What is the best Viola Davis role of all time?

Power, grief, fury, and grace — this lineup covers the full emotional spectrum of one of the most formidable acting forces of her generation. Which performance left you speechless?

1

Doubt

A 2008 drama where Davis delivers a tour-de-force 10-minute performance as Mrs. Miller, a mother confronting a priest about her son.

2

The Help

A 2011 drama where Davis plays Aibileen Clark, a Black maid in 1960s Mississippi who helps expose racial injustice, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

3

Prisoners

A 2013 thriller where Davis plays Nancy Birch, a mother whose daughter goes missing alongside a neighbor's child.

4

Get on Up

A 2014 biopic where Davis plays Evelyn Bradshaw, James Brown's mother, in a powerful scene opposite Chadwick Boseman.

5

How to Get Away with Murder

A 2014-2020 TV series where Davis plays Annalise Keating, a criminal defense attorney and law professor, winning an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress.

6

Suicide Squad

A 2016 DC superhero film where Davis plays Amanda Waller, the ruthless government operative who assembles the villain task force.

7

Fences

A 2016 drama where Davis plays Rose Maxson, a devoted wife who must confront her husband's betrayal, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

8

Widows

A 2018 Steve McQueen heist thriller where Davis plays Veronica Rawlings, a widow who takes over her criminal husband's unfinished job.

9

Ma Raineys Black Bottom

A 2020 Netflix drama where Davis plays Ma Rainey, the legendary blues singer battling for control of her music in 1920s Chicago.

10

King Richard

A 2021 biopic where Davis plays Oracene Price, the fierce and determined mother of Venus and Serena Williams.

11

The Woman King

A 2022 epic where Davis plays General Nanisca, the leader of the all-female Agojie warriors of the Dahomey kingdom.