Viola Davis Completes Her EGOT With Grammy Win
Davis earned her Grammy for the audio recording of her autobiography, "Finding Me."
In one of the most exciting moments of the 2023 Grammys, Viola Davis completed her EGOT, which remains perhaps the greatest honor in entertainment.
This highly coveted acronym recognizes individuals who have won all four major American entertainment awards – the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar, and the Tony.
Davis earned her first Grammy award in the newly-renamed Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording category for the audio recording of her autobiography, “Finding Me.” It was her first time being nominated, so her record at this point is perfect.
“Oh, my God,” Davis said as she stood on stage and accepted her Grammy. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything,” she continued, taking time to single out her husband and child as the “best chapter” of her book. During her speech, she also shouted to the excited audience, “I just EGOT!”
Davis earned her first Tony Award for her outstanding performance in August Wilson’s 1999 drama King Hedley II. That was just the beginning of her recognition in the industry, as a little over a decade later, she would receive another Tony for her leading role in the 2010 revival of Wilson’s Fences.
In 2015, she won her first Emmy award for her portrayal in the TV series How to Get Away with Murder. Despite only taking home one trophy for her lead role in the show, she received four nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category for the same role. Additionally, she was recognized for her guest appearance on the hit series Scandal, although this did not result in a win.
One year after receiving an Emmy, Davis added another significant accomplishment to her resume, when she won an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences. She was named the champion on her third Academy Award nomination, having previously been recognized for her outstanding performances in Doubt and The Help.
Recently, she received a fourth Academy Award nomination, this time in the Best Actress category, for her role in the screen adaptation of Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, though she did not win again.
Davis was the only nominee in her category who did not already have a Grammy. She emerged victorious, defeating notable stars such as Jamie Foxx, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mel Brooks, and Questlove, all of whom have already won Grammys in the past.
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