Mackenzie Davis Explained

Mackenzie Davis
Birth Name:Mackenzie Rio Davis
Birth Date:1 April 1987
Birth Place:Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height:5feet[1]
Alma Mater:McGill University
Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:2005–present

Mackenzie Rio Davis (born April 1, 1987)[2] is a Canadian actress. She made her feature film debut in the drama film Smashed (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the film The F Word, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as computer programmer Cameron Howe in the AMC period drama series Halt and Catch Fire.

Davis co-starred as Yorkie in the Emmy Award-winning Black Mirror episode "San Junipero", for which she received critical acclaim. She appeared in the films The Martian (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and portrayed the title character in the comedy-drama film Tully (2018). She then starred as the augmented super-soldier Grace in (2019), and co-starred in the comedy film Happiest Season (2020). In 2021, she had a lead role in the miniseries Station Eleven, which earned her a Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series.

Early life

Davis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Lotte, a graphic designer, and John Davis, a hairdresser from Liverpool, England.[3] Her parents own AG Hair. She graduated from Collingwood School in West Vancouver in 2005 and then attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She went on to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.[4] [5]

Career

Davis's first feature film was Smashed. In 2015, she appeared in The Martian as NASA satellite communications engineer Mindy Park.

From 2014 to 2017, she played programming prodigy Cameron Howe in Halt and Catch Fire for the duration of its four-season run.[6] [7]

In 2016, she co-starred as Yorkie in "San Junipero", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror, which received two Emmy Awards.[8] She was also cast as Mariette in Blade Runner 2049.[9]

In 2019, she appeared in as an augmented super soldier who is sent from the future to protect Dani Ramos. In October 2019, she was cast in the lead role in the HBO Max miniseries Station Eleven.[10]

In 2020, Davis starred as Kate in The Turning, opposite Finn Wolfhard and Brooklynn Prince. The film is a modern adaptation of the 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. She also starred as Diana Hastings in Irresistible, a film by Jon Stewart about the outsized influence of money on the American electoral system. She also starred in the 2020 romantic comedy Happiest Season co-starring Kristen Stewart.[11] [12] [13]

In June 2020, it was announced that Davis would be part of the ensemble cast of Zellner Brothers' science-fiction comedy Alpha Gang, which includes Jon Hamm, Andrea Riseborough, Nicholas Hoult, Sofia Boutella and Steven Yeun.[14]

In February to April 2023 she played the role of Isolde in Phaedra in an updated version by Simon Stone at the National Theatre in London.

Her short film WOACA, her directorial debut, screened in the Short Cuts program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[15]

In May 2022, she signed to star in Justin Anderson’s directorial debut Swimming Home, an adaptation of the Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name by Deborah Levy, alongside Christopher Abbott and Ariane Labed.[16]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2011AlexTerriShort film
2012SmashedMillie
data-sort-value="Hat Goes Wild, The" The Hat Goes WildCathyCredited as Mackenzie Rio Davis
2013Breathe InLauren Reynolds
data-sort-value="F Word, The" The F WordNicole Alternative title: What If?
Bad Turn WorseSue
Plato's Reality MachineSophia
MoontownShaynaShort film
2014That Awkward MomentChelsea
EmptiedCharlotte LaurenceShort film
2015Freaks of NaturePetra Lane
data-sort-value="Country Called Home, A" A Country Called HomeReno
Memory BoxIsabelleShort film
data-sort-value="Martian, The" The MartianMindy Park
2016Always ShineAnna
2017Izzy Gets the F*ck Across TownIzzy
Blade Runner 2049Mariette
2018BoomerangJeniferShort film
TullyTully
2019Grace Harper
2020data-sort-value="Turning, The" The TurningKate Mandell
IrresistibleDiana Hastings
Happiest SeasonHarper Caldwell
2023WOACAShort film; writer, director, producer
2024Swimming HomeIsabel[17]
Speak No EvilLouisePost-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2012I Just Want My Pants BackLucieEpisode: "Safety Nets"
2014–2017Halt and Catch FireCameron HoweMain role (40 episodes)
2016Black MirrorYorkieEpisode: "San Junipero"
2017No ActivityPatricia / "Pat the Rat"Episode: "The Witness"
2020Princess ButtercupEpisode: "Chapter Two: The Shrieking Eels"[18]
2021–2022Station ElevenKirsten RaymondeMain role (10 episodes)
2022Love, Death & RobotsMartha Kivelson (voice)Episode: "The Very Pulse of the Machine"

Theatre

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2014Canadian Screen AwardsBest Performance by an Actress in a Supporting RoleThe F Word
2016Monster FestBest Performance in a Feature Film (Female)Always Shine[19]
Tribeca Film FestivalBest Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature[20]
2017Napa Valley Film FestivalSpecial Jury Award – Best Breakout PerformanceIzzy Gets the F*ck Across Town
Tacoma Film FestivalBest Performance (shared with Jun Zhao)
International Online Cinema AwardsBest Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie"San Junipero"
2018Best Supporting ActressTully
Indiana Film Journalists Association
2019Women's Image Network AwardsSupporting Actress Feature Film
CinemaConEnsemble Award (shared with Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes and Gabriel Luna)
2022Critics' Choice Super AwardsBest Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy SeriesStation Eleven

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: On the Verge: Mackenzie Davis . Fan . Zhong . Sebastian Kim (photography) . March 2013 . . March 29, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140329100151/http://www.wmagazine.com/people/on-the-verge/2013/03/mackenzie-davis-actress/ . March 29, 2014 .
  2. News: 'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' actress Mackenzie Davis breaks out. Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2013. October 3, 2015. Olsen. Mark. October 4, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004114112/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/21/entertainment/la-ca-mn-we-gotta-get-out-of-this-place-actress-mackenzie-davis-breaks-out-20130920. dead.
  3. Web site: 10 things you need to know about AG Hair Cosmetics . 2011 . Behind the Chair . October 31, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031007/http://www.behindthechair.com/displayarticle.aspx?ID=1059 . March 4, 2016 .
  4. Web site: 2017-06-02. Mackenzie Davis. Interview Magazine. en-US. 2021-02-14. March 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230329234601/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/mackenzie-davis-1. live.
  5. Smith. Krista. Mackenzie Davis Talks The Martian, Halt and Catch Fire, and More. Vanity Fair. en-us. 2021-02-14. August 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220820052946/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/10/mackenzie-davis-the-martian. live.
  6. Web site: 2017-09-16. Mackenzie Davis on Halt and Catch Fire and Blade Runner 2049. Collider. en-US. 2021-02-14. October 30, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221030153317/https://collider.com/mackenzie-davis-interview-halt-and-catch-fire-season-4-blade-runner-2049/. live.
  7. Web site: Fetters. Ashley. Mackenzie Davis, the Girl Genius of 'Halt and Catch Fire'. GQ. en-us. 2021-02-14. December 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221209103521/https://www.gq.com/story/mackenzie-davis-the-girl-genius-of-halt-and-catch-fire. live.
  8. Web site: 69th Emmy Award Winners. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 20 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170919182017/http://www.emmys.com/news/awards-news/69th-emmy-award-winners. 19 September 2017. live.
  9. Web site: 'Martian' Actress Mackenzie Davis Joins 'Blade Runner' Sequel (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. Kit. Borys. June 7, 2016. April 17, 2020. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141435/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/martian-actress-mackenzie-davis-joins-874739. live.
  10. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Mackenzie Davis & Himesh Patel To Star In 'Station Eleven' HBO Max Limited Series . Deadline . October 19, 2019 . January 9, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200109051303/https://deadline.com/2019/10/mackenzie-davis-himesh-patel-to-star-in-station-eleven-limited-series-hbo-max-1202763678/ . live .
  11. Web site: 2020-12-02. Like Everyone Else, Mackenzie Davis and Charlize Theron Discuss "Happiest Season". Interview Magazine. en-US. 2021-02-14. March 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230327222541/https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/like-everyone-else-mackenzie-davis-and-charlize-theron-discuss-happiest-season. live.
  12. Web site: Halliwell. Kate. 2020-11-27. An Ode to the Height Difference in 'Happiest Season'. The Ringer. en. 2021-02-14. May 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230529015000/https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/11/27/21719431/happiest-season-kristen-stewart-mackenzie-davis-height-difference. live.
  13. Web site: Specter. Emma. Mackenzie Davis on "Happiest Season," Working With Clea DuVall, and That One Black Mirror Episode. Vogue. en-us. 2021-02-14. March 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230331063736/https://www.vogue.com/article/mackenzie-davis-interview-happiest-season. live.
  14. Web site: 'Alpha Gang' Assembles With Jon Hamm, Andrea Riseborough, Nicholas Hoult Leading Ensemble . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220629113208/https://deadline.com/2020/06/alpha-gang-andrea-riseborough-jon-hamm-nicholas-hoult-1202963397/ . June 29, 2022 . 2020-06-18 . . en-us.
  15. Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Shorts Lineup Includes ‘Dammi’ Starring Riz Ahmed; Works By Mackenzie Davis, Yann Demange & More" . Deadline Hollywood, August 9, 2023.
  16. Web site: Tutt . Louise . Ariane Labed, Christopher Abbott, Mackenzie Davis to star in 'Swimming Home' for Bankside . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115030334/https://www.screendaily.com/news/ariane-labed-christopher-abbott-mackenzie-davis-to-star-in-swimming-home-for-bankside-exclusive/5170563.article . January 15, 2024 . 2022-05-13 . . en-us.
  17. Web site: ‘Swimming Home’ to world premiere at Rotterdam 2024 as part of Tiger competition line-up . Ellie . Calnan . 18 December 2023 . 21 December 2023 . . en . January 15, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240115030537/https://www.screendaily.com/news/swimming-home-to-world-premiere-at-rotterdam-2024-as-part-of-tiger-competition-line-up/5188861.article . live .
  18. Web site: Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride. Vanity Fair. Anthony. Breznican. June 26, 2020. June 26, 2020. July 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200728140043/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/06/the-princess-bride-homemade-fan-film. live.
  19. Web site: MONSTER FEST Announces 2016 Award Winners. Monster Fest. November 29, 2016. May 7, 2017. March 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190319160138/http://monsterfest.com.au/2016/monster-fest-announces-2016-award-winners/. live.
  20. Web site: Tribeca Film Festival Announces 'Dean,' 'Junction 48' and Other Award-Winners. Indiewire. April 22, 2016. April 21, 2016. May 25, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160525064707/http://www.indiewire.com/article/tribeca-film-festival-awards-dean-junction-48-20160421%20(indiewire%20-%20permalink). dead.