Actor, Producer, and Philanthropist

Viola Davis is the first black actress to win Tony (“Fences” & “King Hedley II”), Oscar (“Fences”) and Emmy (“How to Get Away with Murder”) awards. Davis starred in the ABC series “How to Get Away with Murder,” from ABC Studios and Shondaland, which aired its final episode in May. The series, which drew 14.24 million viewers during its 2014 premiere, centered on ambitious law students and their brilliant and mysterious criminal defense professor. In 2015, Davis received the Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series,” in addition to becoming the first African American actress to receive the Primetime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.” In 2016, she received her second Screen Actors Guild Award and her second Emmy nomination for portraying Annalise Keating and this year, received her third Emmy Nomination for the role.

Davis was recently seen in Amazon Studio’s family comedy, “Troop Zero,” directed by Bert & Bertie, and will next be seen in Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” based on the play of the same name by August Wilson.

As her credits attest, Davis is in constant demand for a wide variety of roles. In 2018, Davis was seen staring in Fox’s “Widows.” Directed by Steve McQueen and written by Gillian Flynn, the film follows a group of widows after their criminal husbands are killed during a heist.

In 2017, she was seen in “Fences” for Paramount Pictures. The film was directed and produced by Denzel Washington and was adapted from August Wilson’s play. Davis garnered Critics Choice, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and anAcademy awards in the category of “Best Supporting Actress” for her portrayal of ‘Rose Maxson.’ Davis also starred with Washington in the 2010 revival of the play on Broadway. Her performance earned her a Tony Award, as well as the Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award. “Fences” was also honored with the Tony Awardfor “Best Play Revival” and was the most profitable theater production of the year.

In 2016, Davis was seen in the highly anticipated “Suicide Squad” with Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto. The film broke the all-time opening record for August with $135 million. In 2015, Davis starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in “Lila & Eve,” the story of two mothers whose children are killed in drive-by shootings. Davis also took the reins as a producer on this film, along with her husband, Julius Tennon, for their company, JuVee Productions.

In 2012, Davis and her husband founded JuVee, with its focus being to give a voice to the voiceless through strong, impactful and culturally relevant narratives. The Los Angeles-based and artist driven company produces film, television and digital content across all of entertainment. As their first project, they optioned the rights to Ann Weisgarber’s 2008 book The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. JuVee Productions’ projects include “Girls Like Us” an adaptation of Rachael Lloyd’s memoir which chronicles her falling prey to the world of commercial sex exploitation and escaping to dedicate her life to fight that very industry.

Additionally, it was recently announced that JuVee would be producing a drama starring Davis and Lupita Nyong’o entitled “Woman King.” Based on true events, the film tells the story of a general of an all-female West African military and her daughter. JuVee’s TV projects include a docuseries entitled “The Last Defense” that explores and exposes flaws in the American justice system and “Black Don’t Crack” an ABC comedy executive produced by Larry Wilmore.

In 2012, Davis received an Oscar nomination for “Best Actress” for her portrayal of the heart-broken but stoic ‘Aibileen Clark’ in “The Help.” Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Octavia Spencer also starred. The film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel, directed by Tate Taylor, was set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the turbulent 1960s, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Picture.” Davis won the Screen Actors Guildand Critics’ Choice “Best Actress” Awards for her portrayal of ‘Aibileen,’ and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and British Academy Film Award. The film won a Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” and a Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Acting Ensemble.”

In 2008, Davis starred in the critically revered film “Doubt” based on John Patrick Shanley’s Tony Award winning play, where she portrayed ‘Mrs. Miller,’ the mother of a young boy who piques the fascination of a Catholic priest. Davis shared the screen alongside Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and an AcademyAward for “Best Supporting Actress.” The National Board of Review recognized Davis with the Breakthrough Award and she was also honored by the Santa Barbara Film Festival as a Virtuoso.

In 2013, film audiences saw Davis in four vastly different projects. In the film adaptation of the popular science fiction novel “Ender’s Game,” Davis portrayed military psychologist ‘Major Gwen Anderson,’ opposite Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin and Harrison Ford. In Warner Bros.’ “Prisoners,” a dark thriller about two families shattered by the kidnapping of their daughters on Thanksgiving Day, she starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard and Paul Dano. In “Beautiful Creatures,” Davis joined Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons in telling the tale of two teens confronting a multi-generational curse. Warner Brothers and Alcon produced the film.

That same year, Davis had a six-episode arc in the Showtime’s hit series “United States of Tara,” written by Academy-Award winner Diablo Cody. Davis portrayed ‘Lynda P. Frazier,’ a wildly eccentric artist and friend to ‘Tara’ (Toni Collette).

Davis won the Independent Spirit Award for “Best Supporting Female” in 2003 for her performance in “Antwone Fisher.” Additional film credits include, “Get On Up,” “Blackhat,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.” “Knight and Day,” “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Madea Goes to Jail,” “Law Abiding Citizen,” “Disturbia,” “Eat, Pray, Love,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” “The Architect,” “Never Back Down” and “Far From Heaven.” She worked with director Steven Soderbergh on “Solaris,” “Traffic” and “Out of Sight,” and in “Syriana,” which Soderbergh produced for director Stephen Gaghan.

In 2004, Davis starred in the stage in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Lynn Nottage’s play, “Intimate Apparel,” directed by Daniel Sullivan. She garnered the highest honors for an off-Broadway play, including “Best Actress” awards from the Drama Desk, the Drama League, the Obie and the Audelco Award. Davis was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award as well. She reprised her role at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles where she was recognized with the Ovation, Los Angeles Drama Critics and the Garland Awards.

In 2001, Davis was awarded a Tony for “Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play” for her portrayal of ‘Tonya’ in “King Hedley II.” She commanded the attention of critics and audiences alike for her portrayal of “Tonya,” a 35-year old woman who is forced to fight for the right to abort an unwanted pregnancy. Davis also received a Drama Desk Awardin recognition of her work.

A graduate of The Julliard School, Davis received an Honorary Doctorate during its 109th Commencement Ceremony and she also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from her alma mater, Rhode Island College. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

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Academy Award-Winning Writer

Academy-Award winning writer, director and renowned playwright Aaron Sorkin graduated from Syracuse University with a B.F.A. in Theatre.

He made his Broadway playwriting debut at the age of 28 with the military courtroom drama A Few Good Men, for which he received the John Gassner Award as Outstanding New American Playwright. The following year saw the debut of his off-Broadway play Making Movies, and in 2007, he returned to Broadway with The Farnsworth Invention, directed by Des McAnuff.

Sorkin made the jump to feature films with his 1993 adaptation of his own play A Few Good Men. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture. He followed this success with the screenplays for Malice, starring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman, The American President, starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening, and Charlie Wilson’s War, starring Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Julia Roberts.

In 2011, Sorkin won the Academy Award, Critics’ Choice Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award, and Writers Guild Award in the Best Adapted Screenplay category as well as the USC Scripter Award for The Social Network. The film, directed by David Fincher, was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards including Best Picture and appeared on over 350 critics’ lists of the top ten films of 2010.

The following year, Sorkin adapted, alongside Steve Zaillian with story by Stan Chervin, Moneyball for the big screen. The film, which was directed by Bennett Miller and starred Brad Pitt, won Sorkin the Critics’ Choice Award and New York Film Critics’ Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and went on to receive four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2015, Sorkin wrote the feature film Steve Jobs based on the Walter Isaacson biography of the late Apple co-founder. His adaptation garnered him nominations for a Broadcast Film Critics’ Association (BFCA) Critics’ Choice Award, Writers Guild Award, and multiple regional critics’ association awards.

Sorkin made his directorial debut in 2017 with Molly’s Game, which he also wrote based on the personal memoir by Molly Bloom. The film, starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner, tells the story of Molly, a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game. It made its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews and garnered Sorkin Best Screenplay nominations for an Academy Award, Writers Guild Award, and BAFTA Award.

In 2020, Sorkin premiered his feature drama The Trial of the Chicago 7, which he wrote and directed for Netflix. The picture features an all-star ensemble cast and garnered Sorkin six Critics’ Choice Awards and three SAG awards.

For television, Sorkin created and produced NBC’s renowned series “The West Wing,” which earned nine Emmy nominations in its first season. The series went on to win a total of 26 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years from 2000-2003. For his work on the series, Sorkin twice received the Peabody Award and Humanitas Prize, as well as three Television Critics Association Awards and Producers Guild Awards, and a Writers Guild Award. He also produced and wrote the television series “Sports Night” for ABC, which garnered eight Emmy nominations and won the Humanitas Prize and the Television Critics Association Award. Additionally, Sorkin created the series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” which took place behind-the-scenes of a live sketch-comedy show and received five Emmy nominations in 2007.

In 2012, Sorkin made his return to television with the HBO drama “The Newsroom,” bringing in an average of 7 million viewers per episode. Set behind-the-scenes of a cable news show, the ensemble cast was led by Emily Mortimer, Sam Waterston, and Jeff Daniels, who went on to win an Emmy Award in the Best Actor category for his performance on the show. The show won a Critics Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series and has been nominated for numerous awards, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Writers Guild Award, and Directors Guild Award. The third and final season aired on HBO in 2014, closing the series on a ratings season high.

In 2018, Sorkin premiered his Broadway stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s iconic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The production, staged by Tony-nominated director Bartlett Sher, began previews that October and currently holds the title of the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. It featured the original cast of Jeff Daniels, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Will Pullen, and Gbenga Akinnagbe, and went on to garner Keenan-Bolger the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role, as well as an additional eight nominations, including Daniels for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

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