No One Understands Color Quite Like Viola Davis

Davis ditched her normal bold colors for a chic black and white Ami Paris creation, featuring a sequined column dress topped with a crisp white poncho.

Davis opted for a bold, lemon yellow dress, from Gucci, to attend The Mastermind premiere at Cannes in 2025.

Davis looked like Royalty at the 2025 Golden Globes in a winged and embellished number from Gucci.

The actor opted for a criss-cross black-and-white Zuhair Murad gown to wear at the 2024 Emmys.

The actor may have played a bad guy in The Hunger Games prequel, but she was very much the hero of the premiere’s red carpet in a green caped mini dress from Oscar de la Renta.

The queen of color, Davis, did not disappoint at the 2023 Met Gala, attending the event in a shocking pink Valentino dress with a bodice bursting with feathers.

Davis paired her green, sequined Roland Mouret dress with a thematic Judith Leiber basketball purse.

While the cut of Davis’s Valentino dress was fairly simple, it was all about the eye-catching color and unique neckline.

The actor wore what seems to be her favorite color, purple, at the NAACP Awards in 2023 in the form of a pleated Dior Haute Couture gown with a braided halter neck detail.

She brought the color out again at the BAFTAs, hitting the red carpet in a Stella McCartney creation that sparkled with every step.

Davis looked as glamorous as ever in a brown, sequin-covered Valentino dress, with an attached cape.

Though the hem of her dress got drenched by the rain, Davis still looked gorgeous in a cobalt blue Jason Wu dress at the 80th annual Golden Globes.

Davis was hard to miss in a custom Christopher John Rogers look at the Governors Awards.

Wearing a black and white striped Greta Constantine dress with 3D floral appliqués, Davis attended the UK premiere of her film, The Woman King.

Clearly, Davis was on a Greta Constantine kick during her tour for The Woman King, because she wore another custom look by the designer to the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this marigold, custom Alexander McQueen gown on Davis?

Davis loves a bold color, so this orange Stella McCartney was the perfect choice for the actor.

While Davis is known for bringing bold colors to the red carpet, she also loves an angelic white gown, like this Michael Kors number from the Rome Film Fest in 2019.

Davis wore a gorgeous, black and white Alberta Ferretti dress to the Emmys in 2019.

The actror attended the BAFTAs in 2019 wearing another black and white gown. This velvet and satin creation was from the Armani Privé fall 2018 collection.

The actor looked like an award herself when she attended the Critics’ Choice Awards in Michael Kors.

Davis matched her bright red, one-shoulder Akris dress with a Tyler Ellis clutch at the European premiere of her film, Widows.

While Davis’s Elizabeth Kennedy dress may have been simple, it created the perfect back drop to show off her gorgeous House of Yimama tribal choker.

Leave it to Davis to embrace the Barbiecore trend years before it reached its climax. Here, the actor wears a sequin-covered, bright pink Michael Kors Collection dress to the 90th annual Academy Awards in 2018.

The actor wore a luxe, velvet Brandon Maxwell gown with a Harry Winston necklace to the Globes in 2018.

Orange you glad Davis wore this Zac Posen dress to the Emmys in 2017?

Davis took home her first and only Oscar in a bright red Armani gown with a halter neck and draped, off-the-shoulder details.

It’s fitting that Davis tapped British designer Jenny Packham to dress her for the BAFTA Awards in 2017.

Davis looked like a classic Hollywood star in this white, strapless Vivienne Westwood couture dress at the 2017 SAG awards.

When in doubt, Davis always goes for the brightly colored, sequin-covered Michael Kors Collection gown.

What did we say about the brightly colored, sequin-covered Michael Kors Collection dresses?

Davis wore a hot pink Marchesa gown with an embroidered bodice to the Emmys in 2016.

The actor wore a sparkly Vivienne Westwood dress to the premiere of Suicide Squad.

Davis looked like the night sky in Marchesa at the 2016 Golden Globes.

Sometimes, Davis loves to pull out a white dress for a red carpet. At the Emmys in 2015, she wore this Carmen Marc Valvo gown with a leaf motif decorating the torso and skirt.

The actor attended the 87th annual Oscars in a Zac Posen resort 2015 off-the-shoulder gown.

Davis wore a MaxMara halter neck column dress with a keyhole cutout to the SAG awards in 2015.

Wearing Donna Karan Atelier, Davis attended the Golden Globes in 2015.

Davis wore a gorgeous Escada resort 2015 gown with a paillette-embellished neckline to the Emmys in 2014.

Wearing a strapless, emerald Escada dress, Davis attended the Academy Awards in 2014.

The actor looked gorgeous in a Monique Lhuillier spring 2013 one-shoulder dress at the SAG Awards.

Wearing a teal Alberta Ferretti pre-fall 2012 dress, Davis attended the premiere of her film, Won’t Back Down in 2012.

Davis loves to bring color on the red carpet, and the emerald green of this Vera Wang gown might be our favorite she’s ever worn.

At the 2012 SAG Awards, David wore a white, silk chiffon Marchesa gown with gold detailing across the bust.

The actor wore a Grecian-style one-shoulder chiffon Emilio Pucci gown to the Golden Globes in 2012.

While the original version of this Raoul spring 2012 gown didn’t feature the cinched waist, Davis opted to give it a bit of shape when she wore it to the premiere of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close in 2011.

Davis wore this red, asymmetric Escada dress to the premiere of The Help in Los Angeles.

The actor took home her second Tony Award in a lime green, halter neck dress.

Davis wore a knee-length, hot pink dress to the premiere of her film, Law Abiding Citizen.

Though Davis didn’t win the Oscar in 2009, she looked like a statuette in a golden, halter neck Reem Acra dress.

The actor attended the 2009 SAG Awards in a one-shoulder, canary yellow dress.

David wore a lowcut, geometric Max Azaria gown to the Golden Globes in 2009.

David wore a low-cut, geometric Max Azaria gown to the Golden Globes in 2009.

Davis went casual for the premiere of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2005, opting to wear a gray, pinstripe suit with a bright red cowl-neck top.

The actor wore a brown suit to the premiere of Antwone Fisher in 2002.