Academy Award winner Viola Davis is celebrating another feather in her cap after she achieved the ‘EGOT’ status with her first Grammy win for an audiobook of her memoir “Finding Me”. Now, the lady is a winner of all four awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Getting The Rare EGOT Status…
Academy Award winner, Viola Davis was the happiest and most fulfilled soul during the Grammys 2023 award ceremony. The artist became the 18th person to join the rare EGOT club, an acronym used for those who have won all four prestigious awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, during their careers.
Viola Davis receievd a Grammy Award on Sunday (Feb. 5) for best audiobook, narration, and storytelling recording for her memoir “Finding Me.” “I just EGOT!” Viola shouted from the stage while receiving her first Grammy.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honour the 6-year-old Viola, to honour her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. And it has just been such a journey.” FYI, Viola Davis’ memoir, “Finding Me” traces her “rise from growing up in poverty and family violence in Rhode Island to becoming one of the world’s most critically-acclaimed actors in Hollywood”.
The audiobook category includes previous winners like Michelle Obama and politicians like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. In this category, Viola’s fellow nominees for the 2023 Grammys included Jamie Foxx, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mel Brooks (“EGOT” member). Those who belong to the EGOT club, include famed stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Rodgers, Rita Moreno, John Legend and Tim Rice
The Road To Success Came With A Cost…
Viola Davis is the only African-American actress to have won “The Triple Crown of Acting” – an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Now, she has completed the “EGOT” status with her recent Grammy win for her audiobook.
If you aren’t aware, Viola has two Tonys, most recently for “Fences” in 2010. She received an Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and won an Oscar in 2017 for the film version of “Fences.”
Previously, the 56-year-old actress, who is also a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has been vocal about racism and other issues. Previously, she shared a saddening Instagram post depicting the status of racism. Viola captioned her post by quoting Professor Annalise Keating, “Racism is built into the DNA of America. And as long as we turn a blind eye to the pain of those suffering under its oppression, we will never escape those origins.”
Reaching such heights wasn’t easy at all. Viola’s mother was also an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. At age two, Davis was taken to jail with her mother after she was arrested during a civil rights protest. She has described herself as having “lived in abject poverty and dysfunction” during her childhood, recalling living in “rat-infested and condemned” apartments.
Previously, Davis came forward to support those who are fighting against what happened with Mahsa Amini. The 57-year-old actress took to her Instagram and shared how protestors were being slain at the hands of the current Iranian government.
The most nominated actress in the Oscars’ history, Viola and her husband, Julius Tennon, are founders of a production company, JuVee Productions. Davis is widely recognized for her advocacy and support of human rights and equal rights for women and women of colour.