SC natives Viola Davis, ‘Luke Cage’ star are related

Two major Hollywood stars not only have their roots in South Carolina but are also cousins from the same small Midlands town.

Mike Colter, star of the Netflix show “Luke Cage” told Essence last year that Viola Davis is his cousin and that he knows her family from his hometown.

Colter, 40, grew up in St. Matthews, according to the Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, and graduated from Calhoun County High School. He studied at Benedict College and transferred to the University of South Carolina.

He said he and Davis, 51, have never met, but he is “sure our paths will cross at some point.”

Davis – who won a Golden Globe award Sunday for best supporting actress for her role in “Fences” –was born on her grandmother’s farm in St. Matthews, according to The State’s archives. Her parents moved to Rhode Island shortly after when she was about 2 months old.

Davis mentioned her grandmother’s experience working on what was previously known as the Singleton Plantation in St. Matthews while promoting the 2011 movie “The Help.”

Though Davis did not speak fondly of her grandmother’s time working as a maid at the plantation, there were some positives.

“But one thing my mom did say was that the one highlight for my grandmother was the kids, that those kids remembered my grandmother throughout their entire lives,” Davis said on the NPR show “Fresh Air.” “... Despite the cruelty of the employers, she always loved the kids.”

Davis was up against some Hollywood heavyweights Sunday, include Nicole Kidman, Octavia Spencer, Michelle Williams and Naomie Harris. She has four previous Golden Globe nominations.

Colter stars as Marvel super hero Luke Cage in “Luke Cage,” which premiered last fall. Colter’s performance was one Business Insider called one of the 13 biggest snubs of this year’s Golden Globe nominations.

Hacksaw Ridge, which was set partially at Fort Jackson, was also nominated for three Golden Globes but did not clinch any wins.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 2:01 PM with the headline "SC natives Viola Davis, ‘Luke Cage’ star are related."