Rhode Island, stand up.

Last night, at the 65th Grammy Awards, Rhode Island native Viola Davis achieved a rare and prestigious achievement: EGOT status.

After winning an Emmy, Oscar, and Tony, Davis secured her coveted status after winning a Grammy for her performance of the audiobook for her memoir, “Finding Me.”

“I just EGOT!” she shouted as she accepted the award with a bright smile.

Davis is the third Black woman to achieve this status, alongside Whoopi Golberg and Jennifer Hudson, and she is the first person from Little Rhody to have the holy grail of titles.

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Viola’s Hometown

Shortly after being born in South Carolina in 1965, Viola Davis and her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island where she grew up. She attended Central Falls High School and credits her alma mater for her love of stage acting. It’s there that her love for the arts blossomed.

A Rhode Island College Grad

Davis majored in theater at Rhode Island College and participated in the National Student Exchange before graduating in 1988. She attended Julliard School after that and starred in her first professional stage role in 1992.

For the past thirty years, Davis has been cultivating one of the most impressive acting careers of this generation.

The Best Representative for Rhode Island

As a Rhode Island native, I have followed Davis’s career in complete awe. Having a woman like Davis represent the Ocean State fills me with such pride, and truthfully, it makes me work even harder.

She is a living example that greatness can be achieved in even the smallest of places if you work hard enough, and Viola Davis is the definition of hard work.

20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.

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