Black Women in Entertainment
Viola Davis Sets Record With Most Oscar Nominations For A Black Woman
Congrats, Viola Davis.
When the Oscar nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were revealed , Viola Davis made history by becoming the first African American actress to receive three Oscar nominations. She received her nomination for a stellar performance alongside Denzel Washington in Fences.
Davis previously shared the record of two nominations with Whoopi Goldberg. The Fences star’s last two nominations came from 2011’s The Help and 2008’s Doubt. She’s also been killing it on the TV circuit, winning a 2015 Emmy for How To Get Away With Murder. The 51 year old actress’s odds are solid to win an Oscar this year, as she won a Golden Globe for the same category of Best Supporting Actress earlier this year.
While the record is admirable for Viola Davis, when compared to another record set today it highlights Hollywood’s ongoing issues with diversity. Meryl Streep just received a record-setting 20th (!!) nomination, and the juxtaposition…