Viola Davis Makes History as First Black Actress to Earn Three Oscar Nominations

Viola Davis just earned her place in the record books.

The 51-year-old actress earned her third Academy Award nomination Tuesday

when she received a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role in Fences, and in the process became the most-nominated black actress in Oscar history.

The Rhode Island native, who overcame an impoverished childhood to become one of Hollywood’s most respected stars, earned her first Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2008 for Doubt, and a Best Actress nomination in 2011 for The Help.

She has yet to bring home the coveted trophy, but is considered a frontrunner after winning a Golden Globe for the role earlier this month.

“Thank you to the Academy for recognizing this extraordinary, important film and my work in it. Thank you, Denzel, for being at the helm!” she said of her nomination, per the Los Angeles Times.

Viola Davis is the first black woman to receive three Academy Award nominations after her nomination for a supporting role in “Fences.”

 

Not new to making history, in 2015 she became the first black woman to win an Emmy for a lead actress in a drama series for her role as Annalise Keating in “How to Get Away With Murder.”

Viola Davis got her first Oscar nom for a brief but scene-stealing appearance in the 2008 film “Doubt.”

She got her second Oscar nom in 2012 for her role as a maid in the Southern period drama “The Help.”