Jaye Davidson

Jaye Davidson (born Alfred Amey; March 21, 1968) is an English-American model and retired actor. He made his acting debut as the transgender woman Dil in the thriller movie The Crying Game (1992),[1][3] for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Following his breakthrough, he portrayed a villainous alien impersonating the Egyptian god Ra in the commercially successful science fiction movie Stargate (1994). Davidson retired from acting afterwards, not liking the fame that the roles brought him.

Jaye Davidson
Born
Alfred Amey[1]

(1968-03-21) March 21, 1968 (age 55)[2]
OccupationActor, model
Years active1992–1996, 2009

Personal life

Davidson was born in Riverside, California, U.S.A but grew up in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England.[4] His father is from Ghana and his mother is from England.[3]

Davidson is gay. During his acting career, he said that his androgynous look alienated him within the gay community; he stated that gay men "love very masculine men. And I'm not a very masculine person. I'm reasonably thin. I have long hair, which isn't very popular with gay men."[5]

Davidson later retired from acting,[6] stating that he "genuinely hated the fame" he was receiving. He became more involved in modelling, and has since worked on several high-profile photo shoots.[7]

Filmography

Movie

Year Title Role Director Notes
1992 The Crying Game Dil Neil Jordan Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1994 Stargate Ra Roland Emmerich
1996 Catwalk Himself Documentary
2009 The Borghilde Project Nazi photographer

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Jiggery Pokery Jo Television movie

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Jaye Davidson". TV Guide. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  2. "Jaye Davidson". IMDb.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Maslin, Janet (17 December 1992). INTO THE LIMELIGHT WITH: Jaye Davidson; A Star to Match A Mystery Role. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/17/garden/into-the-limelight-with-jaye-davidson-a-star-to-match-a-mystery-role.html. Retrieved 1 June 2013. 
  4. Celebrities with a connection to Borehamwood and Elstree - Borehamwood and Elstree Times - Discussion on Topix Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  5. Giles, Jeff (22 March 1993). The Open Secret -- In A Rare Interview, Jaye Davidson Leaves Nothing To The Imagination When Discussing The Oscar-Nominated Film, 'The Crying Game'. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930322&slug=1691795. Retrieved 1 June 2013. 
  6. Brady, Tara (August 1, 2017). 'The Crying Game': 'They wanted me to cast a woman that was pretending to be a man'. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/the-crying-game-they-wanted-me-to-cast-a-woman-that-was-pretending-to-be-a-man-1.3167472. 
  7. Vincent, Alice (15 February 2016). Oscars flashback: whatever happened to Gilbert Grape's mama?. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/movie-news/oscars-darlene-cates-jaye-davidson-what-happened-next/. Retrieved 26 July 2020. 

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