Geena Davis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Geena Davis
Davis in 2024
Born	Virginia Elizabeth Davis (1956-01-21) January 21, 1956 (age 69) Wareham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1982–present
Organization	Geena Davis Institute
Spouse(s)	Richard Emmolo ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1984)​ Jeff Goldblum ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1991)​ Renny Harlin ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 1998)​ Reza Jarrahy ​ ​ (m. 2001; div. 2021)​
Children	3
Signature

Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor. She has won many awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Geena Davis started acting in the comedy film Tootsie (1982). She gained fame in the fantasy comedy Beetlejuice (1988). Her role in The Accidental Tourist (1988) earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She became a leading actor with Thelma & Louise (1991) and A League of Their Own (1992).

Later, Davis starred as the mom in the Stuart Little movies (1999–2005). She also played the first female president of the United States in the TV series Commander in Chief (2005–2006). For this role, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

In 2004, Davis started the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. This group works with the entertainment industry. It helps to have more female characters in movies and TV shows. She also started the annual Bentonville Film Festival in 2015. Davis received special awards for her humanitarian work in 2019 and 2022.

Geena Davis's Early Life and Education

Geena Davis was born on January 21, 1956, in Wareham, Massachusetts. Her mother, Lucille, was a teacher's assistant. Her father, William F. Davis, was a civil engineer. Both her parents came from small towns in Vermont. Geena also has an older brother named Dan.

Discovering Music and Languages

Geena became interested in music when she was young. She learned to play the piano and flute. As a teenager, she played the organ at her church. She was also a cheerleader in high school. She was even the cheer captain in her last year.

She went to Wareham High School. During that time, she was an exchange student in Sandviken, Sweden. There, she learned to speak Swedish very well. She even got engaged to a classmate, Mats Dahlsköld, and they still write letters to each other.

College and Early Career

Geena wanted to study acting at Boston University. However, she missed the audition while in Sweden. So, she started college at New England College before moving to Boston University. She did not finish her degree there.

After college, she worked as a model for window mannequins at Ann Taylor. Then, she signed with a modeling agency in New York. Her brother gave her the nickname "Geena" when she was born. This helped tell her apart from her Aunt Virginia, who was called Ginny.

Geena Davis's Acting Career

Geena Davis has had a long and interesting acting career. She has starred in many different types of movies and TV shows.

Starting Out in Hollywood (1982–1987)

Geena Davis in 1983

Geena Davis was a model when she got her first acting role. Director Sydney Pollack cast her in the film Tootsie (1982). She played a soap opera actor. This movie was very popular and is now seen as a classic.

After Tootsie, she got a regular role in the TV series Buffalo Bill (1983–1984). She also appeared in popular TV shows like Knight Rider and Family Ties. She even had her own TV series called Sara.

In 1985, she starred with Chevy Chase in the action comedy Fletch. She also appeared in the horror comedy Transylvania 6-5000 with Jeff Goldblum. They later starred together in the sci-fi thriller The Fly (1986). This movie was a big success and helped her become a well-known actor.

Becoming a Star (1988–1992)

Geena Davis at the 61st Academy Awards in 1989

Director Tim Burton cast Geena Davis in his horror comedy Beetlejuice (1988). She played a ghost haunting her old house. The movie was a big hit and received good reviews.

Davis then starred in the romantic drama The Accidental Tourist (1988). She played an animal hospital employee. Her performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1991, Davis starred with Susan Sarandon in the road film Thelma & Louise. They played friends on a road trip. This movie was very popular and is now seen as a feminist film. Davis was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. This film also helped Brad Pitt become famous.

In 1992, Davis played a baseball player in A League of Their Own. She starred alongside Madonna and Tom Hanks. This sports comedy-drama was a huge success. It was one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Davis received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

Career Changes and TV Roles (1993–2009)

Geena Davis in 2004

In the mid-1990s, some of Davis's films did not do as well. These included Cutthroat Island (1995) and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). After this, she took a break from acting for a couple of years.

She then appeared as Eleanor Little in the family comedy Stuart Little (1999). She played this role again in Stuart Little 2 (2002) and Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild (2005).

Davis also starred in the TV series Commander in Chief (2005–2006). She played the first female president of the United States. She won a Golden Globe Award for this role. Even though the show was popular, it was canceled after one season.

In 2009, Davis starred in the Australian film Accidents Happen. She played a strict mother. She said this was one of the most fun sets she had ever worked on.

New Projects and Advocacy (2010–Present)

In the 2010s, Geena Davis started working more in television. She also expanded her work through her organization, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

In 2014, she voiced a character in the English version of the animated film When Marnie Was There. She also played Dr. Nicole Herman in the TV show Grey's Anatomy (2014–2015, 2018).

In 2015, Davis started the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas. This festival focuses on showing films that feature women and minorities.

In 2016, she starred in the TV series The Exorcist. She played a grown-up Regan MacNeil. In 2017, she appeared in the film Marjorie Prime.

In 2018, Davis was an executive producer for the documentary This Changes Everything. This film talks about women's experiences in the entertainment industry. In 2019, she joined the voice cast of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. She also became an executive producer for the CBS educational show Mission Unstoppable.

In 2022, Geena Davis released her memoir, Dying of Politeness. This book shares her journey from childhood to becoming a strong advocate for women. She also has a children's picture book coming out in 2025. She is set to star in a new Netflix science fiction series called The Boroughs in 2026.

Geena Davis's Personal Life

Geena Davis has been married four times. She has three children.

Marriages and Family Life

Geena Davis and Reza Jarrahy in 2009

Geena Davis first married Richard Emmolo in 1981. They divorced in 1984.

She then met actor Jeff Goldblum in 1985. They married in 1987 and starred in two more films together. They divorced in 1991. Davis has said that her relationship with Goldblum was a "magical chapter" in her life. She liked being married to another actor because he understood her work.

In 1993, she married filmmaker Renny Harlin. He directed her in two films. They divorced in 1998.

In 1998, Davis started dating Reza Jarrahy, a plastic surgeon. They had three children: a daughter, Alizeh (born 2002), and twin sons, Kaiis and Kian (born 2004). They separated in 2017 and their divorce was finalized in 2021.

In her 40s, Davis learned she had ADHD.

Geena Davis's Activism

Geena Davis is a strong supporter of women's rights and equality.

Advocating for Women in Media

Geena Davis in April 2011 with Dr. John Gallin to discuss the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

In 2004, while watching children's TV with her daughter, Davis noticed something important. There were far fewer female characters than male characters. This led her to start a big research project. The study found that there were almost three male characters for every female character in movies.

In 2004, Davis launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. This organization works with the entertainment industry. Their goal is to increase the number of female characters in media for children. They also work to reduce stereotypes about females. For her work, she received an honorary Oscar in 2019. This was the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

Davis also supports the Women's Sports Foundation. She advocates for Title IX, which helps ensure equal opportunities in sports for everyone.

Athletic Pursuits

In July 1999, Geena Davis tried out for the U.S. Olympic archery team. She was one of 300 women hoping to go to the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. She placed 24th and did not make the team. However, she did participate in another archery competition. Davis started archery in 1997, just two years before her tryouts.

Geena Davis's Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film Roles

Television Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Knight Rider	Grace Fallon	Episode: "K.I.T.T. the Cat"
1983–1984	Buffalo Bill	Wendy Killian	26 episodes
1984	Fantasy Island	Patricia Grayson	Episode: "Don Juan's Lost Affair"
	Riptide	Dr. Melba Bozinsky	Episode: "Raiders of the Lost Sub"
	Family Ties	Karen Nicholson	2 episodes
1985	Sara	Sara McKenna	13 episodes
	Secret Weapons	Tamara Reshevsky / Brenda	Television movie
	Remington Steele	Sandy Dalrymple	Episode: "Steele in the Chips"
	1989	Saturday Night Live	Herself (host)	Episode: "Geena Davis/John Mellencamp"
1990	The Earth Day Special	Kim	Television special
2000–2001	The Geena Davis Show	Teddie Cochran	22 episodes
2004	Will & Grace	Janet Adler	Episode: "The Accidental Tsuris"
2005–2006	Commander in Chief	President Mackenzie Allen	18 episodes
2012	Coma	Dr. Agnetta Lindquist	Television miniseries
2013	Untitled Bounty Hunter Project	Mackenzie Ryan	Unsold TV pilot
	Doc McStuffins	Princess Persephone (voice)	Episode: "Sir Kirby and the Plucky Princess"
2014–2018	Grey's Anatomy	Dr. Nicole Herman	13 episodes
2015	Annedroids	Student	Episode: "Undercover Pigeon"
2016	The Exorcist	Angela Rance / Regan MacNeil	10 episodes
2019	She-Ra and the Princesses of Power	Huntara (voice)	3 episodes
	GLOW	Sandy Devereaux St. Clair	6 episodes
2019–2022	Mission Unstoppable	N/A	Executive producer
2026	The Boroughs	Renee	Main Role

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Geena Davis para niños