Who is Genesis Tennon? All about Viola Davis' daughter as actress shares birthday post

American actress Viola Davis took to Instagram on July 10 to wish her only daughter, Genesis Tennon, a happy 12th birthday. The How to Get Away with Murder star shared a series of throwback pictures alongside a heartfelt caption.

"Happy birthday to my HEART!!!! My LOVE!!!!!! MY EVERYTHING!!!! My G!! Happy 12th birthday!!!! I love you beyond anything I could imagine."

Viola Davis shares her 12-year-old daughter Genesis with husband Julius Tennon.

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More about Viola Davis' daughter Genesis Tennon

As per People Magazine, Viola Davis adopted Genesis Tennon when she was an infant in 2011. She happens to be Davis' one and only daughter, while her adoptive father Julius' third child. He also has two children from his former relationship.

Genesis, who shares her mother's interest in acting, also made an appearance in the 2019 animated film The Angry Birds 2.

In a 2019 interview with People Magazine, Davis said she guides her daughter's acting career while drawing on her own experiences.

“I empower her to understand that she has to count it all as joy. Even her mistakes, her failures, her triumphs, what she looks like, all of it. That’s all a part of her loving herself, even if none of those things change.”

Viola Davis also stated that she told Genesis how she might not have answers to everything every time.

“I tell her that she’s going to make some big old mistakes. I’m the mom who says, ‘You’re good enough wherever you are, but there’s going to be times when you don’t feel good enough.’ I’m not the mom who’s just going to tell her a bunch of lies about life, because I want her to be the best woman in the room.”

The mother-daughter duo have also appeared in one of singer Beyonce's campaigns. In a 2016 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Viola revealed that her daughter has been a big fan of the Crazy in Love singer and recalled an incident when Genesis wasn't allowed to go to the Lemonade tour.

She said:

“We said no, you cannot go to Beyoncé Genesis. She went, ‘Noooooo, you don’t know what Lemonade means to me, Mommy. You don’t know what Beyonce means to my life.”

Genesis is not unaware of the fact that she has been adopted by the The Help star and Julius.

In a 2017 interview with Instyle, Davis revealed that she has always told Genesis that "she was born from my heart, not my belly.”

“There are so many ways to mother rather than to carry a child in your body. So many children need parents, and so many of us want to mother. Know that you will experience motherhood to the full extent.”

Genesis occasionally appears on Viola Davis' Instagram posts.