Viola Davis is riding high this award season on the acclaim of her Golden Globe, Screen Actor’s Guild and Academy Award nominated performance in “The Help” and looking lovlier than ever.  Frankly, she has been an under  appreciated major talent and beauty, for years.

Hollywood is finally getting hip to what the-a-ter goers have known:  Viola Davis is a force to be reckoned with.  The  South Carolina born/Rhode Island raised,  Julliard graduate  has received accolades for a while now. But those who may be unfamiliar, let’s roll that beautiful bean footage of accomplishments:

• 2001,Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Tonya in King Hedley II
• 2 Drama Desk Awards, for her work in King Hedley II and, in 2004, for her work in an off-Broadway production of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage.
• 2008, Nominations for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for “Doubt”.
• 2010, Davis won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role as Rose Maxson in a revival of August Wilson’s Fences.

Though primarily lauded for her stage work, Davis has appeared in numerous films: Out of Sight, Solaris,  Traffic, Syriana, Kate & Leopold, Antwone Fisher and Disturbia. Her television work includes a recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and a starring role in the short-lived Traveler.

For those who are arguably justified feeling “some way” about another black woman being nominated for an Academy Award for portraying anything less than what African American women currently professionally bring to the table, along with  all of the ”Mammy” historical connotations that comes along with the a role as a housekeeper,  (** Personally, I don’t think most of these angry mobs read the book OR saw the movie- so I’m going to just say that the maids were not one dimensional or stereotypical –YET I absolutely get your point.) 

Viola says of her role in “The Help”:  The thing about the African-American community compared with the white community is, we are more concerned with image and message than execution. I don’t play roles that are necessarily attractive or portray a positive image. They are well-rounded characters. When you squelch excellence to put out a message it’s like passing the baton and seeing it drop.

Married to fellow actor Julian Tennon since 2003, in addition to his two children from a previous relationship, the couple adopted a baby girl,  Genesis, last October.  And on the shallower note… THOSE GUNS, THAT SKIN, GAWJUS!

Head to our Facebook page for our Brew Beauty gallery to see more pictures of Viola and our other Brew Beauties. If you have a suggestion for a future Beauty, drop us a line.