'This is my fifth nomination... but it's right on time': Emotional Viola Davis delivers moving Golden Globe acceptance speech after finally winning for Fences
Viola Davis gave a very emotional speech as she accepted the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role gong.
The 51-year-old actress thanked her Fences co-star Denzel Washington for being an 'extraordinary leader' on their critically-acclaimed drama, which was also directed by the actor.
'You know I’m a friend and a fan. Thank you for being an extraordinary leader, great actor, great director,' she gushed in her acceptance speech at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday.
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Viola Davis gave an emotional speech as she accepted the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in Fences at the Golden Globes on Sunday
The ceremony honours the best in film and American television of 2016 as chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).
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The How To Get Away With Murder star was a ray of sunshine in a one-shoulder bright yellow beaded Michael Kors gown.
Viola took home the award for her role in Fences in which she portrays Rose Maxson.
'I'm a friend and a fan': The 51-year-old actress thanked her Fences co-star Denzel Washington for being an 'extraordinary leader' on their critically-acclaimed drama, which was also directed by the actor
'Great actor, great director': Viola gushed over her Fences co-star Denzel Washington, 62, who also directed the critically-acclaimed film
It was her first win out of five Globe nominations and she joked: 'This is my fifth nomination. I took all the pictures, went to the luncheon. But it’s right on time.'
Fences is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by August Wilson, who wrote the play in 1983.
It premiered on Broadway in 1987 and closed just over a year later in 1988. It's had a few revivals through the years, both on Broadway in New York and the west end in London.
Sunny days! The How To Get Away With Murder star stunned in a one-shoulder bright yellow beaded Michael Kors gown
Showstopper! The two-time Oscar nominee made sure to stand out in the bright gown which showcased her slender figure
Most notably, the play returned to Broadway in 2010, with Denzel, 62, and Viola playing the lead roles. Both actors won Tony awards for their performances.
The film is set in the lower-middle-class African American area of Pittsburgh in the mid-1950s.
It centers on Troy (Denzel), a 53-year-old man who struggles to provide for his family. Troy was a great baseball player when he was younger, but spent time in prison for an accidental murder he committed during a robbery.
'It's right on time': It was Viola's first win out of five Globe nominations and she joked: 'This is my fifth nomination. I took all the pictures, went to the luncheon'
To provide for his family, he works as a trash collector and maintains a good relationship with his wife, Rose.
She closed out her speech with a touching tribute as she cried: 'And to the original Troy, my father, Dan Davis, born in 1936. Groomed horses, had a fifth grade education, didn't know how to read until he was 15,' she revealed.
'But you know what? He had a story and it deserved to be told, and August Wilson told it.'
The two-time Oscar-nominated actress also gave a heartfelt speech as she presented her Doubt co-star Meryl Streep with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.
Viola gave A-listers and fans alike a glimpse into working with, and befriending, the three-time Academy Award-winning actress.
Honoured: Viola gave A-listers and fans alike a glimpse into working with, and befriending, Meryl Streep - who was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award
'You make me feel that what I have in me - my body, my face, my age - is enough,' she boasted of Streep, 67.
The Help star continued: 'You realize that she sees you and, that like a high powered scanning machine, she is recording you. She is an observer and a thief. She reveals what she has stolen on that sacred place which is the screen. She makes the most heroic characters vulnerable, the most known familiar, the most despised relatable.
'Her artistry reminds us of the impact of what it means to be an artist, which is to make us feel less alone,' Viola added. 'I can only imagine where you go, Meryl, when you disappear into a character.'
'It’s just an outhouse': Meanwhile the famous entertainer recently discussed growing up on a former plantation in South Carolina with People magazine
Meanwhile the famous entertainer recently discussed growing up on a former plantation in South Carolina.
Viola spoke about being born in a one-room shack on her grandmother’s farm, which was on Singleton Plantation.
'[There was] no running water,' she described to People magazine. 'No bathroom. It’s just an outhouse. But my mom says that the day I was born, all of my aunts and uncles were in the house, she said, everyone was drinking and laughing, and having fun.'
'No running water': Viola spoke about being born in a one-room shack on her grandmother’s farm, which was on Singleton Plantation with the publication
But the Suicide Squad star revealed she learned of the plantation's 'horrific' history.
'I went back to visit briefly but still not aware of the history. I think I read one slave narrative of someone who was on that plantation which was horrific.'
She added: '160 acres of land, and my grandfather was a sharecropper. Most of my uncles and cousins, they’re farmers. That’s the choice that they had. My grandmother’s house was a one room shack. I have a picture of it on my phone because I think it’s a beautiful picture.'
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