Jaye Davidson

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Jaye Davidson (born Alfred Amey; 21 March 1968) is an English model, fashion stylist, and retired actor. He made his acting debut as Dil in the thriller film The Crying Game (1992),<ref name="auto"/><ref name="NYT">Template:Cite news</ref> for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Following his breakthrough, he portrayed the villainous Ra in the commercially successful science fiction film Stargate (1994). Davidson retired from acting afterwards, disliking the fame that the roles brought him.

Life

Davidson was born in Riverside, California, in the United States, and was raised in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England.<ref>Celebrities with a connection to Borehamwood and Elstree - Borehamwood and Elstree Times - Discussion on Topix Template:Webarchive Retrieved 30 October 2016.</ref> His father is from Ghana and his mother is from England.<ref name="NYT" /> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, he married Thomas Clarke.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Davidson, who had no prior professional acting experience, was discovered at a wrap party for Derek Jarman's Edward II and was invited to audition for The Crying Game.<ref name="auto5">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was cast in the role of Dil.<ref name="auto6">Template:Cite news</ref> The film was a critical and commercial success.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It is known for a surprise plot twist: a love scene in which Dil undresses and main character Fergus (played by Stephen Rea) discovers that Dil is a cross-dresser.<ref>https://medium.com/quintessence-of-dust/a-trans-perspective-on-the-crying-game-3efef3286b9f</ref> The scene required full-frontal nudity.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rea later said: "If Jaye hadn't been a completely convincing woman, my character would have looked stupid." When the film was released, Miramax requested that reviewers keep Davidson's gender a secret.<ref name="auto5"/>

For his work in The Crying Game, Davidson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor<ref name="auto1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1993.<ref name="auto3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Davidson also received nominations for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor<ref name="auto4">Template:Cite news</ref> and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress in 1993.<ref name="auto4"/>

Davidson starred as Ra, an alien impersonating a god,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in the 1994 science fiction adventure film Stargate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was surprised when they agreed to pay his $1 million fee.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Davidson later retired from acting,<ref name="auto6"/> 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, in addition to working as a fashion stylist in Paris.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Filmography

Film work by Jaye Davidson

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1992	The Crying Game	Dil	Neil Jordan	National Board of Review Award for Most Auspicious Debut<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto2"/> Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role<ref name="auto3"/> Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor<ref name="auto4"/> Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress<ref name="auto4"/>
1994	Stargate	Ra	Roland Emmerich
1994	Jiggery Pokery	Jo		Television film
1995	Catwalk	Himself	Robert Leacock	Documentary
2009	The Borghilde Project	Nazi photographer	Myles Grimsdale

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0001109

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