Viola Davis, one of the most decorated and revered actors of our generation, will be bestowed one of Hollywood’s highest honors at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards.
The Fences star, who has already won an Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, Tony, and Grammy Award — to complete the rare EGOT distinction in Hollywood — will receive the coveted Cecil B. DeMille Award when the Golden Globes air on Jan. 5.
Created in honor of venerated director Cecil B. DeMille in 1952, this eponymous award celebrates the illustrious careers of some of Hollywood’s greatest talents. Other Black actors who have been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award include luminaries Morgan Freeman, Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, and Oprah Winfrey.
“Viola Davis is a luminary whose profound talent has continuously shifted the lens through which we see and understand film,” said Helen Hoehne, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in a statement obtained by Billboard. “Presenting her with the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award is not only an honor but a reflection of our admiration for her relentless dedication to her craft and her monumental impact on the industry. Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters has broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.”
Davis won her first Golden Globe — and also a SAG and Oscar award — for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences opposite Denzel Washington. Davis currently holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for a Black woman in the history of the film industry.
