8 Actors Who Got Famous Off Just One Scene

Viola Davis had spent a decade in small TV roles, as a minor player in movies such as Disturbia and Traffic, and impressing on the stage, but it was in 2008’s Doubt that the hugely talented actress really caught the attention of the moviegoing public.

In the film, Davis only appears for a total of eight minutes - yet that fleeting appearance was enough to nab the actress an Academy Award nomination!

Doubt is a picture overflowing with some true powerhouse performances - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Amy Adams on superb form - yet Viola Davis arguably steals the movie for her turn as Mrs. Miller, a mother whose son is allegedly being molested by a priest.

Appearing opposite Streep's Sister Aloysius, Davis' character surprisingly reacts in a not totally negative way. Instead of lashing out in an angry manner, Mrs. Miller admits she would turn a blind eye to these allegations if they were to prove true.

With that one scene alongside Meryl Streep, Viola Davis not only earned herself an Oscar nod, but she became a global star who was now viewed as one of the elites of the acting world.