Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor"United States: US Senators Make New Effort to Ratify Women's Treaty"
''Asia News Monitor''. Bangkok. November 19, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2021. "Geena Davis brought some media attention to Thursday's proceedings. First, she explained she should be called an actor, rather than an actress. 'The dictionary definition of actor is a person who acts, so we do not actually need ''actress''. It is going to sound soon as quaint as ''doctoress'', or ''poetess'', or ''authoress''.'" and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

. After studying drama at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

, Davis made her acting debut in the film ''

Tootsie ''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...

'' (1982) and eventually starred in the thriller '' The Fly'' (1986), which proved to be one of her first box office hits. While the fantasy comedy ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'' (1988) brought her to prominence, the drama ''

The Accidental Tourist ''The Accidental Tourist'' is a 1985 novel by Anne Tyler that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1985 and the Ambassador Book Award for Fiction in 1986. The novel was adapted into a ...

'' (1988) earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She established herself as a leading lady with the road film '' Thelma & Louise'' (1991), for which she received a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

, and the sports film ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

'' (1992), garnering a Golden Globe Award nomination. However, Davis's roles in the box office failures '' Cutthroat Island'' (1995) and '' The Long Kiss Goodnight'' (1996), both directed by then-husband

Renny Harlin Renny Harlin (born 15 March 1959) is a Finnish film director, producer, and screenwriter who has made his career in Hollywood and China. His best-known films include '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', ''The Adventures of Ford Fai ...

, were followed by a lengthy break and downturn in her career. Davis starred as the adoptive mother of the titular character in the ''Stuart Little'' franchise (1999–2005) and as the first female president of the United States in the television series '' Commander in Chief'' (2005–2006), winning the

Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The award honors the best performance by an actress in a drama television series. ...

for her role in the latter. Her later films include ''

Accidents Happen ''Accidents Happen'' is a 2009 Australian coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Andrew Lancaster and starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Harry Cook, Sebastian Gregory, Joel Tobeck, and Sarah Woods. Written by Brian Carbee, base ...

'' (2009) and ''

Marjorie Prime ''Marjorie Prime'' is a 2017 American science-fiction film written and directed by Michael Almereyda, based on Jordan Harrison's play of the same name. It stars Jon Hamm, Tim Robbins, Geena Davis, and Lois Smith. Footage was screened for buy ...

'' (2017). She has portrayed the recurring role of Dr. Nicole Herman in ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

'' (2014–2015, 2018) and that of Regan MacNeil–Angela Rance in the first season of the horror television series ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 The Exorcist (novel), novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, ...

'' (2017). In 2004, Davis launched the

Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is a US non-profit research organization that researches gender representation in media and advocates for equal representation of women. The institute is currently headquartered at Mount Saint Mary's ...

, which works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of female characters in media. Through the organization, she launched the annual

Bentonville Film Festival The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) is an American film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity. Foundation Bentonville Film Festival was founded by actress Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment executive Trevor ...

in 2015, and executive produced the documentary '' This Changes Everything'' in 2018. Thanks to the organization, she was awarded with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award bestowed by the Academy Awards in 2019 and with the Governors Award given by the

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

in 2022.

Early life

Davis was born on January 21, 1956, in

Wareham, Massachusetts Wareham ( ) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303. History Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth and Rochester. It was ...

. Her mother, Lucille (), was a teacher's assistant, and her father, William F. Davis, was a civil engineer and church

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

. Both were from small towns in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. Davis has an older brother, Danforth ("Dan"). She became interested in music at an early age. She learned piano and

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...

and played

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

well enough as a teenager to be organist at her

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

church in Wareham.Davis was also a cheerleader and was cheer captain her senior year of high school.Stated on ''

Inside the Actors Studio ''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered in 1994 on Bravo where it aired for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel C ...

'', 2000 She attended

Wareham High School Wareham High School is a public high school located in Wareham, Massachusetts, United States. The school is a part of the Wareham Public School System, and serves roughly 500 students in grades 812. Wareham High School's colors are Blue, Gold & Wh ...

and was an exchange student in Sandviken,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, where she became fluent in Swedish. She studied at

New England College New England College (NEC) is a private liberal arts college in Henniker, New Hampshire. As of Fall 2020 New England College's enrollment was 4,327 students (1,776 undergraduate and 2,551 graduate). The college is regionally accredited by the ...

. However, she never completed her

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in drama from

in "New England College to Receive $3 Million Gift"
New England College news office Her first post-university work was as a model for window

mannequins A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. P ...

Ann Taylor Ann or Anne Taylor may refer to: * Ann Taylor (writer, born 1757) (1757–1830), English writer *Ann Taylor (poet) (1782–1866), English poet and children's writer, daughter of the above * Ann Taylor (actress) (born 1936), British actress, hostess ...

; she then signed with New York's

Zoli modeling agency The Zoli Agency was a modeling agency based in New York City, particularly notable in the 1970s and 1980s. Background It was established by a Budapest-born Hungarian designer named Zoltan "Zoli" Rendessy in 1971.Cheburashka and Gena the Crocodile (Swedish ''Drutten och Gena''), which aired as a children's segment in a national television show in Sweden in the late 1970s.

Career

Rise to fame (1982–1987)

Davis was working as a model when she was cast by director

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film '' Out ...

in his film ''

'' (1982) as a soap opera actor, whom she has described as "someone who's going to be in their underwear a lot of time". It was the second most profitable film of 1982, received ten

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations and is considered a

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

. She next won the regular part of Wendy Killian in the television series ''

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years ...

'', which aired from June 1983 to March 1984; and had a writing credit in one episode. Despite the series' eleven

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations, lukewarm ratings led to its cancellation after two seasons. Davis concurrently guest-starred in '' Knight Rider'', ''

Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal flo ...

'', ''

Family Ties ''Family Ties'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for seven seasons, premiering on September 22, 1982, and concluding on May 14, 1989. The series, created by Gary David Goldberg, reflected the move in the United States ...

'' and ''

Remington Steele ''Remington Steele'' is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from O ...

'', and followed with a series of her own, ''

Sara Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

'', which lasted 13 episodes. During this period, she also auditioned for the 1984 science fiction/action film ''

The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton), wh ...

'', reading for the lead role of Sarah Connor, which eventually went to Linda Hamilton. In '' Fletch'' (1985), an action comedy, she appeared with

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of '' Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

as the colleague of a ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' undercover reporter trying to expose drug trafficking on the beaches of Los Angeles. She also starred in the horror comedy '' Transylvania 6-5000'' as a nymphomaniac vampire alongside future husband Jeff Goldblum. They also starred in the sci-fi thriller '' The Fly'' (1986), loosely based on

George Langelaan George Langelaan (19 January 1908 – 9 February 1972) was a French-British writer and journalist born in Paris, France. He is best known for his 1957 short story " The Fly", which was the basis for the 1958 and 1986 sci-fi/horror films and a ...

's 1957 short story of the same name, where Davis portrayed a science journalist and an eccentric scientist's love interest. It was a commercial success and helped establish her as an actor. In 1987 she appeared with Goldblum again in the offbeat comedy '' Earth Girls Are Easy''.

Recognition and critical acclaim (1988–1992)

Director

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

cast Davis in his film ''

'' (1988) as one of a recently deceased young couple who become ghosts haunting their former house; it also starred

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nic ...

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including Jack Butler in ''Mr. Mom'' (1983), Betelgeuse in '' Beetlejuice'' ...

and

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

. It made $73.7 million from a budget of $15 million, and Davis's performance and the overall film received mostly positive reviews. Davis took on the role of an animal hospital employee and dog trainer with a sickly son in the drama ''

'' (1988), opposite

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

and

Kathleen Turner Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, and two Tony Awards. Turner became widely ...

. Critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, who gave the film four stars out of four, wrote: "Davis, as Muriel, brings an unforced wackiness to her role in scenes like the one where she belts out a song while she's doing the dishes. But she is not as simple as she sometimes seems ... The film was a critical and commercial success, and she received an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her appearance in it. Davis appeared as the girlfriend of a man who, dressed as a clown, robs a bank in midtown Manhattan, in the comedy '' Quick Change'' (1990). Based on a book of the same name by Jay Cronley, it is a remake of the 1985 French film '' Hold-Up'' starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

. Despite modest box office returns, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' found the lead actors "funny and creative while keeping their characters life-size". Davis next starred with Susan Sarandon in

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades th ...

's road film '' Thelma & Louise'' (1991), as friends who embark on a road trip with unforeseen consequences. A critical and commercial success, it is considered a classic, as it influenced other films and artistic works and became a landmark feminist film. Davis received an

nomination for Best Actress for her role. It also featured Brad Pitt in his breakout role as a drifter; in his 2020 acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Pitt thanked director Ridley Scott and Geena Davis for "giving me my first shot." In 1992, Davis starred alongside

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

in ''

'' as a baseball player on an all-women's team. It reached number one at the box office, became the tenth highest-grossing film of the year in North America, and brought Davis a Best Actress

nomination. She played a television reporter in the comedy ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

'' (also 1992) alongside

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...

and Andy Garcia. Although it flopped at the box office, Roger Ebert felt Davis was "bright and convincing as the reporter (her best line, after surviving the plane crash, is shouted through an ambulance door: "This is my story! I did the research!")".

Downturn, hiatus and television roles (1993–2009)

In 1994's '' Angie'', Davis played an office worker who lives in the

Bensonhurst Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22n ...

section of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and dreams of a better life. The film received mixed reviews from critics, despite much praise for Davis, and was a commercial failure. In her other 1994 release, '' Speechless'', Davis reunited with Michael Keaton to play insomniac writers who fall in love until they realize that both are writing speeches for rival candidates in a

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

election. Despite negative reviews and modest box office returns, she was nominated for a

for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy for her performance. Gina Davis 2004

Davis teamed up with her then-husband, director

, for the films '' Cutthroat Island'' (1995) and '' The Long Kiss Goodnight'' (1996), with Harlin hoping that they would turn her into an action star. While ''The Long Kiss Goodnight'' managed to become a moderate success, ''Cutthroat Island'' flopped critically and commercially and was once listed as having the "largest box office loss" by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. The film is credited to be a contributing factor in the demise of Davis as a bankable star. She divorced Harlin in 1998 and took an "unusually long" two years off to reflect on her career, according to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. She appeared as Eleanor Little in the well-received family comedy ''

Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...

'' (1999), a role she reprised in ''

Stuart Little 2 ''Stuart Little 2'' is a 2002 American live action/ computer-animated comedy film directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan Lipnicki, and the voices of Michael J. Fox as Stuart Little and Nathan Lane as Snowb ...

'' (2002) and again in '' Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild'' (2005). By the mid and late 1990s, Davis's film career had become less noteworthy and critical acclaim had waned. In a 2016 interview with ''Vulture'', she recalled: "Film roles really did start to dry up when I got into my 40s. If you look at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

, up until that age, I made roughly one film a year. In my entire 40s, I made one movie, ''Stuart Little''. I was getting offers, but for nothing meaty or interesting like in my 30s. I'd been completely ruined and spoiled. I mean, I got to play a pirate captain! I got to do every type of role, even if the movie failed." Davis starred in the sitcom '' The Geena Davis Show'', which aired for one season on ABC during the 2000–01 U.S. television season. She went on to star in the ABC television series '' Commander in Chief'', portraying the first female president of the United States. While this role garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2006, the series was cancelled after its first season; Davis admitted she was "devastated" by its cancellation in a 2016 interview. "I still haven't gotten over it. I really wanted it to work. It was on Tuesday nights opposite ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

'', which wasn't ideal. But we were the best new show that fall. Then, in January, we were opposite ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

''. They said, 'The ratings are going to suffer, so we should take you off the air for the entire run of ''Idol'', and bring it back in May. I put a lot of time and effort into getting it on another network, too, but it didn't work". She was also nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and a SAG Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series. She was awarded the 2006 Women in Film Lucy Award. Davis was the only American actor to be cast in the Australian-produced film ''

'' (2009), portraying a foul-mouthed and strict mother. She stated that it was the most fun she had ever had on a film set, and felt a deep friendship and connection to both of the actors who played her sons. Written by Brian Carbee and based on his own childhood and adolescence, the film received a limited theatrical release and mixed reviews from critics. ''Variety'' found it to be "led by a valiant Geena Davis", despite a "script that mistakes abuse for wit".

Professional expansion (2010present)

Following a long period of intermittent work, Davis often ventured into television acting, and through her organization, the

, saw her career expand during the 2010s. In 2012, she starred as a psychiatrist in the miniseries ''

Coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

'', based on the 1977 novel ''

'' by Robin Cook and the subsequent 1978 film. She played a powerful female movie executive in the critically acclaimed comedy '' In a World...'' (2013), the directorial debut of

Lake Bell Lake Siegel Bell (born March 24, 1979) is an American actress, screenwriter and director. She has starred in various television series, including ''Boston Legal'' (2004–2006), '' Surface'' (2005–2006), ''How to Make It in America'' (2010–2 ...

. Bell found her only dialogue to be her favorite in the film and called it her "soapbox moment". In 2014, Davis provided her voice for the English version of the

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and h ...

animated film '' When Marnie Was There'', as she was drawn to the film's abundant stories and strong use of female characters. She played the recurring role of Dr. Nicole Herman, an attending fetal surgeon with a life-threatening brain tumor, during the 11th season of ''

'' (2014–15). In 2015, Davis launched an annual film festival to be held in

Bentonville, Arkansas Bentonville is the tenth-largest city in Arkansas, United States and the county seat of Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers adjacent to the east. The city is the birthplace of and world headquarters locatio ...

, to highlight diversity in film, accepting films that prominently feature minorities and women in the cast and crew. The first

took place from May 5–9, 2015. Davis appeared as the mother of a semi-famous television star in the comedy ''

Me Him Her ''Me Him Her'' is a 2015 American comedy film written and directed by Max Landis, in his directorial debut. The film stars Luke Bracey, Dustin Milligan, and Emily Meade. The film had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival ...

'' (2016). In the television series ''

'' (2016), based on the 1973 film of the same name, Davis took on the role of grown-up Regan MacNeil, who has renamed herself Angela Rance to find peace and anonymity from her ordeal as a child. ''The Exorcist'' was a success with critics and audiences. In 2017, Davis starred in the film adaptation ''

'', alongside

Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...

, playing the daughter of an 85-year old experiencing the first symptoms of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...

, and appeared as the imaginary god of a heavyset 13-year-old girl in the comedy ''

Don't Talk to Irene ''Don't Talk to Irene'' is a 2017 Canadian comedy film written and directed by Pat Mills. It premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. The film centres on Irene (Michelle McLeod), an overweight and unpopular high school student ...

''. ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' wrote that she stole "every scene" in ''Marjorie Prime'', while ''Variety'', on her role in ''Don't Talk to Irene'', remarked: "There's no arguing the preternatural coolness of Geena Davis—a fact celebrated in self-conscious fashion by ''Don't Talk to Irene'', a familiar type of coming-of-age film whose most distinguishing feature is the presence of the actress". In 2018, Davis returned to ''Grey's Anatomy'', reprising the role of Dr. Nicole Herman in the show's 14th season, and executive produced the documentary '' This Changes Everything'', in which she was also interviewed about her experiences in the industry. The film premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

, where it was named first runner-up for the People's Choice Award: Documentaries. In 2019, she joined the voice cast of '' She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' as Huntara. Also in Netflix in 2019, she joined the cast of '' GLOW'' as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair, a former showgirl turned entertainment director of the Fan-Tan Hotel and Casino. In 2022, Davis' likeness will be used for the character of Poison Ivy in the

DC Entertainment DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and was based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery that manages its DC Comics units and characters in other unit ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series '' Batman '89'', set between the events of '' Batman Returns'' (1992) and ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' (2022). In October 2022, HarperOne published Davis's ''Dying of Politeness: A Memoir'' of her journey from childhood conventional New England femininity and trauma to feminist "badassery", one role at a time, on screen and in the real world.

Personal life

Marriages and family

Reza Jarrahy and Geena Davis at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Davis began dating restaurateur Richard Emmolo in December 1977 and moved in with him a month later. The two married on March 25, 1981, but separated in February 1983 and divorced on June 27, 1984. She then dated future '' Thelma and Louise'' co-star

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

, to whom she was briefly engaged. In 1985, she met her second husband, actor Jeff Goldblum, on the set of '' Transylvania 6-5000''. The couple married on November 1, 1987, and appeared together in two more films: '' The Fly'' and '' Earth Girls Are Easy''. Davis filed for divorce in October 1990, and it was finalized the following year. In 2022, Davis told ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'' that her relationship with him "was a magical chapter in my life." Bodyguard

Gavin de Becker Gavin de Becker (born October 26, 1954)Reagan, Ronald (January 19, 1989)Designation of Gavin de Becker as a Member of the Board of Governors of the United Service Organizations, Incorporated.via Reagan archive is an American author and security ...

was Davis' boyfriend during the early 1990s. After a five-month courtship, she married filmmaker

on September 18, 1993. He directed her in '' Cutthroat Island'' and '' The Long Kiss Goodnight''. Davis filed for divorce on August 26, 1997, a day after her personal assistant Tiffany Browne gave birth to a child fathered by Harlin. The divorce became final in June 1998. In 1998, Davis started dating Iranian-American

craniofacial Craniofacial (''cranio-'' combining form meaning head or skull + ''-facial'' combining form referring to the facial structures grossly) is an adjective referring to the parts of the head enclosing the brain and the face. The term is typically used ...

plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, and allegedly married him on September 1, 2001. They have three children: a daughter, Alizeh (born April 2002), and fraternal twin sons, Kaiis and Kian (born May 2004). In May 2018, Jarrahy filed for divorce from Davis, listing their date of separation as November 15, 2017. Davis responded by filing a petition in which she claimed that she and Jarrahy were never legally married.

Activism

Davis is a supporter of the

Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports. Founded in 1974 by tennis player Billie Jean King and initially supported by Olympic athletes Donna de Varona and Suzy Chaffe ...

and an advocate for

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

, an

Act of Congress An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by the United States Congress. Acts may apply only to individual entities (called private laws), or to the general public ( public laws). For a bill to become an act, the text must pass through both house ...

focusing on equality in sports opportunities, now expanded to prohibit

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primar ...

in American educational institutions. In 2004, while watching children's television programs and videos with her daughter, Davis noticed an imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. She went on to sponsor the largest-ever research project on gender in children's entertainment (resulting in four discrete studies, including one on children's television) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. The study, directed by Stacy Smith, showed that there were nearly three male characters to every female one in the nearly 400 G, PG, PG-13, and R-rated movies analyzed. In 2005, Davis teamed up with the non-profit group ''Dads and Daughters'' to launch a venture dedicated to balancing the number of male and female characters in children's television and movie programming. Davis launched the

in 2007, which works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to increase the presence of female characters in media aimed at children, and to reduce inequality in Hollywood and the stereotyping of females by the male-dominated industry. For her work in this field she received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

in May 2009; and an honorary Oscar, the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, in 2019. In 2011, Davis became one of a handful of celebrities attached to

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

and

Ad Council The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...

's FWD campaign, an awareness initiative tied to that year's East Africa drought. She joined

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

, Chanel Iman and Josh Hartnett in television and internet ads to "forward the facts" about the crisis.

Athletics

In July 1999, Davis was one of 300 women who vied for a semifinals berth in the U.S. Olympic

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In ...

team to participate in the Sydney

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

. She placed 24th and did not qualify for the team, but participated as a wild-card entry in the Sydney International Golden Arrow competition. In August 1999, she stated that she was not an athlete growing up and that she entered archery in 1997, two years before her tryouts.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

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Geena Davis 1988 interview about The Accidental Tourist
from

Texas Archive of the Moving Image The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is an independent 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002 by film archivist and University of Texas at Austin professor Caroline Frick, PhD. TAMI's mission is to preserve, study, and exhibit Texas film h ...

* *
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
* * *
Geena Davis
Video produced by '' Makers: Women Who Make America'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Geena 1956 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Massachusetts American female archers American feminists American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses American women film producers Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni David di Donatello winners Female models from Massachusetts Feminist artists Film producers from Massachusetts Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winners Mensans New England College alumni People from Wareham, Massachusetts 21st-century American memoirists American women memoirists