Viola Davis Will Receive the 2025 Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award ArticlePure

Viola Davis is being honored for her talents.

The 59-year-old actress will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 82nd annual Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Davis has earned seven Golden Globe nominations across both film and television. She earned her first Golden Globe in 2017 for best supporting actress in a motion picture, for her portrayal of Rose Lee Maxson in Fences. She was nominated for her work in the movies The Woman King in 2023, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom in 2021, The Help in 2012, Doubt in 2009; and for her work in the ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder in 2015 and 2016.

“Viola Davis is a luminary whose profound talent has continuously shifted the lens through which we see and understand film,” Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne said in a statement. 

“Presenting her with the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award is not only an honor but a reflection of our admiration for her relentless dedication to her craft and her monumental impact on the industry.” continued Hoehne’s statement. “Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters has broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.”

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Davis has also earned EGOT status through her Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and multiple Tony Award wins. She scored a Tony and an Oscar for her work in Fences on stage and on screen. She also earned a Tony for best featured actress in a play for King Hedley II.

The actress won an Emmy for her work in How to Get Away with Murder. In 2023, she earned a Grammy for best audiobook narration for her memoir Finding Me.

Previous recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille Award include Oprah Winfrey, Eddie Murphy, Jane Fonda, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and more. The award is named after its first recipient, the late film director Cecil B. DeMille.

In August, comedian Nikki Glaser was announced as the host of the upcoming awards show. This year’s nominations will be announced on Monday, Dec. 9.

The 2025 Golden Globe Awards air live Sunday, Jan. 5, from 5–8 p.m. PT/8–11 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.