Simmons Leadership Conference

Viola Davis

A compelling presence, on both stage and screen, award-winning actress Viola Davis brings a memorable authenticity and depth of feeling to the complex women she portrays. Involved in theater from her high school years, she performed in a variety of television and film projects before her breakout Broadway role in King Hedley II, for which she won both a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award. Davis later received another Tony for her leading role in Fences. In between times, she garnered several best supporting actress nominations for her riveting turn in the film version of Doubt and again for best actress for her indelible performance in The Help. Women in Film recently recognized Davis's accomplishments with a Crystal Award for excellence in film, and Time magazine named her to its 2012 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.