Jaye Davidson (born Alfred Amey) is an English model, fashion stylist, and retired actor. He made his acting debut as Dil in the thriller film The Crying Game (1992), 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 it brought him.
Life
Davidson was born in Riverside, California, in the United States. He was raised in Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England. His father is from Ghana and his mother is from England.
In 2017, Davidson married Thomas Clarke.
Career
Davidson made his acting debut in the thriller film The Crying Game (1992). The film's funders wanted director Neil Jordan to cast a woman to play the transvestite character Dil, believing that it would be impossible to find an androgynous male actor who could pass as female. Nevertheless, Davidson--who had no prior professional acting experience--was invited to audition for The Crying Game after being discovered at a wrap party for Derek Jarman's Edward II. He was cast in the role of Dil. The film was a critical and commercial success. It is known for a surprise plot twist: A love scene in which Dil undresses and main character Fergus (played by Stephen Rea) is surprised to find that Dil is male. The scene required full-frontal nudity on Davidson's part. 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 sex a secret. and for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1993. Davidson also received nominations for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress in 1993. in the 1994 science fiction adventure film Stargate. He was surprised when his request to be paid $1 million was accepted.
Davidson later retired from acting,
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Film work by Jaye Davidson
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col"| Director
!scope="col"| Notes
|-
| 1992
!scope="row"| The Crying Game
| Dil
| Neil Jordan
|National Board of Review Award for Most Auspicious Debut<br /> Nominated – National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor<br />Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor