She illuminated the 1980s with her extraordinary talent, rapidly transitioning from model to Oscar-winning actress seemingly overnight.
Yet, beneath the glamour and recognition was a concealed battle — including a near-fatal experience in her childhood at just 8 years old.
Amish-like upbringing
Few stars of the ’90s won over audiences and critics quite like her. With her distinctive dimples and captivating aura, she embodied Hollywood enchantment, transforming every character into a display of genuine talent right from the beginning of her acting career.
Born on January 21, 1958, in Wareham, Massachusetts, she realized early that performing was her true passion.
“I was three years old, and how I even knew it was a job, I have no idea, because we were only allowed to watch Disney movies, which were animated.”
Her parents, Bill and Lucille, were practical and traditional — so much so that she humorously remarked they “would have been Amish had they known about being Amish.”
She and her older brother, Dan, were brought up with a strong focus on manners and appropriate conduct.
Reflecting on her New England upbringing, she noted, “My parents are both from Vermont, very old-fashioned New England. We heated our house with wood my father chopped. My mom grew all of our food. We were very underexposed to everything.”
When she nearly lost her life
Despite growing up in a protected environment, far removed from the glamour and controversies of Hollywood, this actress unfortunately encountered some genuinely tragic and alarming events during her early years.
For instance, she disclosed that at the age of 8, she came alarmingly close to death during a harrowing ride with her 99-year-old great-uncle Jack. As he swerved through oncoming traffic, neither she nor her parents voiced their concerns about his dangerous driving, even as a vehicle sped towards them. Just in the nick of time, Jack adjusted his course, narrowly escaping a head-on collision. This experience left a profound impact on her: always be courteous, regardless of the circumstances.
This challenge – of being too courteous to advocate for oneself – also runs through her 2022 memoir, “Dying of Politeness”.
The painful secret she carried
In her memoir, she also shared a deeply distressing incident from her youth: being molested by a neighbor while delivering his newspaper.
Like many who have faced similar trauma, she didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation until she reached adulthood.
“It instilled a lot of shame in me that this occurred because I didn’t comprehend what he was doing when he touched me in that manner. I didn’t realize it was wrong. I had no response to it, and then witnessing my mother’s reaction, [it was like], ‘Oh, my God, this was significant. I did something horribly wrong,” she recounted to Vanity Fair.
Her mother confronted the neighbor, yet no police report was filed.
“I realized he was also at fault because she walked up the street and told him to never touch me again, then instructed me not to go up to his apartment anymore. However, she never clarified what had occurred or why his actions were wrong, which made it feel like this terrible secret I was burdened with.”
“The biggest lesson I learned in life was that you should never complain about anything,” she reflected.
“You can’t attract that kind of attention to yourself by voicing complaints. So, I kept quiet about it, even though I wanted to discuss it.”
Bullied by classmates
Another significant influence on this actress during her formative years was one of her physical characteristics: her height. In high school, she was recognized as the tallest girl in her class — a title that, instead of enhancing her confidence, often burdened her self-esteem.
“They always wanted me on the basketball team, but I wasn’t very skilled,” she shared with The Chilliwack Progress in 1985. “Track was where I excelled. I participated in high jumps and hurdles on the girls’ team. But it felt hopeless being taller than everyone else.
“I was tall from the very beginning,” she mentioned on The View. “I was quite self-conscious and shy, and the last thing I wanted was to stand out, yet I did so every single minute.
Being teased by her peers made her experience even more challenging.
“So, it was really difficult growing up. The boys in high school nicknamed me Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which, you know, is so endearing,” she reminisced, referring to the iconic Lakers player.
Beyond sports, she played the flute in the marching band, and during her final year, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Sweden, which left her fluent in the language.
She pursued her education at New England College in New Hampshire before transferring to Boston University to focus on drama. Her parents supported her choice to study acting at Boston University without any reservations.
“I think they were quite unaware of it, and it would be incredibly unusual and surprising if I managed to have a successful career,” she told The Gentle Woman.
One unexpected fact she disclosed: she never actually informed her parents that she didn’t complete college, even though Wikipedia had stated it as a fact for many years.
“They never learned the truth before they passed away,” she disclosed.
Model for Victoria’s Secret
In 1977, she relocated to New York City, where she took on various roles as a window mannequin, sales clerk, and waitress while embarking on her modeling career. Her dedication paid off when she signed with the Zoli Agency and appeared in the legendary Victoria’s Secret catalog — a decision that eventually led her to Hollywood.
“I always knew I wanted to be in films rather than theater,” she shared with NPR.
“I thought I would try my hand at modeling first because, during that time, Christie Brinkley and Lauren Hutton were landing movie roles. I figured, why not become a model, and then they’ll offer me roles since it seemed much easier to become a supermodel.
In the end, everything turned out well for me, but the chances of becoming a renowned model were actually quite low, and I didn’t achieve that. However, I did find work, and it was through my modeling agency that I landed my first acting role.
Her major breakthrough occurred when the iconic director Sydney Pollack discovered her in a catalog and cast her in the 1982 film Tootsie, paving the way for a career that would shape a significant era in Hollywood. After sharing the screen with Dustin Hoffman, she received rave reviews for her role. Shortly thereafter, she moved to Los Angeles, where her career began to truly take off.
At this juncture, the general public started to become familiar with her name, and an increasing number of filmmakers sought to include the young star in their projects.
Her name? Geena Davis.
In 1983, the gifted actress featured in the critically acclaimed TV series Buffalo Bill, followed by her own show, Sara, in 1985. When that series was canceled, Davis redirected her attention to film. She appeared in the 1985 movie Transylvania 6-5000 alongside Jeff Goldblum, which unfortunately did not do well at the box office.
Thelma & Louise
However, a year later, the pair came together again for the now-legendary 1986 horror film The Fly, which marked a significant turning point in her film career.
Her ascent continued with a remarkable performance in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice in 1988. The following year, Davis appeared in The Accidental Tourist, a film that garnered four Academy Award nominations. Her role earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, solidifying her reputation as one of Hollywood’s top talents.
Yet, it’s her unforgettable performance in Thelma & Louise that stands out as her most acclaimed work. This pioneering feminist film, directed by Ridley Scott, also ignited a meaningful friendship that empowered Davis to discover her own voice — her connection with co-star Susan Sarandon, her on-screen accomplice, was particularly impactful.
Davis remembers Sarandon as someone who “very simply and clearly said what she thought.” After Thelma & Louise, she took on a role in A League of Their Own, further establishing her as a prominent figure in women-centric cinema.
She mentioned that the reaction to those films was so “surprising and significant” that it highlighted how uncommon it was to see films created by women, for women.
At the peak of her Hollywood success, she was admired not just for her beauty, but for the depth and intelligence she infused into every character she portrayed.
“People always ask, ‘Do you think you’re beautiful?’ What am I going to say?” she shared with Vogue in 1992, before adding, “But when I see myself in a movie, I sometimes think, Oh, that’s really nice. I look good.”
One thing about Hollywood that she truly cherished was the opportunity to dress up for significant events. Not long after Thelma & Louise, she made a striking appearance at the Oscars in a stunning gown inspired by Bo-Peep, complete with a flowing train.
“I’m just from this small town, and I’m actually going to the Oscars. Of course I want to wear something glamorous,” Davis remarked, highlighting how different that environment was from her upbringing. She also mentioned that her parents lived quite modestly — and that “the only makeup my mother wore was red lipstick.”
However, as Davis neared 40, a narrative that many actors can relate to began to unfold.
“I fell off the cliff,” she shared with The Guardian in 2020.
“The great roles were incredibly scarce. It was a big difference.”
Married four times
Although the industry may have allowed a significant talent to fade from public view, it certainly did not lessen her impact. However, when her career took a different trajectory, there were other aspects of Davis’s life that became far more important.
Davis, who has been married four times — including to her co-star from The Fly, Jeff Goldblum — became a mother for the first time at the age of 46. Now at 69, she is the proud mother of three: her daughter Alizeh, who is 23, and her fraternal twin sons, Kaiis and Kian, who are 19.
It was with her fourth husband, plastic surgeon Reza Jarrahy, that Davis fulfilled her dream of becoming a mother. They initially met at a party and developed a friendship, although Davis was initially reluctant to enter into a relationship with the then-27-year-old, who was 15 years younger than her. She confessed:
“To be honest, at first, I was just looking at it as something that would be enjoyable. I wasn’t thinking too far ahead into the future.”
As they spent more time together, Davis fell in love with Jarrahy, who would eventually become her fourth husband and the father of her children. They tied the knot in 2001 and welcomed their first child, Alizeh, in 2002.
A mother in her mid-forties
Welcoming a child at this stage in life brought its own set of challenges, and Davis has kept the specifics of her pregnancy private, including whether she opted for IVF, a choice many older celebrity mothers make.
In 2004, she welcomed twin boys, Kaiis and Kian, and shared that her greatest concern was managing three kids all under the age of three.
She also revealed another worry: that she might never be able to love anyone as deeply as she loved her daughter — until she met her sons.
Unlike numerous celebrities who push their children into acting from a young age, Davis is not promoting any of her three to pursue a career in show business.
She is especially protective of her daughter, stressing that she wants to shield her from an industry where women are frequently exploited and objectified.
However, it seems that Alizeh might be following in her mother’s path. Her LinkedIn profile indicates that she is currently studying at the University of Southern California, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music industry and cinematic arts.
As her children grew older, they inspired Davis to take action in Hollywood. Recognizing the gender disparity in films and television when her kids were young, she chose to tackle the problem and established the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004. Today, Geena has been a long-time advocate for gender equality in Hollywood, pointing out that 96% of films are directed by men.
The star of Thelma & Louise emphasizes that this situation is not due to a shortage of talented women, but rather a result of the male-dominated industry.
Geena Davis today
Now, at the age of 69, Davis continues to be active in her acting career.
She is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Netflix supernatural mystery by the Duffer Brothers, titled The Boroughs. As reported by Deadline, the series “takes place in a seemingly idyllic retirement community where a group of unlikely heroes must unite to prevent an otherworldly threat from taking the one thing they lack… time.”
