Viola Davis

Age: 46
Occupation: Actress

A dedicated actress, Davis went largely uncelebrated until recently. Her steely and understated yet incredibly nuanced performance as a desperate mother in 2008's Doubt earned her an Oscar nomination, though she was onscreen a mere 11 minutes. Since then, she's been almost universally praised for her moving performance as a maid in 2011's The Help, for which she was again nominated for an Oscar — and most certainly celebrated.

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