From Stage Plays to Silver Screens: How Viola Davis Built Her Multimillion-Dollar Fortune

The Breakdown: Viola Davis’ net worth of $25 million is a reflection through her three decade long career in film, television, and theater. As the first Black actress to achieve EGOT status, her success reflects both her talent and dedication. Beyond acting, she continues to advocate for important causes, including mental health and community empowerment.

Viola Davis is that girl! She has an EGOT under her belt, meaning she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. She has carved out a lane of her own through her dynamic career. From her debut in 1988 in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone to the present day, Viola has always represented herself authentically and taken on roles that hold meaning. With all her hard work, let’s explore Viola Davis’ net worth.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Viola Davis is worth $25 million. In the early stages of her career, Viola attended Rhode Island College, where she studied theatre. She then went on to attend the Juilliard School of Performing Arts. Viola’s career began on stage and Broadway before transitioning to film.

In 1996, she made her debut in an off-Broadway show, As You Like It, followed by her Broadway debut the same year in Seven Guitars. Viola made her television debut as a guest star on NYPD Blue.

Viola didn’t stop there. In the 2000s, her career continued to grow. She appeared in various television shows while still performing on and off Broadway. She starred in Traffic (2000) and Solaris (2002) and had a recurring role in City of Angels, all while continuing her theatre work and securing guest roles on numerous TV shows.

In 2011, Viola’s career took a major turn for the better with her lead role in The Help, which earned her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. WOOT WOOT!

Her success didn’t stop there. From 2014 to 2020, Viola landed her biggest role yet as the lead in How to Get Away with Murder. In 2015, she won an Emmy for her performance on the show. The accolades kept rolling in — she won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in 2016 for her performance in Fences alongside Denzel Washington, making history as the first Black woman to achieve the prestigious EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. Now that’s Black excellence!

And the hustle continues because Viola is still out here doing the damn thing! She has starred in The Woman King, The First Lady, and so much more. In 2025, she won the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Golden Globe for lifetime achievement. There’s truly nothing Viola can’t do!

Viola and her husband, Julius Tennon, met in 1999 during an acting gig for City of Angels. They immediately clicked, and a few years later, they tied the knot in 2003. The couple adopted their daughter, Genesis, as an infant in 2011. Viola is also the stepmother to Julius’ two children from previous relationships.