Renowned actor, producer and philanthropist Viola Davis has officially snagged one of the most prestigious titles in the entertainment world. After winning a Grammy Award on Sunday, February 5, Davis reached EGOT status, as NBC News reports.
What is an EGOT?
If someone has an EGOT, it means that they’ve won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award – and so far, just 18 people have been inducted into the esteemed group.
Related: It’s official: Adele has an EGO (Thanks to her 2022 Creative Arts Emmy win).
Davis is the third Black woman to receive an EGOT, following Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Hudson.
How did Viola Davis get an EGOT?
The Woman King actor already had an Emmy, Oscar and two Tony Awards under her belt. In fact, in 2015 she won an Emmy Award for her role of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away With Murder and one year later she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose Maxson in Fences. Davis’ two Tony Awards date back to 2010 for her role in the Broadway production of Fences, and 2001 for her role in King Hedley II.
Then, at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, Davis was awarded Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for her audiobook, Finding Me: A Memoir.
It comes as no surprise that Davis has gotten such an accolade, after having memorable appearances in many acclaimed movies and television shows over the years, including The Unforgivable, The Help and, of course, Scandal for the Shonda Rhimes-lovers.
Viola Davis reacts to her EGOT win
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight following her historic win, Viola Davis reflected on the achievement in an emotional speech.
“I’m really emotional, my life has come full circle,” Davis said. “I wrote this book because I was trying to reconcile my life. I was trying to honour the young Viola, I wanted her to be excited about the 57-year-old she gets to become. And this, this is just the icing on the cake.”
In terms of how she’ll celebrate the big win, Davis said, “I may have some French fries and some sparkling wine. I’m a simple woman!”
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