Los Angeles, Mar 14 (IANS): Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis will be awarded the prestigious Icon Award from the African American Film Critics Association during the 12th annual AAFCA awards on April 7.

"Viola Davis has excelled in every single format available to an actor. She's a powerhouse actress who continues to impress with her incredible range and ability to lend herself to any era and dig deep into the humanity of every character she plays," AAFCA president Gil Robertson said in a statement, as reported by Variety.

"When you think about her in ‘Doubt', ‘The Help', ‘Fences' and now ‘Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', she just goes there. Following in the footsteps of other legendary actresses by becoming an advocate for social justice issues and taking additional steps of creating the images that we see by producing, she has firmly established herself as a true artist," he added.

Last year, the 55-year-old actress accepted the best actress award during AAFCA's TV honours for the final season of "How To Get Away With Murder." Her recent film, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, was named one of the 10 best films of 2020 by AAFCA members.

Late actor Chadwick Boseman, Davis' co-star in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", will also be honoured during the virtual ceremony. He will posthumously be awarded the best actor prize for his role in the film.