Viola Davis Named 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award Honoree

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The Golden Globes® have announced Viola Davis as the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree. Recognized for her exceptional contributions to entertainment, Davis joins a distinguished list of past recipients, including Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Oprah Winfrey, and Denzel Washington, her Fences co-star and fellow Cecil B. DeMille Award winner.

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

Davis, an EGOT recipient, earned her first Golden Globe in 2017 for her role in Fences. Renowned for her powerful performances and activism, she was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2017 and received the Public Counsel’s William O. Douglas Award in 2022 for her dedication to social justice.

In 2012, Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, founded JuVee Productions to champion underrepresented voices. The production company develops socially relevant content across various platforms and is celebrated for its commitment to inclusion and innovation.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, where she holds an honorary doctorate, Davis also earned an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from her alma mater, Rhode Island College.

Davis will be celebrated at a special gala dinner on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, alongside the 2025 Carol Burnett Award recipient. This marks the first time the Golden Globes will dedicate a separate evening to these prestigious honors.

The Golden Globes, the season’s first major awards show, will air Sunday, January 5, 2025, on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Nominations will be announced on December 9, 2024.