GEENA DAVIS
Birth name
Virginia Elizabeth Davis
Date of birth (location)
21 January 1957,
Wareham, Massachusetts, USA
Height
6'
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Mini biography
As a child, Geena dreamed of being an actress. While in high school, she felt left out and had low self esteem because at 6 feet, she was the tallest girl in school. After high school, Geena entered New England College in New Hampshire and then transferred the next year to Boston University where she majored in drama. In 1979, she graduated and moved to New York to start her career. Her career consisted of sales clerk and waitress. She worked at Ann Taylor, where she eventually rose to Saturday window mannequin while trying to get a job with a modeling agency. Eventually signed by the Zoli Agency at the advanced age of 23, she wound up as a model in the Victoria Secret's Catalogue. Ever vigilant, Sydney Pollack was looking for new talent in the catalogue when he spotted Geena and cast her in Tootsie (1982). With good reviews, Geena moved to Los Angeles where she was cast as Wendy in the short lived, but critically acclaimed Television Series "Buffalo Bill" (1983). Her next appearance on Television was in her own show "Sara" (1985) which was also good, but soon canceled. She then returned to the big screen in the below average Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) followed by the successful Chevy Chase movie Fletch (1985). From there on, she was on a roll with future husband Jeff Goldblum in the horror remake of Fly, The (1986). More successful were Tim Burton's dark comedy Beetlejuice (1988) and Accidental Tourist, The (1988). For the last film, she would be the surprise winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. More fun movies followed with the flying saucer in the pool Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) and everyone loves a clown Quick Change (1990) with Bill Murray. The very successful Thelma & Louise (1991), directed by Ridley Scott, would again garner nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe. League of Their Own, A (1992) with Tom Hanks and directed by Penny Marshall, would be the turning point as her next film Hero (1992) would only be average. Then Geena would marry director Renny Harlin and they would set up a production and development company called "The Forge". Their first film would be Speechless (1994) which flopped at the box office. Undeterred, Renny decided to film the big budget Cutthroat Island (1995) starring pirate Geena, which became a HUGE FLOP. Carrying on, Geena is now starring in the thriller, Long Kiss Goodnight, The (1996).
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IMDb mini-biography by
Tony Fontana <[email protected]>
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Spouse
Renny Harlin (18 September 1993 - present) (separated: 4/97)
Jeff Goldblum (1987 - 1990) (divorced)
'Richard Emmolo' (1982 - 1983) (divorced)
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Trivia
(21 August 1999) Placed 24th out of 28 semifinalists for Olympic Archery team.
(July 1999) Semifinalist for US Women's Olympic Archery Team.
(October 1997) Ranked #61 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
She's a member of MENSA.
Attended school in Sweden as an exchange student.
Speaks Swedish.
(1995) Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#31).
Was considered for the lead in Runaway Bride (1999).
Was considered for the lead role of Kate McQueen in Fair Game (1995). The part eventually went to Cindy Crawford.
In 1996, was the top contender for the role of the evil Queen Beryl in a proposed Sailor Moon live action movie. The project was later scrapped.
(November 2000) Engaged to Dr. Reza Jarrahy.
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Salary
"Geena Davis Show, The" (2000) $200,000 per episode
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
This leggy, square-jawed ex-model made her feature debut as a lingerie-clad soap star in Tootsie (1982), displaying the coltish sexiness that, along with her natural warmth and good humor, has infused her later characterizations. Her facility for comedy, aptly demonstrated in Beetlejuice (1988) and Quick Change (1990), was recognized by her peers when they voted her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as a slightly batty, exuberant dog trainer in The Accidental Tourist (1988). (She deliberately lost weight to play the role, remembering author Anne Tyler's description of her character as chickenlegged.) Davis's ripe, earthy performance as a fugitive housewife turned bandit in Thelma & Louise (1991, with Susan Sarandon) earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination. She headed a marvelous ensemble cast in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own (1992, about an allgirl baseball team in the 1940s) and costarred with Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia in Hero that same year. She then affected a New York accent and persona for Angie (1994). She is divorced from actor Jeff Goldblum, with whom she starred in Transylvania 6-5000 (1985), The Fly (1986), and Earth Girls Are Easy (1989). She also appeared on the TV sitcoms "Buffalo Bill" (1983-84) and "Sara" (1985, in the leading role). She married director Renny Harlin in 1993; they jointly produced her movie Speechless (1994), and he directed her in the pirate adventure Cutthroat Island
(1995)
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Filmography as: Actress, Producer, Writer, Notable TV guest appearances
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Actress - filmography
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s)
Stuart Little 2 (2002) .... Eleanor Little
"Geena Davis Show, The" (2000) TV Series .... Teddie Cochran
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Stuart Little (1999) .... Eleanor Little (Mrs. Little)
Salute to Dustin Hoffman, A (1999) (TV) .... Herself
... aka 27th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Dustin Hoffman, The (1999) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Long Kiss Goodnight, The (1996) .... Samantha "Sam" Caine (A.K.A. Charlene "Charly" Elizabeth Baltimore)
Cutthroat Island (1995) .... Morgan Adams
... aka Corsari (1995) (Italy)
... aka Piratenbraut, Die (1996) (Germany)
... aka Īle aux pirates, L' (1996) (France)
Angie (1994) .... Angie Scacciapensieri
Speechless (1994) .... Julia Mann
Hero (1992) .... Gale Gayley
... aka Accidental Hero (1992)
League of Their Own, A (1992) .... Dottie Hinson - C
Thelma & Louise (1991) .... Thelma Dickinson
Quick Change (1990) .... Phyllis
Earth Girls Are Easy (1989) .... Valerie
Accidental Tourist, The (1988) .... Muriel
Beetlejuice (1988) .... Barbara Maitland
Fly, The (1986) .... Veronica "Ronnie" Quaife
Secret Weapons (1985) (TV) .... Tamara Reshevsky
... aka Secrets of the Red Bedroom (1985) (TV)
... aka Sexpionage (1985) (TV)
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) .... Odette
Fletch (1985) .... Larry
"Sara" (1985) TV Series .... Sara McKenna
"Buffalo Bill" (1983) TV Series .... Wendy Killian
Tootsie (1982) .... April
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Filmography as: Actress, Producer, Writer, Notable TV guest appearances
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Producer - filmography
(2000s) (1990s)
"Geena Davis Show, The" (2000) TV Series (co-executive producer)
Mistrial (1996) (TV) (executive producer)
Long Kiss Goodnight, The (1996) (producer) (uncredited)
Speechless (1994) (producer)
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Filmography as: Actress, Producer, Writer, Notable TV guest appearances
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Writer - filmography
"Buffalo Bill" (1983) TV Series
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Filmography as: Actress, Producer, Writer, Notable TV guest appearances
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Notable TV guest appearances
"Inside the Actors Studio" (1994)
"Remington Steele" (1982) playing "Sandy Dalrymple" in episode: "Steele in the Chips" (episode # 3.20) 3/19/1985
"Family Ties" (1982) playing "Karen Nicholson" in episode: "Karen II, Alex 0" (episode # 3.11) 12/13/1984
"Family Ties" (1982) playing "Karen Nicholson" in episode: "Help Wanted" (episode # 3.10) 12/6/1984
"Riptide" (1984) playing "Melba Bozinsky" in episode: "Raiders Of The Lost Sub" (episode # 1.13) 5/15/1984
"Knight Rider" (1982) playing "Grace Farron" in episode: "K.I.T.T. the Cat" (episode # 2.27) 11/6/1983
"Fantasy Island" (1978)
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