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Geena Davis
If it isn’t a success, that still wouldn’t be grounds for divorce.
— Geena Davis, commenting on her film The Long Kiss Goodnight, produced by now ex-husband Renny Harlin
AFTER graduating from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Geena Davis signed with the Zoli modelling agency in New York, with an agenda to expand her repertoire to include acting. She made the obligatory turn as a waitress, then landed a memorable role as a soap-opera actress dressed only in her skivvies, in Tootsie. This auspicious start led to quirkier, more substantial television assignments, most notably on Family Ties and on the cult hit Buffalo Bill. Davis’s stunning good looks and Mensa-level I.Q. made her a rare commodity in Hollywood: her unique ability to portray both goofy awkwardness and high-octane sexiness led to castings in a wide variety of roles.
Davis’s success in television was short-lived. At six feet tall, Davis is larger than life in life, and seemed custom-made for the more expansive panorama of a movie screen. She landed a small role in the Chevy Chase vehicle Fletch, but it was her dramatic turn in David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly that set her on the road to stardom. The film provided her with the opportunity to cut her acting teeth, and it led to a short marriage to the fly himself, Jeff Goldblum. With 1988’s Beetlejuice, Davis proved that she could dart effortlessly between drama and comedy. That same year, she grabbed the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as a dog trainer in The Accidental Tourist, a part for which she had lobbied strenuously. Just like that, Davis had landed on the Hollywood A-list.
But Davis wasn’t content to settle for the comfortable love-interest niche the film industry reserves for its top female stars. She earned acclaim for her Thelma in the controversial female-liberation flick Thelma and Louise, an assignment that made Davis the envy of women everywhere when her character bedded a startlingly sexy (and unknown at the time) actor named Brad Pitt. Leads in Penny Marshall’s A League of Their Own and Angie followed.
Davis’s1993 marriage to action-blockbuster director Renny Harlin (Die Hard II, Cliffhanger) marked the beginning of a romantic-professional collaboration many thought was destined to end after their Cutthroat Island tanked at the box office in 1995. Davis reinvented herself as a female action star for Harlin’s 1996 offering, The Long Kiss Goodnight, which garnered markedly better press and box-office receipts. Even action maestro Sylvester Stallone was impressed, commenting that Davis “pulled it off with a royal flush.” Still, Davis didn’t dare the big screen again until 1999, which marked the release of the holiday family heartwarmer Stuart Little, a live-action adaptation of the classic E.B. White children’s tale. She and Harlin split amicably in 1997, expressing intentions to remain friends and business partners. And what will Davis’s next incarnation be? Executive producer, of course. The actress has several movie and television projects in development, including The Politician’s Wife, The Decision, Mistrial, and Bigmalion.
Occupation: Actress
Date of Birth: January 21, 1957
Place of Birth: Wareham, Mass., USA
Sign: Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Libra
Relations: Ex-husbands: Richard Emmolo, Jeff Goldblum (actor), Renny Harlin (director)
Education: Boston University
Geena Davis: Credits
MOVIES
Actor
Stuart Little — 1999
The Long Kiss Goodnight — 1996
Cutthroat Island — 1996
Speechless — 1994
Angie — 1994
Hero — 1992
A League of Their Own — 1992
Thelma & Louise — 1991
Quick Change — 1990
Beetlejuice — 1988
The Accidental Tourist — 1988
Earth Girls Are Easy — 1988
The Fly — 1986
Fletch — 1985
Transylvania 6-5000 — 1985
Secret Weapons — 1985
Tootsie — 1982
Producer
Speechless — 1994
TV
American Heroes & Legends — 1992 (Series; narrated “Princess Scargo & the Birthday Pumpkin”)
The Hit List — 1989 ( )
Secret Weapons — 1985 (Movie)
Sara — 1985 (Series)
Riptide — 1984 (Series)
Buffalo Bill — 1983 (Series; performer, writer)
Davis, Geena Web sites
ABC TV’s The Geena Davis Show video
Learn more about the new ABC comedy starring Geena Davis, Peter Horton and Mimi Rogers.
http://www.abc.go.com/fall2000_lineup/fallseason_g…
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Tigger’s Geena Davis Shrine video
Fan site has photos, wallpaper, screen saver and video clips.
http://members.spree.com/sip/tigger569/geena/geena…
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Warrior Women in Film: Geena Davis
Biography, filmography and photo galleries.
http://members.tripod.com/~geena99/main.htm
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
ET Online: Geena Davis
Read a chat transcript with the actress.
http://www.etonline.com/html/ChatSchedule/1502.htm…
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Geena Davis Photo Gallery
Contains more than 100 pictures of the actress.
http://www.netnav.com/chase/genna/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Hollywood.com: MovieTalk: Geena Davis audio
Listen to RealAudio clips of Geena talking about “Stuart Little” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight.”
http://www.hollywood.com/movietalk/celebrities/gda…
Last reviewed by ccrowe21
Internet Movie Database: Geena Davis commerce
Filmography, biography, photos and related links.
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Davis,+Geena
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Jam! Showbiz: Geena Davis
A collection of articles about Geena.
http://www.canoe.ca/JamMoviesArtistsD/davis_geena….
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Mr. Showbiz Celebrities: Geena Davis
Biography, profile, links to news items about the actress.
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/people/geenadavis/
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
New York Post: Dressed to Thrill
News article about the revealing dress Geena Davis wore to the 2000 Emmys. Includes a photo of Geena wearing the infamous dress.
http://www.nypost.com/09122000/news/38290.htm
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Sirlinksalot.net: Geena Davis Show Links
Links to news articles and Web sites about the actress and the new TV series “The Geena Davis Show.”
http://www.sirlinksalot.net/davis.html
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
SOS: Letters to Geena Davis
A live-action version of the popular Japanese animated series “Sailor Moon” is to be co-produced by Geena Davis. Read fan letters to Geena or submit your own.
http://dau.physics.sunysb.edu/~ming/sos/geena-lett…
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
The Long Kiss Goodnight: Geena Davis video
Interview, movie clips and a link to photos of Geena in the film “The Long Kiss Goodnight.”
http://www.cannery.com/Longkiss/Geena/geena.html
Last reviewed by DottieHinkle
Photo Gallery:
Topics: Actress, Celebrities
Tags: Actress, Angie, Beetlejuice, Fletch, Hero, Stuart Little
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