GEENA DAVIS 5 MOMENTS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

AS SHE RELEASES A NEW MEMOIR, THE ACTRESS REVEALS THE FRIENDS, LOVES AND ROLES THAT SHAPED HER 

- NIGEL SMITH

"I kicked ass onscreen way before I did so in real life," Geena Davis writes in her new book, Dying of Politeness: A Memoir. Even while growing up in a small Massachusetts town, where she towered over her classmates (she's 6 feet tall), Davis, 66, knew she was destined to be an actress. "That was never in question," she writes. She moved to New York to pursue that dream, launching her career with Tootsie, winning an Oscar just six years later for 1988's The Accidental Tourist and starring in celebrated films such as Beetlejuice and The Fly. But it wasn't until 1991's Thelma & Louise that she got the chance to play "someone I desperately wanted to be-a total badass" and started finding her inner strength.

With new confidence she discovered her love for sports in A League of Their Own and stunt work in The Long Kiss Goodnight-and offscreen became a competitive archer and an outspoken voice for women. After she had children, she noticed the lack of female characters in kids' TV and started the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004 to advocate for balance and diversity. These days, instead of dying of politeness, "I take everything too far!" she jokes, adding, "I'm aware of all the incredible opportunities that I've had. It's been an amazing life."

1/Getting Cast in Her Breakout Role in Tootsie