Viola Davis’ Husband Julius Tennon: Everything To Know About The Actress’ Husband Of 20 Years

• Viola Davis is known arsenic a phenomenal histrion for her enactment in How To Get Away With Murder, Fences, and more.
• She is joined to histrion Julius Tennon.
• The starlet is up for a Golden Globe grant for her show in The Woman King astatine the 2023 awards ceremony.

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s matrimony has a spiritual backstory — 1 that could, rather frankly, beryllium the crippled of a romance film. The Academy Award winner, 57, has been joined to her chap histrion husband, 69, for 20 years now. The mates adopted their girl Genesis, 12, backmost successful 2011, completing their household of three. Viola and Julius person since go 1 of the astir formidable A-list couples successful Hollywood, supporting each different some connected and disconnected the reddish carpets. Most recently, Viola was nominated for a Golden Globe grant for her show successful the deed movie The Woman King, which was released successful 2022. It is apt that Julius volition grace the reddish carpet alongside his woman to enactment her information astatine the ceremonial connected Jan. 10, 2023.

Julius’ introduction into Viola’s beingness occurred by cosmic fate. As the communicative goes, the histrion recovered her life partner by mode of prayer. “I was the loneliest pistillate successful the satellite and idiosyncratic said, ‘You should conscionable commune for a husband,'” she told Page Six successful 2013. “I said I wanted a large Black antheral from the South who looked similar a shot player, who already had children, who possibly had been joined before.” Three and a fractional weeks later, Viola said, “I met my husband.”

Enter: Julius, a antheral who rather virtually checked each of the boxes. Former assemblage shot player. Texas native. Previously married. Adult children. Below is everything you should cognize astir the reply to Viola’s prayers.

Viola Davis And Julius Tennon

Julius Tennon with girl Genesis and woman Viola Davis (Rob Latour/Shutterstock)

Viola wed Julius successful June 2003. The 2 stock girl Genesis together. Oprah Daily reported that Julius had been antecedently joined before, sharing 2 children Sheavonda, 46, and Duriel, 43, with his erstwhile partner. Julius is an histrion and producer, appearing successful films similar Dazed and Confused and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He has a noteworthy TV career, too, appearing successful Friday Night Lights, Moesha, Criminal Minds, and adjacent his wife’s How to Get Away With Murder. His pre-Hollywood beingness is conscionable arsenic impressive: during his assemblage years astatine the University of Tulsa, Julius became the archetypal African American to postgraduate from the university’s theatre department.

How Did Viola And Julius Meet?

No astonishment here, but Viola and Julius met successful Hollywood, connected the acceptable of the CBS bid City of Angels in 1999. The histrion told InStyle past November that she was instantly attracted to Julius. “I was like, ‘He’s sooo cute.'” During a associated interrogation connected the OWN bid Black Love successful 2017, Julius recalled the time helium asked Viola out. “I conscionable overheard her talking to a miss successful beforehand of her saying, ‘I don’t similar L.A. I don’t cognize anybody.’ She was kinda complaining,” helium said. “I was dating a girl, who was a small spot of a monster, and I was kinda like, ‘She seems similar a bully lady. She doesn’t cognize anybody. I’m kinda acceptable to conscionable idiosyncratic else.’ So astatine the extremity of the day, I gave her my card.”

Viola aboriginal added, “After my archetypal day with Julius, my beingness got better. Anxiety went away, fearfulness went away. He conscionable made my beingness better.”

Viola Davis’ Past Relationships

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon (Maria Laura Antonelli/Shutterstock)

Given that she and her hubby person been joined for decades, not overmuch is known astir the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star’s erstwhile relationships. In her interrogation with InStyle, however, Viola joked astir trying to prime up men astatine the bookstore pre-Julius. “The infinitesimal I met my husband, my beingness got better,” she said. “Before I met him, I was trying to date, but I didn’t cognize what I was doing. People told maine to spell to Barnes & Noble astatine Columbus Circle [in New York] due to the fact that they said that was the mode to prime up dudes.” She added, “I enactment connected immoderate makeup, but it didn’t enactment for me. Finally, I retrieve idiosyncratic said, ‘Just find idiosyncratic who loves you, Viola.’ And I met my husband. I recovered idiosyncratic who loves me. That’s it.”

Viola Davis’ Top Moments With Her Husband

On Valentine’s Day play successful 2016, Viola and Julius renewed their wedding vows successful an elegant ceremonial successful beforehand of loved ones. The actress’ How To Get Away With Murder costars Matt McGorry, Jack Falahee, and Karla Souza were besides successful attendance. Viola shared her code successful a Facebook video, successful which she declared, “I truly consciousness alive. This truly makes a life. If I had to look backmost connected my life, this is the infinitesimal that would play retired and I would think, ‘Well done.'”

Last month, the blessed mates celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. “Happy 18th Anniversary to the emotion of my life!!” Viola captioned her Instagram tribute connected June 23. “Love you Julius.” And the twelvemonth before, Viola shared a uncommon glimpse into their wedding time for their 17th wedding day (above) with snapshots from the large time and the vow renewal.  “You person made my beingness sweeter and my bosom bigger,” the histrion captioned the post. “I prayed for you and God said, Yes! I person conscionable the close idiosyncratic for you!!!!’ Happy Anniversary my love… The champion is yet to be.”

Moving Forward

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon (Chelsea Lauren/BEI/Shutterstock)

With 20 years present nether their belt, 1 could presume that determination are galore much up for Viola and Julius. In an interrogation with Glamour in 2015, Viola reflected connected matrimony with a punctuation from mythologist Joseph Campbell. “It’s Joseph Campbell who said [something like], ‘When you get married, you dice to yourself.’ I cognize that’s astir apt taboo successful 2015, but truly, you dice to yourself,” Viola mused. “Everything is for the bully of the whole. My matrimony enriches my life. It’s much important than my career, much important than anything. I person to prioritize it.”

As for what the adjacent section of her matrimony and beingness with Julius volition be, the histrion penned a memoir, Finding Me, released successful April 2022, that offered much insight’s connected Viola’s life. It chronicled her beingness and illustrious career, from navigating poorness arsenic a kid successful her location authorities of Rhode Island to becoming an award-winning actress. “I judge that our stories, and the courageousness to stock them, is the astir almighty empathetic instrumentality we have,” Viola said successful a statement. “This is my story… consecutive nary chaser.”

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