Geena Davis Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About Jeff Goldblum's Ex Wife
Learn all about award winning actress and the ex wife of Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, including her career and her net worth. The famous actress has been in films such as 'Beetlejuice,' 'Thelma and Louise,' and 'A League of Their Own.'
Jul 24, 2018
Who is Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum's Former Wife?
Geena Davis is an Academy Award winning actress who has starred in several critically acclaimed films, and crowd favorites. She is the star of 'Beetlejuice,' 'The Fly,' 'Thelma & Louise,' 'A League of Their Own' and 'Stuart Little' among others. Davis is also a strong supporter of Title IX, the women's athletics association, and gender equality in Hollywood.
1. Davis grew up in Massachusetts, but is fluent in Swedish
Geena Davis was born in 1956 in Wareham, Massachusetts. She was interested in music from an early age, which led to her interest in acting. In high school, she did a foreign exchange program in Sweden, where she became fluent in Swedish. Davis then pursued a degree in acting from Boston University, and began modeling upon her graduation. Standing at 6 feet tall, it was a natural progression for her. Her acting career began with a bang when Sydney Pollack cast her in his comedy film ‘Tootsie’ in 1982. The film starred Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, who were both nominated for Academy Awards for the film. Lange won for Best Supporting Actress, and ‘Tootsie’ was also nominated for eight other Oscars. After ‘Tootsie,’ she worked on lower profile projects but at the same time had several small roles on television throughout the next few years. These include roles on the short lived ‘Buffalo Bill,’ ‘Knight Rider,’ and ‘Sara.’ Her first longer role on television was on the show ‘Family Ties,’ where she guest starred from 1984 to 1986. Davis’ next film role was in ‘Fletch,’ a Chevy Chase comedy, in 1985. Davis’ next major role was in the classic horror film ‘The Fly’ in 1986. The film was extremely successful and it was also her first film with her future husband Jeff Goldblum. ‘The Fly’ follows a scientist (Goldblum) who starts becoming a combination of a human and a fly after an experiment goes wrong. It launched the famous quote, ‘Be afraid. Be very afraid.’ In her next role she starred in ‘Earth Girls Are Easy’ in 1988. Davis once again starred alongside Goldblum, and Jim Carrey. ‘Earth Girls Are Easy’ follows a girl (Davis) who befriends three aliens. Although the comedy was not as well received as ‘The Fly,’ it was still an important step in Davis’ career. ‘Beetlejuice’ also came out in 1988. A stylized Tim Burton film, ‘Beetlejuice’ quickly became a classic. Apart from Davis, it also stars Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.
2. Davis Won an Oscar in 1989
‘The Accidental Tourist’ came out in 1989, and it became one of the high points of Davis’ career. The film follows a writer of travel guides, played by William Hurt, whose marriage falls apart after the death of his son. ‘The Accidental Tourist’ was widely acclaimed, and nominated for four Academy Awards. Davis won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 1989 Academy Awards. Out of the four Oscars the film was nominated for, she won the only one. The other nominations were for Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
3. Davis Starred in ‘Thelma & Louise’
In 1991, Davis landed one of the starring roles in ‘Thelma & Louise,’ the dramatic tale of two best friends whose adventure turns terrifying when they are hunted by the police. Davis played Thelma and Susan Sarandon starred as Louise in the Ridley Scott drama. ‘Thelma & Louise’ was praised at the time for being a unique story about women, and it was very progressive for its use of female leads. It became a classic film of female empowerment, while Davis and Sarandon inspired a new generation of women to create stories that have more female representation. ‘Thelma & Louise’ was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actress nominations for both Davis and Sarandon. It only won one award, for Best Screenplay by writer Callie Khouri.
4. Davis Has Had Equal Success in Comedies
In 1992, Davis followed ‘Thelma & Louise’ with another huge hit, the comedy ‘A League of Their Own’ about the first all female baseball league. She plays Dottie, who joins the league with her sister Kit (Lori Petty). They face challenges within the team, and with coach Jimmy (Tom Hanks), and with the world. ‘A League of Their Own’ also stars Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell, and contains the famous line, ‘There’s no crying in baseball.’ Davis was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy for her performance. ‘A League of Their Own’ was followed by ‘Hero,’ ‘Angie’ and ‘Speechless.’ ‘Hero’ was a 1992 drama that reunited her with ‘Tootsie’ co star Dustin Hoffman, while ‘Angie’ was a romantic comedy that was also well received. ‘Speechless,’ a romantic comedy that Davis starred in alongside former ‘Beetlejuice’ co star Michael Keaton, earned Davis another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy in 1994.
5. Davis Has Been Married Four Times
Geena Davis has been married four times, and divorced three times. Her first marriage was in 1982 to Richard Emmolo, and it lasted only a year. She was married a second time to actor and costar Jeff Goldblum in 1987; but they divorced three years later in 1990. Davis then married Finnish director Renny Harlin in 1993. Harlin would go on to direct Davis in two films, ‘Cutthroat Island’ and ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight.’ ‘Cutthroat Island’ was a critical bomb, and Harlin was even nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Director. The film stars Davis and Matthew Modine as pirates who are trying to find treasure. The film was released in 1995. ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ was much better received. Davis stars as a woman who is recovering from amnesia who begins to remember her past. 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' also stars Samuel L. Jackson, who was also praised for his work in the film. ‘The Long Kiss Goodnight’ was released in 1996, two years before Harlin and Davis’ divorce in 1998. Davis’ current husband is Reza Jarrahy, a plastic surgeon whom she married in 2001. The couple have three children together, a daughter named Alizeh, and twin sons Kian and Kaiis. Her daughter is currently sixteen, and the twins are fourteen. Jarrahy is recognized as a leading plastic surgeon internationally, and is one of the most highly regarded facial surgeons in Southern California.
Other Projects, Activism and Net Worth of Jeff Goldblum's Former Wife
In 1999, Davis played ‘Mrs. Little’ in the partially animated film ‘Stuart Little.’ Michael J. Fox voiced Stuart, while Hugh Laurie played Mr. Little. ‘Stuart Little’ was moderately received, but was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. ‘Stuart Little’ was followed up by a sequel called ‘Stuart Little 2’ in 2002, for which Davis reprised her role. An animated video called 'Stuart Little 3' was also produced, and Davis lent her voice to the project. From 2001 to 2001, Davis had her own television show called ‘The Geena Davis Show,’ on which she played Teddie Cochran. The show ran for 22 episodes. However, Davis’ television days were far from over. Although short lived, her role as President Mackenzie Allen on ‘Commander in Chief’ in 2006 earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama. ‘Commander in Chief’ follows Davis’ character as she accepts the position of first female president of the United States. It was also nominated for Best Television Series at the Golden Globes, and earned Donald Sutherland a Best Supporting Actor nomination. ‘Commander in Chief’ gave Davis her only Primetime Emmy nomination for Best Actress in a Drama, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, also for Best Actress. Following ‘Commander in Chief,’ Davis had a few parts in indie movies like ‘Accidents Happen’ in 2009, and Lake Bell's ‘In a World…’ in 2013. Her next big television role was in ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ where she did a twelve episode story arc in 2015. Davis’ most recent roles have been primarily in independent films and small roles on television.
Archery
In 1999, Davis almost made the United States Olympic Archery team. She placed 24th out of 300 women trying out for the team. She only practiced archery for a few years, picking it up in 1997, and dropping it shortly after not making the Olympic team.
Activism
In 2007, Davis launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media. After watching children’s television with her daughter, Davis realized the lack of roles for women in media. She also previously supported Title IX, the organization that that works for gender equality in sports. Davis sponsored a research study about the ratio of male to female roles in entertainment at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California before founding the institute to continue her research and activism. The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media continues to work towards gender equality in Hollywood. Although primarily focused on children’s media, the Institute has done other work as well. In the past year, Davis and the Institute have openly supported the Time's Up movement. In 2009, Davis was given an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Bates College for her work at the Institute. The Geena Davis Institute also has its own instagram page, instagram.com/gdigm. In 2015, Davis launched a film festival held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas that focuses on diversity and minorities in filmmaking. Called the Bentonville Film Festival, it will be held this year from May 1st to the 6th. This year, Meg Ryan will receive the Bentonville Film Festival's first ever Legacy Award, for supporting gender equality in the entertainment industry. You can learn more at bentonvillefilmfestival.com or instagram.com/bfffestival. Davis also supports USAID, and participated in a campaign to raise awareness about the drought in East Africa in 2011. Other celebrities that participated included Uma Thurman and Chanel Iman.
Net Worth
Davis’ current net worth is estimated at $38 million dollars while Jeff Goldblum’s net worth in 2018 is estimated at $40 million dollars. Renny Harlin, Davis' third husband has a net worth of $10 million. Her current husband, Reza Jarrahy's net worth is undisclosed.