| Jaye Davidson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfred Amey March 21, 1968 Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
Jaye Davidson (born Alfred Amey; March 21, 1968) is an American-British former actor and model. He is best known for his roles as transgender woman "Dil" in the 1992 suspense-drama thriller film The Crying Game,[1] for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, making him the first Black British actor to be nominated for an Oscar, and in 1994's Stargate as Ra.[2]
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Davidson was born in Riverside, California, outside of Los Angeles, to a Ghanaian father and English mother. His family moved to the United Kingdom when he was two years old, where Davidson grew up in Hertfordshire, England.
Davidson left school at 16 and had been alternately unemployed and doing odd jobs (running for a production company, working in a factory) ever since. Jaye had no acting experience when discovered by a casting associate at a wrap party for Derek Jarman's Edward II. He was working as a fashion designer, and his androgynous look led to his casting as Dil in The Crying Game.
After The Crying Game, he continued his fashion career until landing a role in Stargate opposite Kurt Russell and James Spader, as the evil sun god Ra.
Davidson maintained his androgynous appearance during his short film career,[3] but in recent years he has adopted a more conventional look.[4]
Voted best newcomer by the National Board of Review, 1993; Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1993.
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Crying Game | Dil | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1994 | Jiggery Pokery | Himself | (TV) |
| 1994 | Stargate | Ra | |
| 1996 | Catwalk | Himself | (documentary) |
| 1999 | Cousin Joey | ||
| 2009 | The Borghilde Project | Nazi Photographer |