Viola Davis

Actress 'Viola Davis' (qv) was born on her grandmother's farm, at the then-Singleton Plantation in St. Matthews, South Carolina. When she was two months old her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island, where her father, Dan Davis, worked as a horse groomer and trainer. Her mother, 'Mary Alice' (qv) (Logan), a maid and factory worker, was also a civil rights activist. Davis was educated at Central Falls High School, where she developed a love of acting. She studied theater at Rhode Island College, and also attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.Davis made her screen debut with a small role as a nurse in 1996's _The Substance of Fire (1996)_ (qv). Guest spots followed in various TV shows and films, and in 2000 she won the role of Nurse Lynnette Peeler in _City of Angels (2000)_ (qv). In 2001, Davis appeared on Broadway in the play, 'King Hedley II', for which she was awarded a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play.Davis has worked with 'Steven Soderbergh' (qv) on three projects - _Traffic (2000)_ (qv), _Solaris (2002)_ (qv) and _Syriana (2005)_ (qv). Other projects include _Far from Heaven (2002)_ (qv), _Antwone Fisher (2002)_ (qv) and _Disturbia (2007)_ (qv). In 2008, she played Mrs. Miller in _Doubt (2008)_ (qv), for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. In 2011, she won critical acclaim for her starring role as Aibileen Clark in the box-office hit _The Help (2011)_ (qv).::Anonymous