On February 26, 2017, Davis won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rose Maxson in 'Fences.'
On February 26, 2017, at the 89th Academy Awards, Viola Davis won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Rose Maxson in the film adaptation of August Wilson's Fences, a role she had originated on Broadway in 2010, winning a Tony Award for the same character.
This win completed Davis's journey with the character across mediums and made her the first Black actress to win an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy — a feat sometimes called the 'Triple Crown of Acting.' She became only the second Black performer in history, after Whoopi Goldberg, to achieve this distinction, and the first Black woman to accumulate this exact combination of prestigious wins across film, television, and theater at this level of recognition.
Her emotionally raw acceptance speech, in which she spoke about honoring the lives of ordinary people and thanked August Wilson for 'writing about us,' was widely celebrated as one of the most moving speeches in Oscar history.
This achievement solidified Davis's standing as one of the greatest living American actors and highlighted the power of August Wilson's work in providing rich, dignified roles for Black actors. It also underscored ongoing conversations about the historic underrepresentation of Black women in major award categories, as Davis became only the sixth Black woman ever to win a competitive acting Oscar.