Viola Davis Awarded New Honor of the Chaplin Award for Film
Viola Davis will be honored for her contributions to the film industry on April 24 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Davis is receiving the 48th Chaplin award.
After making history as a coveted EGOT winner at this year’s Grammys, Viola Davis will receive her flowers once more. In order to earn EGOT status, a performer must win an Emmy, Oscar, Tony, and Grammy awards. Davis’ Grammy nod came in the category of Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, for narrating her riveting story, Finding Me.
Viola Davis is the 18th EGOT winner. She won her Emmy for ‘How to Get Away with Murder,’ her Grammy for “Finding Me,” her Oscar and her Tony for ‘Fences.’ pic.twitter.com/ACddag3xzV— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) February 5, 2023
Lesli Klainberg, President of Film at Lincoln Center, states “Viola Davis brings her tremendous skill and fierce emotional intelligence to everything she does. The range of her accomplishments is remarkable — as an actor in film, television, and theater; as a producer opening doors for new voices; and as an inspirational memoirist. She is truly a force.”
Davis is a cultural phenomenon that has contributed to cinema. More recently, Davis has shown her ferocious acting prowess in The Woman King which has garnered multiple award nominations in her name. The film debuted at the top of the box office in its opening weekend and continued its success in the following weeks.
Davis is also a four-time Academy award nominee. Her first win came in 2017 when she received Best Supporting Actress starring opposite Denzel Washington in Fences. This happened to be the same role where she won her second Tony in 2010. Her first Tony came in 2001, for her portrayal of Tonya in King Hedley II.
In addition, she is also a five-time Emmy nominee. She made Emmys history in 2015 when she became the first woman of color to achieve an Outstanding Lead Actress win for her portrayal of the iconic Annalise Keating in How to Get Away With Murder.
Davis’ Chaplin award honor joins a list of incredible actors including Charlie Chaplin, Cate Blanchett, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Helen Mirren, and Spike Lee.
Congratulations to Viola Davis on achieving EGOT status. Her memoir Finding Me is available for purchase at select bookstores.
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