Embeth Davidtz

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title: "Embeth Davidtz" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1965-births", "21st-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-american-jews", "21st-century-south-african-actresses", "21st-century-south-african-jews", "actresses-from-trenton,-new-jersey", "afrikaner-people", "american-emigrants-to-south-africa", "american-film-actresses", "american-people-of-afrikaner-descent", "american-people-of-dutch-descent", "american-people-of-english-descent", "american-people-of-french-descent", "american-people-of-south-african-descent", "american-television-actresses", "american-voice-actresses", "converts-to-judaism", "living-people", "rhodes-university-alumni", "south-african-film-actresses", "south-african-television-actresses", "south-african-voice-actresses", "south-african-people-of-american-descent", "south-african-people-of-french-descent"] description: "American–South African actress (born 1965)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embeth_Davidtz" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American–South African actress (born 1965) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Embeth Davidtz
birth_name	Embeth Jean Davidtz
image	Embeth Davidtz at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped).jpg
caption	Davidtz in 2024
birth_date
birth_place	Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
spouse
children	2
occupation	Actress
nationality	South African
education	Rhodes University in Grahamstown
years_active	1989–present
::

| name = Embeth Davidtz | birth_name = Embeth Jean Davidtz | image = Embeth Davidtz at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped).jpg | caption = Davidtz in 2024 | birth_date = | birth_place = Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | children = 2 | occupation = Actress | nationality = South African | education = Rhodes University in Grahamstown | years_active = 1989–present Embeth Jean Davidtz (born August 11, 1965) is a South African-American actress and director. She has appeared in movies such as *Schindler's List, *Matilda, Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Amazing Spider-Man, and in the television series In Treatment, Californication, and Mad Men.

In 2024 Davidtz made her directorial debut with Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, an adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the same name by Alexandra Fuller about growing up on a farm in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. The film had its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Early life

Davidtz was born on August 11, 1965, in Lafayette, Indiana, to South African parents John and Jean, while her father was studying chemical engineering at Purdue University. The family later moved to Trenton, New Jersey, and then to South Africa when Davidtz was nine years old. Davidtz has Dutch, English, and French ancestry. She had to learn Afrikaans before attending school classes in South Africa, where her father took up a teaching post at Potchefstroom University. Davidtz graduated from The Glen High School in Pretoria in 1983 and studied at Rhodes University in Grahamstown.

Career

Debut and early career

Davidtz made her acting debut at age 21 with CAPAB (Cape Performing Arts Board, now known as Artscape) in Cape Town, playing Juliet in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre. Performing in English and Afrikaans, she also starred in other local plays, including Stille Nag (Silent Night) and A Chain of Voices, both earning her nominations for the South African equivalent of the Tony Award.

Her film debut came in 1988 with a small role in South African-filmed American horror Mutator. Shortly after, she won a bigger part in South African short telemovie A Private Life, as the daughter of an interracial couple. For the same play, she was nominated in 1991 for the Esther Roos Award for Best Actress in a Supporting role in Afrikaans film. Steven Spielberg noticed her performance in the 1992 South African film, Nag van die Negentiende and offered her the role of Helen Hirsch in Schindler's List.

Hollywood career

In 1992, Davidtz played the part of Sheila in Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness alongside Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. The third entry in the Evil Dead franchise would eventually become a cult classic worldwide.

In 1993, Davidtz played the role of Helen Hirsch in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List.

In 1995, Davidtz had a central role in the fact-based film Murder in the First, and the Merchant Ivory Productions Feast of July.

In 1996, she played the role of Miss Honey, the first-grade teacher of the title character, in Matilda.

In 1998, Davidtz played a theologian helping Denzel Washington crack a supernatural wave of crimes in the mystery drama Fallen and a femme fatale linked to Kenneth Branagh in Robert Altman's The Gingerbread Man.

A supporting role in the 2001 film Bridget Jones' Diary saw Davidtz play Natasha, a colleague and one of the love interests of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). That year, she began her run on the CBS drama Citizen Baines, playing the daughter of a defeated United States Senate incumbent (James Cromwell) who is herself leaning towards a career in politics. Other roles included horror thrillers like 2001's Thirteen Ghosts alongside Tony Shalhoub. In 2002, she appeared in the Michael Hoffman drama The Emperor's Club.

In 2005, she played a character in Junebug, an outsider art dealer from Chicago brought to North Carolina to meet her husband's family for the first time. Davidtz also guest-starred on the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Derek Shepherd's sister Nancy Shepherd in the Season 3 episode "Let the Angels Commit" and the season 15 episode "Good Shepherd". In 2008, she had a regular role on HBO's In Treatment as Amy, part of a fractious couple alongside Josh Charles's Jake.

She portrayed the unfaithful and unfortunate wife of Anthony Hopkins's character in the 2007 drama Fracture.

From 2009 to 2012, she played Rebecca Pryce, wife of Lane Pryce, in the AMC television show Mad Men. She also played Felicia Koons, the wife of the dean and the mother of Becca's best friend, Chelsea, on Showtime's Californication.

Davidtz played Annika Blomkvist in the 2011 English language version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She also appeared in the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Mary Parker, Peter Parker's missing mother.

In 2016, she joined the cast of Ray Donovan (season 4) in the role of Sonia Kovitzky.

From 2019 to 2021, she played Paige Kessler on The Morning Show, opposite Steve Carell (as Mitch Kessler), Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon. She played the adult version of Maddox Cappa in Old in 2021, and Judith Sanders in Not Okay in 2022.

Personal life

Davidtz married entertainment attorney Jason Sloane on June 22, 2002, and they have two children. The family lives in Los Angeles. Davidtz is a convert to Judaism, her husband's religion.

In 2013, Davidtz underwent chemotherapy, immunological treatment, lymph-node-removal surgery and a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with Stage-3 breast cancer. Davidtz rejected the use of a prosthetic as a substitute for her nipple during a nude scene in Ray Donovan, where she portrayed a character who was a breast-cancer survivor, choosing instead to incorporate her own partially reconstructed right breast into the storyline.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Mutator	Jennifer
1990	Sweet Murder	Laurie Shannon
1991	Nag van die 19de	Tessa
1992	Army of Darkness	Sheila
1993	Schindler's List	Helen Hirsch
1995	Murder in the First	Mary McCasslin
Feast of July	Bella Ford
1996	Matilda	Miss Jennifer Honey
1998	Fallen	Gretta Milano
**	Mallory Doss
1999	Simon Magus	Leah
Mansfield Park	Mary Crawford
Bicentennial Man	"Little Miss" Amanda Martin, Portia Charney
2001	Bridget Jones's Diary	Natasha Glenville
**	Dr. Philippa Horwood
Thir13en Ghosts	Kalina Oretzia
2002	**	Elizabeth
2005	Junebug	Madeleine Johnsten
2007	Fracture	Jennifer Crawford
2008	Winged Creatures	Joan Laraby
2010	3 Backyards	The Actress
2011	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	Annika Giannini
2012	The Amazing Spider-Man	Mary Parker
2013	Paranoia	Dr. Judith Bolton
Europa Report	Dr. Samantha Unger
Miracle Rising: South Africa	Herself
2014	The Amazing Spider-Man 2	Mary Parker
2021	Old	Maddox Cappa (Adult)
2022	Not Okay	Judith Sanders
2023	Retribution	Heather Turner
2024	Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight	Nicola Fuller	Directorial debut
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Screen Two	Older Karen	Episode: "A Private Life"
1992	Till Death Us Do Part	Katherine Palliko	TV movie (US not UK where series originated)
Deadly Matrimony	Dianne Masters	TV movie
1997	**	Adriana
1998	Last Rites	Dr. Lauren Riggs
2001	Citizen Baines	Ellen Baines Croland	7 episodes
2002	Shackleton	Rosalind Chetwynd	TV miniseries
2004	Scrubs	Maddie	Episode: "My Tormented Mentor"
2006, 2019	Grey's Anatomy	Nancy Shepherd	Episodes: "Let the Angels Commit", "Good Shepherd"
2008	In Treatment	Amy	8 episodes
2009	Californication	Felicia Koons	10 episodes
2009–2012	Mad Men	Rebecca Pryce	8 episodes
2015	The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe	Natasha Lytess	TV miniseries
2016	Ray Donovan	Sonia Kovitzky	7 episodes
2019–2021	The Morning Show	Paige Kessler	3 episodes
2021	Love, Victor	Ms. Campbell	Episode: "Table for Four"
2022	Tales of the Walking Dead	Amanda	Episode: "Davon"
::

References

References

1. (August 11, 2015). "Happy Birthday to...". [[The Sun (United Kingdom)]].
2. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2024-07-22). "TIFF Galas & Special Presentations Lineup Includes World Premieres From Angelina Jolie, Mike Leigh, Gia Coppola; Starry Pics With Jennifer Lopez, Lily James, Dave Bautista; Int'l Premieres 'Conclave' & 'Piece By Piece', More".
3. "Cinema: The star of Davidtz". The Independent.
4. Schaeffer, Stephen. (1998-03-03). "Movies; Actress Davidtz leaves out sweetness in 'Gingerbread Man'". Boston Herald.
5. "Embeth Davidtz Biography And Images". Oregon Herald.
6. "Mutator (1989): Overview". Turner Classic Movies.
7. "Houd-den-Bek". Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT).
8. "Embeth Davidtz". Encyclopaedia of South African Theatre, Film, Media and Performance (ESAT).
9. "Schindler's List (1993)".
10. "Embeth Davidtz".
11. Waring, Olivia. (July 8, 2016). "Matilda's Miss Honey is now 50 and we can't get our heads around it".
12. "Embeth Davidtz | Movies and Filmography".
13. "Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)".
14. "Citizen Baines".
15. Ebert, Roger. "13 Ghosts movie review & film summary (2001) | Roger Ebert".
16. "The Emperor's Club (2002)".
17. "Junebug (2005) - Phil Morrison, Manu Boyer | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related".
18. "Grey's Anatomy : Let the Angels Commit (2006) - Jessica Yu, Herbert Davis, Debbie Allen | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related".
19. "Embeth Davidtz | TV, Documentary and Other Appearances".
20. "Fracture (2007) - Gregory Hoblit | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related".
21. [http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/cast/lpryce Mad Men cast] {{webarchive. link. (2010-03-13 AMC TV)
22. "Californication : Turn the Page (2007) - David Von Ancken | Cast and Crew".
23. (December 14, 2011). "'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Premiere: Who Attended, What They Wore".
24. Erbland, Kate. "Review: 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'".
25. Sulway, Verity. (August 12, 2021). "Matilda cast now - hunky transformation, doctor, doomed marriage and cancer".
26. Davidtz, Embeth. (2022-10-28). "embethdavidtz".
27. Grisar, P. J.. (2025-07-07). "How Oct. 7 shaped a film about Zimbabwe's Civil War".
28. Herman, Deb. (2025-07-10). "Being South African, becoming Jewish".
29. Fretts, Bruce. (August 1, 2016). "Ray Donovan's Embeth Davidtz Opens Up About Fighting Breast Cancer and Her Complicated Nude Scene".

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