America discovered Davis in the early 1980s in the hit sitcom "Family Ties." Playing a maid hired by precocious capitalist Alex Keaton (Michael J. Fox), she promptly became the wholesome object of his desire. Strikingly attractive with just a touch of gawkiness, Davis projected a friendliness and vulnerability that made her nearly irresistable. These attributes were the main attraction in her short-lived NBC sitcom "Sara," a failed attempt to recreate "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" for the 1980s. Davis's TV work during the mid-1980s included recurring roles on "Buffalo Bill," "Riptide" and "George Burns Comedy Week."
Davis made her feature debut as the soap opera actress who shares a dressing room with Dustin Hoffman in TOOTSIE (1982). She soon graduated to leading roles, notably in David Cronenberg's transcendent remake of THE FLY (1986) and Julien Temple's sci-fi musical comedy EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY (1989), both opposite then-husband Jeff Goldblum. The intense rapport between Davis and Goldblum in THE FLY transfigured a grisly horror film into a deeply moving romance. Both were long, lean, a little loopy and, apparently, very much in love. Offscreen, the pair soon married and appeared to be a very entertaining storybook couple whenever interviewed.
Davis made her next major impact as the kooky dog-trainer who wins the heart of William Hurt in THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988). The performance earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She received even greater acclaim (though no statuette) as Thelma, an oppressed housewife who finds liberation and notoriety on an outlaw road trip in Ridley Scott's THELMA & LOUISE (1991). Filmed shortly after Davis's divorce from Goldblum, this female buddy movie became a cult film for many feminists, with Davis and Susan Sarandon assuming the status of a distaff Redford and Newman. She rose capably above two less enthralling 1992 films, playing a catcher in a WW II - era women's baseball league in Penny Marshall's A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992) and a Chicago TV reporter in Stephen Frears's contemporary Capra-esque comedy, HERO (1992).
In a lavish, circus-like ceremony complete with exotic animals and a bigtop tent, Davis married Finnish director Renny Harlin (DIE HARD 2, 1990, CLIFFHANGER, 1993) in September 1993. She then appeared in her first starring role, playing a single mother from Brooklyn in the title role of the comedy-drama ANGIE (1994).
Other notable credits include CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995), THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT (1996), STUART LITTLE (1999), "The Geena Davis Show" (2000, TV series), STUART LITTLE 2 (2002), and the TV series "Commander in Chief" (2005-06 as US President Mackenzie Allen).
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 1988: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1991: THELMA & LOUISE
2 nominations, 1 Award