A MODERN
BIOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
THE COLLECTION / Film & TVARCHIVE № 028
1965 —   ACTRESS / PRODUCER

VIOLADAVIS

Aug 11, 1965United States

What happened at what age?
Where were they at your age?

She was born in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, and grew up in Central Falls, Rhode Island. The year she turned 31, she played Vera in the Broadway opening of August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. The year she turned 35, she had a recurring role as a nurse in City of Angels.

The breakthrough yearThe year she turned 36, she won the Tony Award for featured actress in a play for King Hedley II.

The year she turned 37, she appeared in Far from Heaven and Antwone Fisher. The year she turned 38, she married the actor Julius Tennon. The year she turned 39, she starred in the Off-Broadway play Intimate Apparel.

The year she turned 44, she received her first Oscar nomination, for Doubt. The year she turned 45, she won her second Tony Award, for Fences. The year she turned 47, she was nominated for the Oscar for lead actress for The Help.

The year she turned 49, she was cast in How to Get Away With Murder, which premiered on ABC in September. The year she turned 50, she won the Emmy Award for lead actress in a drama series, the first African-American to do so, per The New York Times. The year she turned 51, she won a second consecutive SAG Award for the series.

The year she turned 52, she was nominated for the Oscar for Fences in January and won it in February. The year she turned 53, she wrote the picture book Corduroy Takes a Bow.

The year she turned 56, she was nominated for the Oscar for lead actress for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The year she turned 57, her memoir Finding Me was No. 1 on USA Today’s best-sellers list, and The Woman King was released. The year she turned 58, she won a Grammy for the Finding Me audiobook and completed the EGOT.

The year she turned 59, the Golden Globes announced she would receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award. The year she turned 60, G20 launched on Prime Video with her as the president. The year she turned 61, JuVee Productions signed a first-look deal with Universal Global Television, and she was named to receive the Gregory Peck Award at the San Diego International Film Festival.

Viola Davis made her Broadway debut in 1996, the year she turned 31, and became known when she won a Tony Award for King Hedley II on Jun 3, 2001, the year she turned 36. She won an Emmy the year she turned 50 and an Oscar the year she turned 52.

Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.

Full timeline · 25 records1965 — 2026   ＋
AGE / YEAR

  1. 0 · 1965
  2. 31 · 1996
  3. 35 · 2000
  4. 37 · 2002
  5. 38 · 2003
  6. 39 · 2004
  7. 44 · 2009
  8. 45 · 2010
  9. 47 · 2012
  10. 49 · 2014
  11. 49 · 2014
  12. 50 · 2015
  13. 51 · 2016
  14. 52 · 2017
  15. 52 · 2017
  16. 53 · 2018
  17. 56 · 2021
  18. 57 · 2022
  19. 57 · 2022
  20. 58 · 2023
  21. 59 · 2024
  22. 60 · 2025
  23. 61 · 2026
  24. 61 · 2026

END OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1965–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.

02 / QUICK ANSWERS

Q & AFrequently asked

How old was Viola Davis when she became famous?
She won the Tony Award for King Hedley II on Jun 3, 2001, the year she turned 36. Vanity Fair calls that role her breakthrough acting role.
How old was Viola Davis when she was first nominated for an Oscar?
She was nominated for Doubt on Jan 22, 2009, the year she turned 44.
When did Viola Davis win an Emmy?
She won the Emmy for lead actress in a drama series on Sep 20, 2015, the year she turned 50, for How to Get Away With Murder.
When did Viola Davis win an Oscar?
She won the Oscar for supporting actress for Fences on Feb 26, 2017, the year she turned 52.
How old is Viola Davis?
Born in 1965, she turns 61 in 2026 (61 as of Sep 30, 2026).
04 / ABOUT THE ARCHIVE

A LIFE,
IN CHAPTERS.

What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.

COLLECTION028Viola Davis / VIOLA DAVIS

Film & TV · United States
Aug 11, 1965 —

Sources and method29 SOURCES   ＋

Ages are counted from the birth year 1965: the year of the event minus 1965, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.

  1. Britannica · Viola Davis ↗Born Aug. 11, 1965, in Saint Matthews, South Carolina; City of Angels (2000); Far from Heaven and Antwone Fisher (2002); Intimate Apparel (2004); Oscar nomination for The Help
  2. Biography.com · Viola Davis ↗Broadway debut in 1996 in Seven Guitars; spouse Julius Tennon since 2003
  3. The New York Times · Seven Guitars review ↗Review of Mar. 29, 1996: Seven Guitars opened the night before at the Walter Kerr Theater; Viola Davis as Vera
  4. American Theatre · Truly, Madly, Intimately ↗Archived Sept. 2004 profile; Tonya in King Hedley II earned her a Tony as best featured actress; she was starring in Intimate Apparel
  5. Wikipedia · 55th Tony Awards ↗Ceremony held June 3, 2001, at Radio City Music Hall; not confirmed in news reports
  6. Vanity Fair · A look back at Viola Davis’s roles ↗Apr. 2021; calls King Hedley II (2001) her breakthrough acting role, with which she burst onto the national stage; Doubt earned her first Oscar nomination for about eight minutes of screen time
  7. The Guardian · Viola Davis interview ↗Apr. 18, 2022; Doubt marked her passage from stage to screen and earned her first Oscar nomination; she already had the Tony for King Hedley II
  8. NPR · Viola Davis Tackles Fear, Shines In Doubt ↗Dec. 10, 2008; Tony winner who had stayed out of the Hollywood limelight; Mrs. Miller in the new film Doubt
  9. The Telegraph · Oscar nominations 2009: Doubt ↗Jan. 22, 2009; Amy Adams and Viola Davis nominated for supporting actress for Doubt
  10. Entertainment Tonight · Third Oscar nomination ↗Jan. 24, 2017; nominated for Fences, the first Black woman nominated three times; earlier nominations in 2009 for Doubt and 2012 for The Help
  11. Broadway.com · Fences stars win Tony Awards ↗June 13, 2010; Davis and Denzel Washington won the lead acting Tonys for a play at Radio City Music Hall
  12. Bloomberg · Tony Awards 2010 winners ↗Davis won the lead actress award for Fences, her second Tony; report stamped June 14, 2010, 04:44 UTC
  13. The Hollywood Reporter · Davis to star in ABC drama ↗Feb. 25, 2014; two-time Oscar nominee to play a law professor and criminal defense attorney in How to Get Away With Murder
  14. The Hollywood Reporter · ABC fall premiere dates ↗July 15, 2014; How to Get Away With Murder launching Sept. 25
  15. The New York Times · Viola Davis’s Emmy Speech ↗Sept. 20, 2015; first African-American to win an Emmy for best actress in a drama
  16. E! News · Davis wins SAG Award ↗Story stamped Jan. 31, 2016; second consecutive SAG Award for female actor in a TV drama at the 22nd SAG Awards
  17. Entertainment Weekly · Oscars 2017 winners ↗Feb. 27, 2017; Davis won her first Oscar on Sunday for Fences, as Rose Maxson
  18. NPR · Viola Davis Brings A New Corduroy Book ↗Sept. 4, 2018; she wrote the picture book Corduroy Takes a Bow
  19. GoldDerby · Most nominated Black actress at the Oscars ↗Mar. 15, 2021; fourth Oscar nomination, for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  20. USA Today · Viola Davis memoir tops best sellers ↗May 5, 2022; Finding Me (HarperOne) at No. 1 on USA Today’s Best-Selling Books list
  21. Rolling Stone · The Woman King review ↗Sept. 16, 2022; Davis as General Nanisca, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
  22. Today · Viola Davis earns EGOT ↗Feb. 5, 2023; first Grammy, for the Finding Me audiobook, completing the EGOT
  23. Associated Press · Cecil B. DeMille Award ↗Nov. 20, 2024; to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd Golden Globes on Jan. 5
  24. Deadline · G20 viewership ↗July 7, 2025; more than 50 million worldwide Prime Video viewers since the April 10 launch; Davis as President Sutton
  25. Variety · JuVee first-look deal at Universal ↗July 7, 2026; JuVee Productions, with Julius Tennon, first-look deal with Universal Global Television; first project “Pawn”
  26. San Diego Union-Tribune · Film festival to honor Viola Davis ↗Sept. 17, 2026; Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence at the Night of the Stars Tribute on Oct. 13
  27. Wikipedia · 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards ↗Ceremony held Jan. 30, 2016, at the Shrine Auditorium; not confirmed in news reports
  28. Wikipedia · The Woman King ↗U.S. release Sept. 16, 2022; not confirmed in news reports
  29. Playbill · Thumbs up for Seven Guitars ↗Mar. 29, 1996; Seven Guitars made its Broadway debut on March 28 at the Walter Kerr Theatre

Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.