle, The Pentagon Wars; feature films: Solaris, Traffic, The Shrink Is In, Out of Sight, The Substance of Fire, Marvin's Room.
Life's Work
From early childhood, the odds were against Viola Davis achieving her dreams of being an actress. Reared in a small town, Davis knew not only the sting of poverty but also of racism. "I felt that being an actor was a silly dream for a shy, poor, Black girl from Central Falls, Rhode Island," she said in an interview with www.trioprograms.org. "Everyone I saw on television, in film or at the theatre did not look like me!" Fortunately, she found support in the Upward Bound program and against those odds, learned to believe in herself. "Slowly but surely my world began to open up. My mind began to expand and suddenly I discovered there is nothing that the human spirit cannot conquer," she told www.trioprograms.org. With a 2001 Tony Award for her work in King Hedley II, Davis has already conquered Broadway. As she racks up television and film credits, including a starring role on the series City of Angels, conquering Hollywood is definitely within her reach.
Davis was born in South Carolina but raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island, where she and her family were the only African Americans. "It was difficult growing up in a small town where we were the only Blacks," she said in an interview with www.ric.edu, the website of Rhode Island College, her alma mater. However, the biggest problem for Davis as a child was poverty. "I love my family dearly and I am dedicated to and protective of them," she continued in the interview, "but I came from a dysfunctional family. Poverty is a disease of the mind, and a disease of the spirit." She found solace from this poverty with education. "My parents were not educated, but they believed in education," Davis was quoted as saying on www.tv411.org. Therefore she attended Saturday classes and summer school and when not in a classroom, was tutored by her older sister.
Barely a teenager, Davis had already decided on an acting career. "I wanted to express myself by being an actor. I felt the need to," she told www.ric.edu. Yet, she was afraid she would not be able to pursue this dream. "I always wanted to be an actor but I also wanted an education," she told www.trioprograms.org. "I remember thinking that eventually I would have to give up one for the other because they definitely could not co-exist. Who would have thought that [Upward Bound] would break down all those misconceptions." The program--an educational camp designed to inspire students to reach for their dreams--also introduced Davis to Ron Stetson, an Upward Bound acting teacher. "He was my first acting coach," Davis told www.trioprograms.org. "He left an indelible mark on me. He had a gift for instilling in his students the cold, harsh reality of having a career in the performing arts, but also inspiring and encouraging their dreams." Stetson's support was instrumental in Davis's attending Rhode Island College where she earned a bachelor of arts in theater in 1988.
Another inspirational instance from Davis's childhood was when she was awarded a scholarship to go to Africa in 1981 to study the role of art in native cultures. "I realized how art was so much a part of their lives, whether it was in rituals celebrating coming into womanhood, coming into manhood, surviving the first and second days of birth, expressing the sadness of being infertile. I saw how art crossed gender, age, and language, and I think that was the most enlightening experience. Art transcends reality," she told www.ric.edu.
Soon after earning her bachelor's degree Davis relocated to New York City in order to "be where the business is flourishing," she explained to www.ric.edu. There she attended the prestigious Julliard School of Performing Arts where she earned a certificate in 1994. At Julliard Davis honed not only her acting skills but also learned some hard lessons about the profession she had chosen. She told www.ric.edu, "I had to grow up and learn quickly that people don't always want the best for you. They are not going to sit and watch you succeed." She continued, "Also, not everyone is going to like you but that's okay. I also learned that hard work pays off. Even if others don't acknowledge it, you can acknowledge it." Her seeming cynicism belies the fact that Davis loves acting. In fact, it is her love for the profession that allows her to endure the often callous reality of it. In her interview with www.ric.edu she advised would-be actors, "Love your work. This business is political. It's all about who has the best agent, or who has the best deal at Miramax. The only thing you have to rely on is your love for the work."
Davis's love for acting has helped land many roles in dozens of films and television sitcoms. On the big screen she has appeared in The Substance of Fire, Out of Sight, The Shrink Is In, Marvin's Room, and Traffic. On television she has made appearances on numerous programs including, NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, New York Undercover, Third Watch, The Guardian, and Providence. She also was featured in the made-for-TV movie Amy and Isabelle. Her biggest television role to date was as a cast member on CBS's hospital drama City of Angels, which premiered to critical acclaim in 2000.
Though both her big and small screen credits are impressive, it is on the stage where Davis's talents have truly shone. In addition to performing in regional theater she has appeared in the Off-Broadway production of God's Heart at the Lincoln Center in New York City and in the New York Shakespeare Festival production of Everybody's Ruby where Davis's performance garnered more acclaim than the play's star Phylicia Rashad. On Broadway Davis was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the play Seven Guitars. Though she lost the nomination she did receive Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, and Theatre World Awards for her portrayal of Tonya in this riveting drama by August Wilson. When Wilson cast his next play, King Hedley II, Davis promptly won one of the major female roles. Her performance drew critical acclaim and culminated in her winning the 2000 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. As she fought back tears during her acceptance speech for the award, she said with characteristic humility, "I'm not one of the best, I'm just one of the blessed people in this business." As she branches further out into film--she'll play an astronaut in the feature film Solaris scheduled for a 2002 release--and television with a role in a new sitcom, it will be the public that will be blessed to experience Davis's extraordinary acting talent.
Awards
Tony Award, Best Performance by a Featured Actress, King Hedley II, 2001; Drama Desk, Theater World, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, Seven Guitars; Tony Award nomination, Best Performance by a Featured Actress, Seven Guitars.
Further Reading
Periodicals
- Jet, June 18, 2001, p. 65.
On-line- www.tv411.org/people/feature.shtml
- www.ric.edu/upward_bound/alumni_profile.html
- www.trioprograms.org/council/trio/2_achievers.html
- http://www.nyjournalnews.com/onstage/2001_tonys.html
— Candace LaBalle
