Viola Davis to play new character on "Tara"

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Viola Davis, Oscar-nominated for "Doubt," will join fellow Academy Award nominee Toni Collette on her Showtime series "United States of Tara."

Davis will appear in seven of the 12 episodes of the show's upcoming season as Lynda B. Dozier, an unconventional artist who plays a significant role in the lives of Tara (Collette) and her daughter, Kate (Brie Larson).

Davis, a veteran TV and stage actress, made her feature breakthrough with "Doubt," in which she played the mother of a student at a Catholic school in the Bronx.

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards earlier this year, Meryl Streep, with whom she shares a key scene in the film, acknowledged Davis while accepting the best actress award.

"The gigantically gifted Viola Davis -- my God, somebody give her a movie," Street shouted in one of the most memorable moments of the awards show.

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)