Viola Davis was honored with her first Grammy Award for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording for her autobiography, Finding Me.
In her acceptance speech for the Grammy, Viola Davis gave a tribute to her former self. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola,” she said. “To honor her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. And, it has just been such a journey – I just EGOT!”
Davis has been breaking boundaries and setting precedents throughout her career, such as becoming the first Black woman to be awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She has also made history by being the first Black woman to receive three Academy Award nominations.
This victory enabled her to join the illustrious group of seventeen who have earned the coveted EGOT title, representing the awards of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Despite being excluded from the fifth Academy Award nomination, her win at the Grammy Awards earned her the 18th spot in the esteemed EGOT list winning alongside three other African-Americans Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, and Jennifer Hudson.
The phenomenal success of the award-winning actor on both stage and screen can be credited to her outstanding and inspirational moments throughout her career. Here are the ten defining moments on her journey to EGOT status.
