Oscar-Winning Actress, 61, Reveals Shocking Diagnosis
She described the news as “the surprise of my life.”
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
Viola Davis is speaking out about the shocking diagnosis she received following her 2012 Academy Award nomination.
The 61-year-old star told People in an article published Oct. 8 about her past health struggle, including “debilitating pain” that severely impacted her well-being.
“I was a new mom. I had just adopted my daughter. I was riding off of my Oscar nomination after The Help. So I was working, working, working, running myself into the ground,” Davis said.
Viola Davis said she fell ill while riding high on her 2012 Oscar nomination for “The Help.” Pictured here with actress Octavia Spencer, the movie’s director Tate Taylor, and George Clooney at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, in February 2012.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
She and her husband, actor Julius Tennon, 72, adopted their only child, Genesis Tennon, in 2011.
Viola Davis, Genesis Tennon, and Julius Tennon at the Golden Gala: An Evening of Excellence ahead of the 82nd Annual Golden Globes, in Los Angeles, California, in January 2025.
Daniel Cole/Reuters
“And then all of a sudden, I woke up with flu-like symptoms and an extraordinarily painful rash,” Davis recalled.
She continued, “I mean, I would put it at a nine out of 10. It started on my stomach, and it wrapped around to my back. It went away, and then it came back with three blisters on my upper back. I was surprised how much pain it was. Hard to lie down, hard to get up, hard to walk. Nerve pain, all of that.”
The painful, mysterious symptoms first made Davis suspect a poisonous spider had bitten her.
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However, a doctor confirmed she was suffering from something much more common: shingles.
Viola Davis was nominated for “Best Actress” for her role in “The Help.” Although Meryl Streep won the 2012 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” Davis won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2017 for her role in “Fences.”
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Shingles can affect anyone who has had chickenpox and, in rare cases, people who have taken the chickenpox vaccine, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is most common in people over 50 and those with weakened immune systems.
Some experts have also suggested a link between shingles and heightened stress.
The virus causes a rash that often appears in a single stripe, with blisters that can be extremely painful.
Shingles can cause symptoms like fever and headache and lead to complications, including lingering nerve pain. The rash can take up to five weeks to disappear completely, although symptoms may calm down after a week.
Viola Davis achieved EGOT status in 2023, after winning a Grammy for her memoir “Finding Me.” Pictured here at the fifth annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles, California, in October 2025.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Davis described the diagnosis as “the surprise of my life.”
“I felt that I sort of was immune to any disease at that point because I worked out, I ate right. I felt that I was healthy because I did all the right things. And then all of a sudden, I have shingles,” she said.
Adding, “I felt like I was a soldier, and the more that I could muster through, the stronger I was. I didn’t know that that’s not what strength is about. Strength is about sort of loving on your body and experiencing good health as you age.”
Viola Davis at the Golden Eve event ahead of the 83rd Annual Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, California, in January 2026.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
The experience inspired Davis to partner with GSK for their new “Shingles, Actually” campaign. The initiative aims to raise awareness of shingles and encourage people over 50 to talk with their doctors about preventive actions.
Viola Davis walks the runway during the Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris show as part of Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2026, in Paris, France.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
“I was there for my daughter. I was there for my husband, there for my employees, and I sort of put all of them on a level of importance higher than myself, you know? And I felt that that’s what defined me as a powerful modern-day woman, that I could sort of sacrifice my life for others,” Davis said.
Adding, “And that’s not the case for me anymore. I feel like I’m important enough and my body is important enough to listen to it and to honor it.”
Viola Davis attends the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party after winning an Academy Award for her role in "Fences."
John Shearer/Getty Images
While Meryl Streep ultimately took home the Oscar in 2012 for her role in The Iron Lady, Davis went on to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of Rose Maxson in Fences, opposite Denzel Washington.
The acclaimed star is a rare EGOT winner, meaning she has won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards.
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