Viola Davis appeared in film and television only in the 1950s.
Viola Davis . After graduating from the Juilliard School in 1993 , Davis began her career on stage and won an Obie Award in 1999 for her performance as Ruby McCollum in Everybody 's Ruby . She played supporting and minor roles in several films and television series in the late 1990s and early 2000s , including the films Kate & Leopold ( 2001 ) and Far from Heaven ( 2002 ) , and the television series Law & Order : Special Victims Unit . Davis ' film breakthrough came in 2008 when her supporting role in the drama Doubt earned her several nominations , including the Golden Globe , SAG , and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . For her lead role as 1960s housemaid Aibeleen Clark in the comedy-drama The Help ( 2011 ) , she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress among others , and won a SAG Award . In 2016 , Davis played Amanda Waller in the superhero action film Suicide Squad and reprised the role of Rose Maxson in the film adaptation of Fences , for which she won the Academy Award , BAFTA Award , Critics ' Choice Award , SAG Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress .