Viola Davis not only has an Academy Award — she’s got a record for the history books, and walks a step closer to coveted EGOT status.
By accepting Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Fences” on Sunday night, Davis become the first African American actor, male or female, to win all three top awards for acting: Emmy, Tony and Oscar.
Davis won Tonys in 2001 for “King Hedley II” and for the 2010 Broadway production of “Fences.” She won the Primetime Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away With Murder.”
Davis delivered a beautiful, emotional acceptance speech in which she underscored the value of everyday people and the lives they lead, in this case told by the late August Wilson.
Davis was up against Naomie Harris (“Moonlight”), Nicole Kidman (“Lion”), Octavia Spencer (“Hidden Figures”) and Michelle Williams (“Manchester by the Sea”).
“Ghost” Supporting Actress winner Whoopi Goldberg, though an EGOT holder, earned her Tony Award for producing the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and two Daytime Emmy Awards for hosting “The View” and producing the special “Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel.”