Mackenzie Davis
Mackenzie Rio Davis (born April 1, 1987)[2] is a Canadian actress, producer, and model. She made her feature film debut in Smashed (2012). In 2013, she appeared in Breathe In and The F Word (for which she was nominated for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress). She also starred in The Martian (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and Happiest Season (2020).
Mackenzie Davis | |
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![]() Davis at TIFF 2015 | |
Born | Mackenzie Rio Davis April 1, 1987 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Alma mater | McGill University |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2005–present |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
From 2014 to 2017, Davis starred as computer programmer Cameron Howe in the AMC television series Halt and Catch Fire.[3] She also co-starred in the television series Black Mirror episode "San Junipero", for which she received critical acclaim. In 2019, she starred as the augmented super-soldier Grace in Terminator: Dark Fate, opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. 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.[4] 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.[5][6]
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.[7][8]
In 2016, she starred as Yorkie in "San Junipero", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror.[9] In June 2016, she was cast as Mariette in Blade Runner 2049.[10]

In 2019, she headlined as one of the newest cast members to join in Terminator: Dark Fate, where she starred 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.[11]
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 rom-com Happiest Season co-starring Kristen Stewart.[12][13][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.
Upcoming projects
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.[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]
Her short film WOACA, her directorial debut, is slated to screen in the Short Cuts program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[17]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Alex | Terri | Short film |
2012 | Smashed | Millie | |
The Hat Goes Wild | Cathy | Credited as Mackenzie Rio Davis | |
2013 | Breathe In | Lauren Reynolds | |
The F Word | Nicole | Alternative title: What If? | |
Bad Turn Worse | Sue | ||
Plato's Reality Machine | Sophia | ||
Moontown | Shayna | Short film | |
2014 | That Awkward Moment | Chelsea | |
Emptied | Charlotte Laurence | Short film | |
2015 | Freaks of Nature | Petra Lane | |
A Country Called Home | Reno | ||
Memory Box | Isabelle | Short film | |
The Martian | Mindy Park | ||
2016 | Always Shine | Anna | |
2017 | Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Izzy | |
Blade Runner 2049 | Mariette | ||
2018 | Boomerang | Jenifer | Short film |
Tully | Tully | ||
2019 | Terminator: Dark Fate | Grace Harper | |
2020 | The Turning | Kate Mandell | |
Irresistible | Diana Hastings | ||
Happiest Season | Harper Caldwell | ||
2023 | WOACA | Writer, Director, Producer | Short film, Post-Production |
2024 | Speak No Evil | Louise | Filming |
TBA | Swimming Home | TBA | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | I Just Want My Pants Back | Lucie | Episode: "Safety Nets" |
2014–2017 | Halt and Catch Fire | Cameron Howe | Main role (40 episodes) |
2016 | Black Mirror | Yorkie | Episode: "San Junipero" |
2017 | No Activity | Patricia / "Pat the Rat" | Episode: "The Witness" |
2020 | Home Movie: The Princess Bride | Princess Buttercup | Episode: "Chapter Two: The Shrieking Eels"[18] |
2021–2022 | Station Eleven | Kirsten Raymonde | Main role (10 episodes) |
2022 | Love, Death & Robots | Martha Kivelson | Episode: "The Very Pulse of the Machine" |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Phaedra | Isolde | National Theatre, London |
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | The F Word | Nominated |
2016 | Monster Fest | Best Performance in a Feature Film (Female) | Always Shine | Won[19] |
Tribeca Film Festival | Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature | Won[20] | ||
2017 | Napa Valley Film Festival | Special Jury Award – Best Breakout Performance | Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town | Won |
Tacoma Film Festival | Best Performance (shared with Jun Zhao) | Won | ||
International Online Cinema Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie | "San Junipero" | Nominated | |
2018 | Best Supporting Actress | Tully | Nominated | |
Indiana Film Journalists Association | Nominated | |||
2019 | Women's Image Network Awards | Supporting Actress Feature Film | Nominated | |
CinemaCon | Ensemble Award (shared with Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes and Gabriel Luna) | Terminator: Dark Fate | Won | |
2022 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series | Station Eleven | Won |
References
- Zhong, Fan (March 2013). "On the Verge: Mackenzie Davis". W. Sebastian Kim (photography). Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- Olsen, Mark (September 21, 2013). "'We Gotta Get Out of This Place' actress Mackenzie Davis breaks out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- "Mackenzie Davis on her Black Mirror tech fears and Blade Runner reboot". Toronto Star, November 1, 2016. Page E4. Cassandra Szklarski.
- "10 things you need to know about AG Hair Cosmetics". Behind the Chair. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- "Mackenzie Davis". Interview Magazine. June 2, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Smith, Krista. "Mackenzie Davis Talks The Martian, Halt and Catch Fire, and More". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "Mackenzie Davis on Halt and Catch Fire and Blade Runner 2049". Collider. September 16, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Fetters, Ashley. "Mackenzie Davis, the Girl Genius of 'Halt and Catch Fire'". GQ. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "'Black Mirror' Season 3 Trailer: "No One Is This Happy'". Deadline. October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- Kit, Borys (June 7, 2016). "'Martian' Actress Mackenzie Davis Joins 'Blade Runner' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Andreeva, Nellie. "Mackenzie Davis & Himesh Patel To Star In 'Station Eleven' HBO Max Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- "Like Everyone Else, Mackenzie Davis and Charlize Theron Discuss "Happiest Season"". Interview Magazine. December 2, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Halliwell, Kate (November 27, 2020). "An Ode to the Height Difference in 'Happiest Season'". The Ringer. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Specter, Emma. "Mackenzie Davis on "Happiest Season," Working With Clea DuVall, and That One Black Mirror Episode". Vogue. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "'Alpha Gang' Assembles With Jon Hamm, Andrea Riseborough, Nicholas Hoult Leading Ensemble". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Tutt, Louise. "Ariane Labed, Christopher Abbott, Mackenzie Davis to star in 'Swimming Home' for Bankside". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Shorts Lineup Includes ‘Dammi’ Starring Riz Ahmed; Works By Mackenzie Davis, Yann Demange & More". Deadline Hollywood, August 9, 2023.
- Breznican, Anthony (June 26, 2020). "Watch the Celebrity-Filled Fan-Film Version of The Princess Bride". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- "MONSTER FEST Announces 2016 Award Winners". Monster Fest. November 29, 2016.
- "Tribeca Film Festival Announces 'Dean,' 'Junction 48' and Other Award-Winners". Indiewire. April 21, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
Further reading
- Crucchiola, Jordan (October 30, 2019). "Mackenzie Davis Genuinely Can't Find a Male Gaze in Terminator: Dark Fate". Vulture.