Viola Davis is now part of a prestigious club. On Sunday, the 57-year-old actress became the 18th person and third Black woman to ever achieve the coveted EGOT status: winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. The acronym, which stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, was coined by “Miami Vice” actor Philip Michael Thomas in 1984. Since then, only 17 others have achieved EGOT status, with Viola Davis being the latest addition.
Davis’s EGOT journey began in earnest in 2001 when she won a Tony Award for her role in the play “King Hedley II”. She later became a household name with her Emmy-winning role of Annalise Keating in “How to Get Away with Murder”, making her the first Black woman to win in the lead actress drama category. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2017 for her role in “Fences”. Finally, she earned her Grammy for performance of her memoir “Finding Me”.
Davis’s road to EGOT status was paved with successes, but also with challenges. In her memoir, Davis wrote about the childhood trauma she had to overcome in order to piece together her identity. She wrote, “The process and artistry of piecing together a human being completely different from you was the equivalent of being otherworldly. It also has the power to heal the broken. All that was inside me that I couldn’t work out in my life, I could channel it all in my work and no one would be the wiser.”
Viola Davis’s EGOT accomplishment is an inspiring and heartwarming story of resilience and determination. She has come a long way from her childhood trauma and has made history by becoming the third Black woman to ever achieve EGOT status. Congratulations to a living LEGEND!
Source: www.washingtonpost.com