Strangely enough, it was this statuesque physique which offered Davis a break into the world of celebrity. Acting had always been Davis’s aspiration, and to that end she graduated from Boston University as a drama major. In 1979 she made the move to New York. However, jobs were slow, and she worked more as a sales clerk and waitress than as an actress. Davis utilized her height to serve a brief stint as window mannequin for Ann Taylor until she signed with Zoli, a modeling agency. She landed a spot in the Victoria’s Secret catalogue, which would prove to be her fateful job. Seasoned director Sydney Pollack (director of The Firm, Random Hearts, and The Interpreter) was searching the catalogue for a fresh new face when he came across Davis’s picture. He immediately cast her in his newest film Tootsie in 1982.
Davis’s performance was met with positive reviews, and she relocated to Los Angeles. While in California, she had two short-lived television series—Buffalo Bill in 1983 and Sara in 1985. She then went on to make Transylvania 6-5000 in 1985, an achingly average horror/comedy. It is only of note, because this was the first film Davis made with future husband Jeff Goldblum. The two were married from November 1987 through October 1990. Davis and Goldblum made three films together, Translyvania 6-5000, the remake of The Fly in 1986, and Earth Girls Are Easy in 1988.
Of the three, Earth Girls Are Easy is a particularly noteworthy film. For one, it’s very silly and very funny—an often forgotten 80s film gem. But the film is also loaded with stars before they were stars. The cast included a barely known Goldblum, Davis, and Michael McKean (of This is Spinal Tap), as well as the undiscovered Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. In an interesting twist of Hollywood coincidence and connections, Jim Carrey also appeared without credit in one episode of Davis’s television series Buffalo Bill.
The year 1988 proved to be a good one for Davis. It was in this year that she snagged the role of Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist. Cast alongside William Hurt and Kathleen Turner, it was Davis who emerged with the surprise Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
However, it wasn’t until 1991 that Davis would score her most famous role. She signed on with Susan Sarandon and director Ridley Scott (of Alien, Blade Runner, and Black Hawk Down) to make Thelma and Louise. The movie garnered both Sarandon and Davis Oscar nominations for Best Actress. There is also a brief scene with a very young Brad Pitt, playing a friendly cowboy who just happens to rob banks on the side.
But the hits didn’t stop there. The following year, Davis made A League of their Own with Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell, and directed by Penny Marshall. It was the last critical praise Davis would enjoy for quite some time.
Unfortunately, through the 90s Davis’s career stumbled slightly. She produced one box office flop after another, including Cutthroat Island in 1995 and The Long Kiss Goodnight in 1996.
However, the turn of the millennium brought Davis back into the limelight. She starred in the family-oriented Stuart Little series, and won the role of female president Mackenzie Allen in the television drama Commander in Chief.
YUDDY
