Viola Davis Makes Oscar History
Viola Davis has made history as the most nominated Black actress in the history of the Oscar awards.
The movie-star received her fourth nomination on March 15 for her work as the titular character in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Both Davis and her late Ma Rainey’s co-star Chadwick Boseman were nominated in the Best Actress and Best Actor categories respectively.
In 2017, she won the Oscar for supporting actress for Fences, after being nominated in that category in 2009 for her work in Doubt. She has competed for best actress before, in 2012, for playing maid “Aibileen Clark” in The Help.
Prior to the 2021 Oscar nominations announcement, the 55-year-old performer and actress Octavia Spencer had been tied as Oscar’s most nominated Black actress in history while Whoopi Goldberg has a supporting actress win for Ghost and a best actress nomination for The Color Purple.
Meanwhile, the late Cicely Tyson has an honorary Academy Award, given to her in 2018, and a Best Actress nomination for Sounder.
A win would make Viola Davis the only Black woman with multiple Oscars, and just the second Black woman to win a best actress Oscar. Halle Berry was the first to take that category, in 2002, for Monster’s Ball.
2021 Oscars: Full List of Nominees
However, Denzel Washington remains the most-nominated Black performer of all time with eight Oscar nominations (including two wins) as an actor including a nomination for Best Picture for his work producing Fences. Morgan Freeman follows with five nominations (including one win) to date.
