Viola Davis is an American actress and film producer. Known for her work across screen and stage. The drama Doubt (2008) earned Davis her first Academy Award nomination. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a 1960s housemaid in The Help (2011) and Ma Rainey in the biopic Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for reprising her role in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. Her role as lawyer Annalise Keating in the ABC drama series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020) won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first black actress to do so. Davis is also recognized for appearing in big budget blockbusters, playing Amanda Waller in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Suicide Squad (2016), and leading the historical action film The Woman King (2022).