Viola Davis made her film debut in the 1996 drama film ‘The Substance of Fire’ directed by Daniel J. Sullivan. In 1998, she starred as ‘Moselle Miller’ in the American crime comedy film ‘Out of Sight’ directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and received 2 ‘Academy Award’ nominations. In 2000, she joined the cast of the American medical drama television series ‘City of Angels’ where she played the role of ‘Surgical Nurse Lynette Peeler.’ The show ran for 24 episodes. She next appeared in television series and films such as ‘Amy & Isabelle’ (2001), ‘Providence’ (2001), ‘Law & Order: Criminal Intent’ (2002), ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2002), ‘Hack’ (2003), ‘The Practice’ (2003), ‘Century City’ (2004), ‘Jesse Stone: Stone Cold’ (2005), ‘Jesse Stone: Night Passage’ (2006), ‘Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise’ (2006), and ‘Jesse Stone: Sea Change’ (2007).
In 2008, Davis received the ‘Academy Award’ nomination for her performance as ‘Mrs. Miller’ in the American drama film ‘Doubt’ directed by John Patrick Shanley. The film garnered considerable praise from critics. The following year, she appeared in the American vigilante action thriller film ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ directed by F. Gary Gray. Even though the film received mostly negative reviews from critics, it did decent business at the box office. In 2010, she was seen playing the role of ‘Director Isabel George’ in the James Mangold-directed American action comedy film ‘Knight and Day.’ The film received a mixed response from critics and grossed over $262 million against a budget of $117 million. In 2011, she starred as ‘Aibileen Clark’ in the period drama film ‘The Help’ directed by Tate Taylor. The film opened to a positive reception and was a major commercial success, grossing over $216.6 million on a budget of $25 million. Davis also earned her second ‘Academy Award’ nomination for her performance in the film.
She continued to star in films like ‘Won't Back Down’ (2012), ‘Beautiful Creatures’ (2013), ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby’ (2013), ‘Get On Up’ (2014), ‘Blackhat’ (2015), and ‘Lila & Eve’ (2015). Davis became a recipient of the ‘Academy Award,’ along with the ‘British Academy Film Award’ and ‘Golden Globe Award,’ for playing the role of ‘Rose Maxson’ in the 2016 American period drama film ‘Fences’ directed by Denzel Washington. The film opened to universal acclaim and was a financial success. That same year, Davis also portrayed ‘Amanda Waller’ in the American superhero film ‘Suicide Squad’ directed by David Ayer. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and did decent business at the box office. She next appeared in films like ‘Widows’ (2018), ‘Troop Zero’ (2019), ‘Giving Voice’ (2020), ‘Ma Rainey's Black Bottom’ (2020), and ‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021). Davis was last seen in the 2021 drama film ‘The Unforgivable’ directed by Nora Fingscheidt. The film received a mixed response from critics. She is all set to appear in the upcoming American historical epic film ‘The Woman King’ where she will play the role of ‘Nanisca.’
