Viola Davis Becomes Third Black Woman to Achieve Grand Slam of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards

Viola Davis, the 57-year-old actress, has become the third Black woman in history to achieve the grand slam of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award in her career. On Sunday, Davis won her first Grammy for her performance of the audiobook for her memoir, “Finding Me.”

Davis previously won an Oscar for best supporting actress for “Fences,” an Emmy for her role as Annalise Keating in “How to Get Away with Murder,” and two Tony Awards. During her acceptance speech, Davis said she wrote the book to honor 6-year-old Viola.

“It has just been such a journey,” Davis said in accepting the award. “Oh, my God. I just EGOT!”

Davis is the fourth Black person to achieve the status, alongside Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson. She is the 18th person to have won all four major entertainment awards.

In her acceptance speech, Davis said, “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything.” She went on to thank her family, friends, and fans for their support.

The 65th Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. Davis was presented with the Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording award for Finding Me.

The achievement of the grand slam of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award is a rare accomplishment. Davis is the third Black woman in history to achieve the honor, and the 18th person overall.