Acclaimed Viola Davis has enjoyed much success during her career, picking up two Tony Awards, an Emmy and an Oscar along the way. But she’s done it all with her husband, producer Julius Tennon by her side and she paid tribute to him on their 18th wedding anniversary.
The 55-year-old actress is celebrating the love of her life for all of her fans and followers to see. She shared a stunning portrait of the couple taken by Andre D. Wagner earlier this year for W Magazine in a shoot directed by Regina King.
The picture showcases the couple lounging in a convertible, while Davis looks up at her husband.
She wrote to her followers, “Happy 18th Anniversary to the love of my life!! Love you Julius❤ ?@photodre.”
The post now has more than 250,000 likes with plenty of them from her celebrity friends. Actress Kerry Washington shared her thoughts in the comments, writing, “Happy Anniversary ❤️❤️❤️❤️.”
Tyrese Gibson also commented on the heartwarming post, writing, “Amazing happy anniversary KING and QUEEN!”
Davis and Tennon married on June 23, 2003. The couple adopted their daughter Genesis, 10, in 2011. Tennon also has two adult children from a previous relationship.
Earlier this year, Davis shared a blurb from W Magazine on the origins of the shoot.
The caption reads, “The location for the W shoot, conceived and directed by @iamreginaking, was the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, which was a hot spot for Black celebrities like Little Richard and Hattie McDaniel in the 1940s and ’50s.
Years ago, King and Davis became fast friends after attending the same Hollywood event.”
The blurb continues, “‘The media leaves, and then we just let loose; shoes come off, and makeup is wiped off,’ Davis explains.
The two would run into each other during awards season, and with Tennon often appearing alongside Davis at various functions, King got to know him better too. “He really feels like a partner,” King says.”
Tennon sat down with theGrio‘s Cortney Wills in Dec. 2020 and opened up about working with his wife. He shared at the time that he hopes to get back to theater with Davis by his side.
“I may even get back on stage because that’s my true love,” Tennon told theGrio. “Maybe some time down the road me and Viola might do a two-hander stage thing. We have been talking about that. Maybe when things slow down.
He added, “We feel like we have three years of flourishing because we have all this great content with her leading the charge on some beautiful work to come and after that, she’ll be working less and we may focus on doing something theatrical. I still have a zeal for it and I love it.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!