Geena Davis
Encyclopedia
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actress, film producer
, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist. She is known for her roles in Stuart Little
,The Fly
, Beetlejuice
, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own
, The Long Kiss Goodnight
and The Accidental Tourist
, for which she won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
. In 2005, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her role in Commander in Chief
.
. Her mother, Lucille (née Cook), was a teacher's assistant, and her father, William F. Davis, was a civil engineer and church deacon; her parents had both been from small towns in Vermont
. She has a brother named Danforth ("Dan"). At an early age, she became interested in music. She learned piano
and flute
and played organ
well enough as a teenager to serve as an organist at her Congregationalist
church in Wareham. Davis attended Wareham High School
and was an exchange student in Sandviken
, Sweden, becoming fluent in Swedish. Enrolling at New England College
, she eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama from Boston University
in 1979. Davis is a member of Mensa
, a social organization whose members are in the top 2% of intelligence as measured by an IQ test entrance exam.
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After graduating, Davis served as a window mannequin
for Ann Taylor, until signing with New York's Zoli modeling 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 she was cast by director
Sydney Pollack
in his film Tootsie
(1982
), as a soap opera actress. She followed the role 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, Davis also appeared as Grace Fallon in an episode of Knight Rider 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.
After roles in Fletch
, The Fly
, and Beetlejuice
, Davis 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, director Renny Harlin
, for the films Cutthroat Island
and The Long Kiss Goodnight
(both 1996). Due to the box office failure of Cutthroat Island, her career took a downturn. 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 (1999), 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 went on to star in the ABC
television series Commander in Chief
, portraying 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. Also in 2006, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
She starred in the Australian-produced, American-set Accidents Happen
, which was released in April 2010.
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 Reza Jarrahy, an Iranian American plastic surgeon. At age 46, Davis gave birth to their daughter Alizeh Keshvar (born April 10, 2002). At age 48, she had twin boys, Kian William Jarrahy and Kaiis Steven (born May 6, 2004).
campaign Geena Takes Aim in support of Title IX
, an Act of Congress
focusing on equality in sports opportunities, now expanded to prohibit gender discrimination in United States' educational institutions.
In 2004, while watching children's television programs and videos with her daughter, Davis noticed what she thought was an imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. Davis went on to sponsor the largest research project ever undertaken on gender in children's entertainment (resulting in 4 discrete studies, including one on children's television) at the Annenberg School for Communication
at the University of Southern California
. The study, directed by Dr. Stacy Smith, showed that there were nearly 3 males to every 1 female character in the nearly 400 G, PG, PG-13, and R-Rated movies the undergraduate team of Annenberg students 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 TV and movie programming.
Davis launched The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2007. The Institute's first focus is an on-the-ground program that works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of female characters in media aimed at children and to reduce 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
in May 2009.
In 2011, Geena became one of a handful of celebrity faces attached to USAID and Ad Council
’s FWD
campaign, an awareness push to combat the famine, war, and drought in the Horn of Africa
. Geena joined Uma Thurman
, Josh Hartnett
, and Chanel Iman
to star in YouTube videos that ask America to “FWD the facts” about the crisis affecting more than 13 million people.
was in 1997, two years prior to her tryouts.
In July 1999, Davis was one of 300 women who vied for a semifinals berth in the US Olympic archery team to participate in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics
. She placed 24th of 300 and did not qualify for the team, but participated as a wild-card entry in the Sydney International Golden Arrow competition.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist. She is known for her roles in Stuart Little
Stuart Little
Stuart Little is a 1945 children's novel by E. B. White, his first book for children, and is widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. Stuart Little was illustrated by the subsequently award-winning artist Garth Williams, also his first work for children...
,The Fly
The Fly (1986 film)
The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by David Cronenberg. Produced by 20th Century Fox, and Brooksfilms, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist...
, Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
and The Accidental Tourist
The Accidental Tourist (film)
The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 American drama film starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis. It was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and scored by John Williams. The film's screenplay was adapted by Kasdan and Frank Galati from the novel of the same name by Anne Tyler...
, for which she won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. In 2005, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her role in Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief (TV series)
Commander in Chief is an American drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascends to the role from the Vice Presidency after the death of the sitting President from a sudden cerebral...
.
Early life
Davis was born in Wareham, MassachusettsWareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
. Her mother, Lucille (née Cook), was a teacher's assistant, and her father, William F. Davis, was a civil engineer and church deacon; her parents had both been from small towns in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. She has a brother named Danforth ("Dan"). At an early age, she became interested in music. She learned piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and played organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
well enough as a teenager to serve as an organist at her Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
church in Wareham. Davis attended Wareham High School
Wareham High School
Wareham High School is a public high school located in Wareham, Massachusetts. The school is a part of the Wareham Public School system, and serves roughly 900 students in grades 9-12....
and was an exchange student in Sandviken
Sandviken
Sandviken may refer to:* Sandviken, a Swedish town and the seat of Sandviken municipality* Sandviken Municipality, a Swedish municipality around the town of Sandviken* Sandviken, Norway, a neighbourhood in Bergen, Norway...
, Sweden, becoming fluent in Swedish. Enrolling at New England College
New England College
New England College is a private four-year college in Henniker, New Hampshire, enrolling a total of approximately 1800 undergraduate and graduate students.-History:The school was created in 1946 for students attending college on the G.I...
, she eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in drama from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
in 1979. Davis is a member of Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
, a social organization whose members are in the top 2% of intelligence as measured by an IQ test entrance exam.
Career
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
for Ann Taylor, until signing with New York's Zoli modeling agency in 1979. Davis auditioned for roles in many popular movies, including The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
’s Sarah Connor, which went to Linda Hamilton
Linda Hamilton
Linda Carroll Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator and its sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy...
. She was working as a model when she was cast by director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
in his film Tootsie
Tootsie
Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,...
(1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
), as a soap opera actress. She followed the role up with the part of Wendy Killain in the short-lived television series Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill (TV series)
Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons...
, 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, Davis also appeared as Grace Fallon in an episode of Knight Rider 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.
After roles in Fletch
Fletch (film)
Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher , who writes under the name of Jane Doe...
, The Fly
The Fly (1986 film)
The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by David Cronenberg. Produced by 20th Century Fox, and Brooksfilms, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist...
, and Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros...
, Davis received an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
as Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for her role in The Accidental Tourist
The Accidental Tourist (film)
The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 American drama film starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis. It was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and scored by John Williams. The film's screenplay was adapted by Kasdan and Frank Galati from the novel of the same name by Anne Tyler...
(1988), and a Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
nomination for her role in Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise
Thelma & Louise is a 1991 film co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri, the film's plot revolves around Thelma and Louise's escape from their troubled and caged lives. It stars Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, and co-stars Harvey Keitel as a...
(1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
). Davis replaced Debra Winger
Debra Winger
Mary Debra Winger is an American actress. Three-times an Oscar nominee, she received awards for acting in Terms of Endearment, for which she won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in 1983, and in A Dangerous Woman, for which she won the Tokyo International Film Festival...
in the role of Dottie in A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
(1992), and received a Best Actress Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance. She then co-starred in Hero
Hero (1992 film)
Hero is a comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy García, Chevy Chase, and Joan Cusack. It was released in the United States on October 20, 1992.-Plot:...
, alongside Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
and Andy Garcia
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
. Following this, Davis teamed up with then-husband, director Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director and producer. He is best known for Die Hard 2 , Cliffhanger , The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea...
, for the films Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...
and The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
(both 1996). Due to the box office failure of Cutthroat Island, her career took a downturn. 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 (1999), a role she reprised in 2002, and again in 2005.
In 2000–2001, Davis starred in the short-lived sitcom The Geena Davis Show
The Geena Davis Show
The Geena Davis Show was an American sitcom starring Geena Davis. The show lasted one season on ABC.- Background :Terri Minsky first pitched the idea of a Sex and the City-like character becoming a suburban housewife to ABC in early 2000. Basic plot details were drawn up, and the script eventually...
. In early 2004, she guest-starred as Grace Adler
Grace Adler
Grace Elizabeth Adler-Markus is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Debra Messing. She is a Jewish interior designer , living in New York City with her gay best friend Will Truman...
's sister, Janet, on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
. She went on to star in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series Commander in Chief
Commander in Chief (TV series)
Commander in Chief is an American drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascends to the role from the Vice Presidency after the death of the sitting President from a sudden cerebral...
, portraying the first female President of the United States. This role garnered her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
, and she also was nominated for an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and a SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series. Also in 2006, she was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award.
She starred in the Australian-produced, American-set Accidents Happen
Accidents Happen
Accidents Happen is a 2010 Australian coming of age comedy drama film directed by Andrew Lancaster and starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Sebastian Gregory, Harry Cook, Joel Tobeck and Sarah Woods. Written by Brian Carbee, based on his own childhood and adolescence, the story revolves...
, which was released in April 2010.
Personal life
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
, with whom she co-starred in three films, Transylvania 6-5000
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985 film)
Transylvania 6-5000 is a movie about two tabloid reporters who travel to modern-day Transylvania to uncover the truth behind Frankenstein sightings. Along the way, they encounter other horror movie staples — a mummy, a werewolf, a vampire — each with a twist.Directed by Rudy De Luca, the film...
, The Fly
The Fly (1986 film)
The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by David Cronenberg. Produced by 20th Century Fox, and Brooksfilms, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist...
and Earth Girls Are Easy
Earth Girls Are Easy
Earth Girls Are Easy is a 1988 American musical comedy film directed by Julien Temple. It stars Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Michael McKean, Julie Brown, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The film is marketed with the tagline "An out-of-this-world, down-to-earth comedy adventure"...
(1987 – 1990); and Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin
Renny Harlin is a Finnish-American film director and producer. He is best known for Die Hard 2 , Cliffhanger , The Long Kiss Goodnight and Deep Blue Sea...
, who directed her in Cutthroat Island and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1993 – 1998).
On September 1, 2001, Davis married Reza Jarrahy, an Iranian American plastic surgeon. At age 46, Davis gave birth to their daughter Alizeh Keshvar (born April 10, 2002). At age 48, she had twin boys, Kian William Jarrahy and Kaiis Steven (born May 6, 2004).
Activism
Davis is fronting the Women's Sports FoundationWomen's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation "is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."...
campaign Geena Takes Aim in support of Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
, an Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
focusing on equality in sports opportunities, now expanded to prohibit gender discrimination in United States' educational institutions.
In 2004, while watching children's television programs and videos with her daughter, Davis noticed what she thought was an imbalance in the ratio of male to female characters. Davis went on to sponsor the largest research project ever undertaken on gender in children's entertainment (resulting in 4 discrete studies, including one on children's television) at the Annenberg School for Communication
Annenberg School for Communication
There are two schools named Annenberg School for Communication.*University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism*Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania...
at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. The study, directed by Dr. Stacy Smith, showed that there were nearly 3 males to every 1 female character in the nearly 400 G, PG, PG-13, and R-Rated movies the undergraduate team of Annenberg students analyzed.
In 2005, Davis teamed up with the non-profit group Dads and Daughters
Dads and Daughters
Dads and Daughters is a lobbying group that seeks to remove media stereotypes that negatively typecast fathers and girls. In 1999, Joe Kelly and Michael Kieschnick founded the group, which has since attracted 2,000 members...
to launch a venture dedicated to balancing the number of male and female characters in children's TV and movie programming.
Davis launched The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2007. The Institute's first focus is an on-the-ground program that works collaboratively with the entertainment industry to dramatically increase the presence of female characters in media aimed at children and to reduce 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
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in May 2009.
Ad Council
The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American non-profit organization that distributes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including non-profit organizations and agencies of the United States government....
’s FWD
FWD
FWD may refer to:* Front-wheel drive, a common method of vehicle propulsion.* FWD Campaign from USAID* Free World Dialup , a non-commercial Voice over IP network....
campaign, an awareness push to combat the famine, war, and drought in the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. Geena joined Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, and Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman
Chanel Iman Robinson , known professionally as Chanel Iman, is an American fashion model perhaps best known for her work for Victoria's Secret.-Early life:...
to star in YouTube videos that ask America to “FWD the facts” about the crisis affecting more than 13 million people.
Sports
Davis has stated that she was not an athlete growing up, and that her introduction to archeryArchery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
was in 1997, two years prior to her tryouts.
In July 1999, Davis was one of 300 women who vied for a semifinals berth in the US Olympic archery team to participate in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. She placed 24th of 300 and did not qualify for the team, but participated as a wild-card entry in the Sydney International Golden Arrow competition.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Tootsie Tootsie Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,... |
April Page | |
| 1985 | Fletch Fletch (film) Fletch is a 1985 comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter, Irwin M. Fletcher , who writes under the name of Jane Doe... |
Larry | |
| 1985 | Transylvania 6-5000 Transylvania 6-5000 (1985 film) Transylvania 6-5000 is a movie about two tabloid reporters who travel to modern-day Transylvania to uncover the truth behind Frankenstein sightings. Along the way, they encounter other horror movie staples — a mummy, a werewolf, a vampire — each with a twist.Directed by Rudy De Luca, the film... |
Odette | |
| 1986 | Veronica Quaife | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress | |
| 1988 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton, produced by The Geffen Film Company and distributed by Warner Bros... |
Barbara Maitland | |
| 1988 | Earth Girls Are Easy Earth Girls Are Easy Earth Girls Are Easy is a 1988 American musical comedy film directed by Julien Temple. It stars Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Michael McKean, Julie Brown, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The film is marketed with the tagline "An out-of-this-world, down-to-earth comedy adventure"... |
Valerie Gail | |
| 1988 | Muriel Pritchett | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... |
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| 1990 | Quick Change Quick Change Quick Change is a 1990 comedy film starring Bill Murray, who also co-directed with the film's screenwriter Howard Franklin. Geena Davis, Randy Quaid, and Jason Robards co-star. Other cast members include Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Phil Hartman, Victor Argo, Kurtwood Smith, Bob Elliott, and... |
Phyllis Potter | |
| 1991 | Thelma & Louise | Thelma Yvonne Dickinson | |
| 1992 | Dottie Hinson | Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 1992 | Hero Hero (1992 film) Hero is a comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy García, Chevy Chase, and Joan Cusack. It was released in the United States on October 20, 1992.-Plot:... |
Gale Gayley | |
| 1993 | Princess Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin | Narrator (voice) | short subject |
| 1994 | Angie | Angie Scacciapensieri | |
| 1994 | Speechless Speechless (film) Speechless is a 1994 romantic comedy film directed by Ron Underwood. It stars Geena Davis , Michael Keaton, Bonnie Bedelia, Ernie Hudson and Christopher Reeve.-Plot:... |
Julia Mann | |
| 1995 | Cutthroat Island Cutthroat Island Cutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of... |
Morgan Adams | |
| 1996 | Samantha Caine / Charly Baltimore | ||
| 1999 | Stuart Little Stuart Little (film) Stuart Little is a 1999 family film. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by E. B. White. It combines live-action and computer animation. The screenplay was co-written by M. Night Shyamalan and Greg Brooker, with uncredited script doctoring by David O. Russell and Billy Ray... |
Mrs. Eleanor Little | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2002 | Stuart Little 2 Stuart Little 2 Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes... |
Mrs. Eleanor Little | |
| 2006 | Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild is a 2006 direct-to-video film directed by Audu Paden, created by Mainframe Animation and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released on DVD in other countries in 2005, till it eventually got released in North America on February 21, 2006... |
Mrs. Eleanor Little | voice |
| 2009 | Accidents Happen Accidents Happen Accidents Happen is a 2010 Australian coming of age comedy drama film directed by Andrew Lancaster and starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Sebastian Gregory, Harry Cook, Joel Tobeck and Sarah Woods. Written by Brian Carbee, based on his own childhood and adolescence, the story revolves... |
Gloria Conway |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–1984 | Buffalo Bill Buffalo Bill (TV series) Buffalo Bill is an American television situation comedy that featured the misadventures of an egotistical talk show host and his staff at WBFL-TV, a small TV station in Buffalo, New York. It premiered May 31, 1983 on NBC and ran for only part of two seasons... |
Wendy Killian | |
| 1983 | Knight Rider | Grace Fallon | Episode: "K.I.T.T. The Cat" (Season 2, Episode 7) |
| 1984 | Family Ties Family Ties Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young... |
Karen Nicholson | Two episodes |
| 1984 | Riptide Riptide (TV series) Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter... |
Dr. Melba Bozinsky | Episode: "Raiders of the Lost Sub" (Season 1, Episode 12) |
| 1985 | Sara Sara (US TV series) Sara is a short-lived American sitcom that aired on NBC in 1985. Starring Geena Davis in the title role, the series featured early performances from several actors who went on to greater acclaim, including Alfre Woodard, Bronson Pinchot and Bill Maher... |
Sara McKenna | |
| 1985 | Secret Weapons | Tamara Reshevsky/Brenda | |
| 1985 | Remington Steele 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 1982 to 1987. The series blended the genres of romantic... |
Sandy Dalrymple | Episode: "Steele in the Chips" (Season 3, Episode 20) |
| 2000–2001 | Teddie Cochran & Herself | ||
| 2003 | Will & Grace Will & Grace Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters... |
Janet Adler (Grace's older sister) | |
| 2005–2006 | Commander in Chief Commander in Chief (TV series) Commander in Chief is an American drama television series that focused on the fictional administration and family of Mackenzie Allen , the first female President of the United States, who ascends to the role from the Vice Presidency after the death of the sitting President from a sudden cerebral... |
President Mackenzie Allen | |
| 2009 | Exit 19 Exit 19 The Protector is an American drama television series created by Michael Nankin and Jeffrey Bell. The series stars Ally Walker as Gloria Sheppard, a single mother who struggles to maintain the balance between her personal and professional life as an LAPD homicide detective.The series is broadcast in... |
Gloria Woods | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... pilot |