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Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis
(born January 21, 1956) is an Academy Awards winning American actress,
film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics
archery team semi-finalist.
Davis was born in Wareham, Massachusetts, USA, the daughter of Lucille, a
teacher's assistant, and William Davis, a civil engineer; she has a
brother named Dan. At an early age, she became interested in music. She
learned piano, flute and played organ well enough as a teenager to serve
as an organist at her church in Wareham. Davis attended Wareham High
School and while an exchange student in Sandviken, Sweden, she became
bilingual; she is fluent in Swedish. Enrolling at New England College,
Davis eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama from Boston
University in 1979. While at Boston University, Davis worked part time for
the Media Group.
After graduating, Davis served as a window mannequin for Ann Taylor until
signing with New York's Zoli modelling agency in 1979. Davis auditioned
for roles in many popular movies, including The Terminator’s Sarah Connor,
which went to Linda Hamilton. She was working as a model when director
Sydney Pollack spotted her and cast her in Tootsie (1982) as a soap opera
actress. She followed this up with the part of Wendy Killain in the
short-lived television series Buffalo Bill, which aired from June, 1983,
to March, 1984. She also wrote the Buffalo Bill episode entitled "Miss
WBFL." During the run of Buffalo Bill, In 1983, Geena also appeared as
Grace Fallon in an episode of Knight Rider (1982 TV series) entitled
"K.I.T.T the Cat". Her television credits from the mid-1980s also include
one episode of Riptide, two episodes of Family Ties, and an episode of
Remington Steele. This was followed up by a series of her own, Sara, which
lasted thirteen episodes.
Davis made her film breakthrough with Fletch, in 1985. This was followed
by larger roles in The Fly and Beetlejuice. She received an Oscar as Best
Supporting Actress for her role in The Accidental Tourist (1988), and a
Best Actress nomination for her role in Thelma and Louise (1991). Davis
replaced Debra Winger in the role of Dottie in A League of Their Own
(1992) and received a Best Actress Golden Globe Award nomination for her
performance. She then co-starred in Hero alongside Dustin Hoffman and Andy
Garcia. Following this, Davis teamed up with then-husband Renny Harlin for
the films Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiss Goodnight. She and Harlin
co-produced the films. Davis was nominated for Saturn Awards for her
performances as Samantha/Charlie in The Long Kiss Goodnight., and as
Eleanor Little in Stuart Little, a role she reprised in 2002, and again in
2005.
In 2000-2001, Davis starred in the short-lived sitcom The Geena Davis
Show. In early 2004, she guest-starred as Grace Adler's sister, Janet, on
the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. She most recently starred in the ABC
television series Commander in Chief as the first female President of the
United States. This role garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a
Drama Series in 2006, and she also was nominated for an Emmy Award and a
SAG Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series.
Davis was married to Richard Emmolo (March 25, 1982 – February 26, 1983);
actor Jeff Goldblum, with whom she co-starred in three films, Transylvania
6-5000, The Fly and Earth Girls Are Easy (1987 – 1990); and Renny Harlin,
who directed her in Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1993 –
1998). On September 1, 2001, Davis married Iranian American plastic
surgeon Reza Jarrahy MD. They have three children: daughter Alizeh Keshvar
(born April 10, 2002) and fraternal twin boys Kian William Jarrahy and
Kaiis Steven Jarrahy on May 6, 2004.
Davis is 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and is a member of American Mensa, the
society of persons with IQs in the statistical top 2%, with an IQ of 140. |
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"I have an elbow that bends
the wrong way, and I'd do things like stand in an elevator and the
doors would close, and I'd pretend that my arm had got caught in it,
and then I'd scream, 'Ow, ow, put it back!'"
[Talking about the shows her children watch]: "As I watched kids'
programs with them, I became concerned about gender balance and
stereotypes. Boys take up much more space on TV than in real life." |
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Exit 19 (2010) (TV) ....
Gloria Woods
Accidents Happen (2009) .... Gloria Conway
"Commander in Chief" ....
President Mackenzie Allen (18 episodes, 2005-2006)
- Unfinished Business (2006) TV Episode .... President Mackenzie
Allen
- Happy Birthday, Madam President (2006) TV Episode .... President
Mackenzie Allen
- The Elephant in the Room (2006) TV Episode .... President
Mackenzie Allen
- Ties That Bind (2006) TV Episode .... President Mackenzie Allen
- The Price You Pay (2006) TV Episode .... President Mackenzie Allen
(14 more)
Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005) (V) (voice) .... Mrs.
Eleanor Little
"Will & Grace" .... Janet Adler (1 episode, 2004)
- The Accidental Tsuris (2004) TV Episode .... Janet Adler
Stuart Little 2 (2002) .... Mrs. Eleanor Little
"The Geena Davis Show" .... Teddie Cochran (9 episodes, 2000-2001)
- White Moms Can't Jump (2001) TV Episode .... Teddie Cochran
- The Long Kiss Goodbye (2000) TV Episode .... Teddie Cochran
- Cooties (2000) TV Episode .... Teddie Cochran
- There's Something About Max (2000) TV Episode .... Teddie Cochran
- Motherly Advice (2000) TV Episode .... Teddie Cochran
(4 more)
Stuart Little (1999) .... Mrs. Eleanor Little
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) .... Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore
Fairy Tales on Ice: Alice Through the Looking Glass (1996) (V) ....
Narrator
Cutthroat Island (1995) .... Morgan Adams
... aka Île aux pirates, L' (France)
... aka Corsari (Italy)
... aka Piratenbraut, Die (Germany)
Speechless (1994) .... Julia Mann
Angie (1994) .... Angie Scacciapensieri
Princess Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin (1993) (voice) ....
Narrator
Hero (1992/I) .... Gale Gayley, Channel 4 News Reporter
... aka Accidental Hero
A League of Their Own (1992) .... Dottie Hinson
Thelma & Louise (1991) .... Thelma Yvonne Dickinson
Quick Change (1990) .... Phyllis Potter
"Trying Times" .... Daphne (1 episode, 1989)
- The Hit List (1989) TV Episode .... Daphne
"Saturday Night Live" .... Host (1 episode, 1989)
... aka NBC's Saturday Night (USA: first season title)
... aka SNL (USA: informal title)
... aka SNL 25 (USA: alternative title)
... aka Saturday Night (USA: second season title)
... aka Saturday Night Live '80 (USA: sixth season title)
- Episode #14.18 (1989) TV Episode .... Host
The Accidental Tourist (1988) .... Muriel Pritchett
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) .... Valerie
Beetle Juice (1988) .... Barbara
The Fly (1986) .... Veronica Quaife
... aka Mouche, La (Canada: French title)
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) .... Odette
"George Burns Comedy Week" (1 episode, 1985)
- Dream, Dream, Dream (1985) TV Episode
Fletch (1985) .... Larry
"Remington Steele" .... Sandy Dalrymple (1 episode, 1985)
- Steele in the Chips (1985) TV Episode .... Sandy Dalrymple
Secret Weapons (1985) (TV) .... Tamara Reshevsky/Brenda
... aka Secrets of the Red Bedroom
... aka Sexpionage
"Sara" (1985) TV Series .... Sara McKenna (unknown episodes)
"Family Ties" .... Karen Nicholson (2 episodes, 1984)
- Karen II, Alex 0 (1984) TV Episode .... Karen Nicholson
- Help Wanted (1984) TV Episode .... Karen Nicholson
"Riptide" .... Dr. Melba Bozinsky (1 episode, 1984)
- Raiders of the Lost Sub (1984) TV Episode .... Dr. Melba Bozinsky
"Fantasy Island" .... Whitney Clark (1 episode, 1984)
- Don Juan's Last Affair/Final Adieu (1984) TV Episode .... Whitney
Clark
"Buffalo Bill" .... Wendy Killian (3 episodes, 1983-1984)
- The Tap Dancer (1984) TV Episode .... Wendy Killian
- Company Ink (1984) TV Episode .... Wendy Killian
- Jerry Lewis Week (1984) TV Episode .... Wendy Killian
"Knight Rider" .... Grace Fallon (1 episode, 1983)
- K.I.T.T. the Cat (1983) TV Episode .... Grace Fallon
Tootsie (1982) .... April Page |
