Viola Davis

Family (Father)

1936

Viola Davis seems to mostly speak about her parents. Dan Davis was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina in 1936. He had at least two sisters, and a poor relationship with his stepfather. At 15, he ran away from the abuse and became a horse groomer. He hated his work due to mistreatment from the white owners of the racehorses. His trauma, work hatred and unwanted responsibility, may have influenced him into becoming, for a period of time: a raging alcoholic, who had open affairs and was abusive.

Viola Davis with her mother, Mae Alice Davis(right)

1943

Viola Davis (left) with her mother, Mae Alice Davis(right)

Family (Mother)

Period: 1943 to 2024

Her mother, Mae Alice Davis went by the name "Mary" instead. Mary was born as the eldest of Mozell and Henry Logan's eighteen children; she was expected to watch her siblings. At the age of four/five years old, she accidentally set a rug on fire. While she managed to grab her brother Jimmy, her sister Deloris died from smoke inhalation, scarring Mary. She dropped out at 8th grade due to pregnancy, and racists' beatings. She was married to Dan Davis for 48 years until his death.

Birth

Aug 11, 1965

(NOT a real photo of Ms.Davis)Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina in the single room house of her maternal grandparents. She was the fifth of six children her parents had. Her mother, Mae Alice Davis, told her later that, "everyone was there...waiting for you to come", and "everybody was happy!". Davis explains that when she first heard this, she was waiting for some "unbelievable, traumatic interjection"; instead, it was "a tale of love and life". (Davis 12)

Family Moves to Rhode Island

Oct 11, 1965

Two months after her birth, her family relocated to Central Falls, Rhode Island. In their apartment 128 Washington Street they would have no heat, electricity, and running water. Viola Davis describes the numbers 128 as being code for "the dungeon"(Davis 36). During a conversation with her older sister, Diane, she was told that she needed to decide to what she wanted to be and work hard.
(https://wealthypeeps.com/viola-davis-parents-mother-mae-alice-davis-father/)

Picture of Viola Davis As a Child

1974

Davis Sisters Win Jenks Park Skit Contest

1974

When watching television, Viola Davis and her sisters saw their way "out" of the world they were in. They found this hope in dark-skinned Miss Cicely Tyson, acting in "The Autobiography of Jane Pittman". Inspired, she and her sisters divided the work of creating and acting out a skit and, after lots of work, they ended up winning first place. The sisters would continue their passion for acting throughout their childhood.

Miss Cicely Tyson

1974

She was one of the first influences for the Davis sisters and specifically Viola Davis, with acting. The first film they had watched with Miss Cicely Tyson was "The Autobiography of Jane Pittman".

Family Abuse

Period: 1974 to 1976

At a young age, Viola and her sisters were subjected to sexual abuse, whether from older men, older neighborhood boys who "babysat" them, or even their own brother. When their brother was playing 'Bruce Lee' he threw a butcher knife at her sister Anita; the knife missed her organs and was embedded in her leg instead. Once when their parents were fighting, their mother was doing Diane's hair; their father threw a glass that hit Dianne's head instead. Their mother constantly showed signs of abuse.

Upperward Bound

1979

At 14, Viola Davis had decided she wanted to become a great actor like Cicely Tyson. She had her first experience of acting lessons while taking a federally supported college program called "Upperward Bound", meant to help first gen students transition from high school to college. In this 6-week program, they were allowed one extra-curricular, and Viola Davis chose Drama, a class taught by Ron Stetson. This class was her escape and fueled her confidence with acting, and her own identity.

Arts Recognition and Talent Search Competition

1982

This was a national competition for high school seniors designed in Miami, Florida and had 5 sections: drama, visual arts, dance, music, and writing. Mr. Aissis, a science teacher, told Viola about this opportunity and encouraged her to enter in drama. With the help of her Upward Bound counselor Jeff Kenyon, she submitted her 2 monologues and got picked. After her trip for this program she was named a Promising Young Artist and lauded at City Hall.

Highschool Graduation

1983

Viola Davis graduates from Central Falls Highschool.

Preparatory Enrollment Program and College

Period: 1983 to 1988

Viola Davis entered Rhode Island College with a full ride college scholarship called "Preparatory Enrollment Program". While taking full time classes, she worked four jobs. At first, worried about whether acting would pan out, she decided to become a teacher. She later changed to her major to Theater and decided she was going to be an actor. After 5 years of hard work, she graduated with a Bachelor's degree.

Acting During College

Period: 1984 to 1988

At Rhode Island College, Viola Davis got two roles: April in "Hot L Baltimore" by Lanford Wilson and the nurse in "Romeo and Juliet". For her portrayal of 'April', she was nominated for an Irene Ryan Award. She also created a one-woman show that had 17 different characters. She took an exchange program at Cal Poly, where she performed in "Mrs. Warren's Profession" and joined an improv group. Before graduating, she auditioned for URTAs, grad programs for theater students.

Circle in Square Theatre and Trinity Repertory Company

1988

Viola Davis decided to apply for this six-week program at Circle in the Square Theatre in NYU and got accepted after her URTA audition. There, Viola Davis says,"I received my best acting training"(Davis 138). She learned under the guidance of teachers like Alan Langdon and Jacqueline Brooks. During this gap year of hers, she became a professional actress, acting at Trinity Repertory Company for a year. While rehearsing for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone", she auditioned for Julliard and met David.

Redlining

1989

Viola Davis realizes "that housing redlining was a part of our culture-North and South-affected by Jim Crow"(Davis 144). Redlining is a discriminatory practice that denies insurance, mortgages, and loans to areas with minority demographics, especially black people. It went on before 1989, but I put this as the year since this is when Viola Davis faces this problem with trying to get an apartment and hearing other people's racist remarks.

First Romantic Relationship: David

1989

Viola Davis met David through acting at Trinity Repertory Company. He was an experienced actor and Viola felt drawn to him at the time. Reflecting back on her seven-year relationship with him, she feels as though she spent those years trying to get him to love her.

Julliard

Period: 1990 to 1994

Wanting to go into a degree or program that could guarantee her a good agent afterwards, one option she was told, was Julliard. After getting accepted, she spent 4 years getting her master's degree. At some points, she felt that acting was hard when done from a European perspective, something that held little connection to her as a black minority at Julliard.

First Broadway Show: Seven Guitars

Mar 28, 1996

After auditioning for the part of Vera in
Seven Guitars", Lloyd Richards and Meg Simon ended up casting Viola Davis for the part. After performing as Vera, she got nominated for a Tony Award. Because of this success, she was able to help her parents. Surprisingly, around this time, her father also changed and began caring for her mom and her brother's children.

Meets Julius Tennon in 2000, Gets Married 2003

2000

On set of "City of Angels", a movie she met Julius Tennon in 2000 and went on to marry him in 2003.

King Hedley II

May 1, 2001

Viola Davis was in Ney York when she auditioned for Tonya in King Hedley II and scored the role.

Fences

Apr 26, 2010

Viola Davis starred as Rose in "Fences" as the wife of Denzel Washington's character.

Her daughter

2011

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon adopt their daughter, Genesis, in 2011.

References

Sep 28, 2024

1.https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/viola-davis-37520#Credits
2.https://wealthypeeps.com/viola-davis-parents-mother-mae-alice-davis-father/
3.https://www.providencejournal.com/story/entertainment/movies/2017/02/27/mark-patinkin-viola-davis-road-from-poverty-to-oscar/22054511007/
4.https://bodyheightweight.com/viola-davis-family/
5."Finding Me" by Viola Davis