Geena - In a League of Her Own Quiz

Answer: Virginia Elizabeth Davis

Born Virginia Elizabeth, Geena Davis was the only daughter of William and Lucille Davis. Her father was a civil engineer, and her mother was a teacher's aide. She has one brother, Daniel, a geotechnical engineer. Geena attended New England College and Boston University, majoring in drama; she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1979.

Answer: Victoria's Secret

Geena moved to New York City following her graduation from Boston University, intent on an acting career. Like many fledgling actresses, Geena's earliest "stage" was a restaurant, and her earliest "role" was that of a working waitress. She also worked as a store window mannequin for ladies clothing retailer Ann Taylor. Geena was signed by the Zoli Agency when she was 23 years old, and soon found herself modeling lingerie for the pages of the Victoria's Secret Catalogue. Film director Sydney Pollack reputedly spotted Geena's modeling photos, ultimately leading to her 1982 film debut in the motion picture "Tootsie".

Answer: Riptide

"Riptide" was an NBC action/detective series starring Perry King (as Cody Allen), Joe Penny (as Nick Ryder), and Thom Bray (as Murray "Boz" Bozinsky). Nick and Cody were savvy Vietnam vets, teamed with "Boz", the ultimate computer geek/genius. The trio worked as private detectives, living and headquartered together on Cody's yacht (the "Riptide"), berthed at Pier 56 in King Harbor (Redondo Beach), Los Angeles. Assisted by Murray's sometimes confused orange robot (the "Roboz"), they often chased leads aboard Cody's yacht, or from his speedboat (the "Ebb-Tide"). They also frequently went aloft in Nick's elderly, cantankerous, bright pink Sikorsky S-58 helicopter (the "Screaming Mimi"). As unlikely as the premise sounds, "Riptide" was actually a fairly entertaining series, and the main characters exhibited considerable chemistry. Created by veteran producer Stephen J. Cannell, "Riptide" ran for three seasons from 1984 to 1986.

In the first season episode "Raiders Of The Lost Sub" (originally broadcast on May 15, 1984), Geena guest starred as Dr. Melba "Bubba" Bozinsky (Murray's sister, a PhD, and a lover of practical jokes). Melba sought the assistance of the Riptide Detective Agency to help prove her theory that Hitler's Germany had established a submarine pen on the west coast of the United States during World War II (and naturally, the tale also featured a sunken Nazi U-Boat packed to gunwales with plundered gold). Geena never appeared on "Magnum, P.I.", "Simon and Simon", or "The Rockford Files".

Answer: Housekeeper

Geena guest starred as Karen Nicholson in two episodes, "Help Wanted" and "Karen II, Alex 0", which originally aired back-to-back on December 6th and 13th, 1984. Actress Meredith Baxter was pregnant with twins in real life during filming for the third season of "Family Ties", so the show's creators were forced to improvise an unexpected pregnancy for her character Elyse, and a fourth Keaton child, youngest son Andrew.

As her pregnancy with Andrew advanced, the Keatons decided to hire a housekeeper to ease the burden on Elyse.

The beautiful Karen Nicholson was Alex's instantaneous choice, and he hired her on the spot. Unfortunately, Karen - having no experience as a housekeeper, and even fewer housekeeping skills - quickly wrecked havoc on the Keaton home.

Answer: No

Michael Dorsey was an actor with a reputation for being difficult to work with. In order to find acting roles, Michael cross-dressed and remade himself as a woman, "Dorothy Michaels". After landing a starring role on a television soap opera as "Dorothy", Michael became infatuated with his co-star Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange), to the detriment of his existing girlfriend Sandy (Teri Garr). Geena's character April was one of "Dorothy's" co-stars on the soap opera, but not a love interest of Michael's.

Answer: No

Chevy Chase starred in both films as Irwin M. Fletcher. An investigative newspaper reporter with a penchant for wisecracking, outlandish aliases, and cheesy disguises, "Fletch" wrote under the byline of "Jane Doe". In the original film, Geena Davis was woefully underutilized in the role of Larry, a talented research assistant who was also feverishly devoted to Fletch. Richard Libertini, Darren Dublin, William Traylor, George Wyner, Mary Battilana, and Grace Gaynor all appeared in both "Fletch" and "Fletch Lives", but Geena's character Larry wasn't brought back for the sequel.

Answer: Veronica Quaife

Geena portrayed Veronica Quaife, an investigative reporter, and Jeff Goldblum played Seth Brundle, an eccentric scientist who had developed a teleportation device. Seth initially recruited Veronica to publicize his invention, but they quickly became lovers. Disaster struck when Seth used his invention to teleport himself; his body was accidently merged with that of a common fly, and he soon began to transmogrify into a human-sized insect. Among other difficulties, that little problem abruptly ended his dating relationship with Veronica! "The Fly" earned makeup artists Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis the 1987 Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Answer: "Transylvania 6-5000" and "Earth Girls Are Easy"

Jeff Goldblum had roles in all eight films, but Geena only appeared in two: "Transylvania 6-5000" and "Earth Girls Are Easy".

In the 1985 comedy "Transylvania 6-5000", Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley Jr. played Jack Harrison and Gil Turner, two clueless tabloid newspaper reporters who ventured to Transylvania to investigate the alleged sighting of Frankenstein's monster. They encountered a variety of unusual characters during their assignment, including Odette, an over-sexed vampiress portrayed by Geena Davis.

Geena starred as Valerie in the 1988 scf-fi comedy/musical "Earth Girls Are Easy". Aliens from outer space crashed their spacecraft into Valerie's swimming pool, forcing her to essentially adopt them. Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans played the aliens. "Earth Girls" was a fine vehicle for showcasing Geena in a skimpy pink bikini, but otherwise a fairly forgettable film; it even received a dreaded "Razzie" nomination.

Answer: Susan Sarandon

Their roles in "Thelma and Louise" earned both Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon 1992 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Both lost; the Oscar went to Jodie Foster for her memorable performance in "The Silence of the Lambs". "Thelma and Louise" was nominated for a total of six Oscars, but won only one; the gold statue went to Callie Khouri for Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen).

Answer: Catcher

Dottie was the star catcher for the Rockford Peaches; her sister Kit (Lori Petty) was the team's ace pitcher. Tom Hanks co-starred as Jimmy Dugan, manager of the Peaches ("There's no crying in baseball!"). Geena's performance earned her a 1993 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical.

Although "A League of Their Own" was a fictionalized motion picture account, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was very real. With many of the top male professional ballplayers needed for military service in Europe and the Pacific, World War II severely disrupted and curtailed both Major League Baseball and the professional minor leagues. The brainchild of Philip K. Wrigley (owner of the Chicago Cubs franchise) and his associates, the AAGPBL was formed in 1943, featuring professional female ballplayers drawn from the ranks of amateur and semi-pro softball leagues throughout the US and Canada. The league gradually expanded and played through the remainder of WWII. Post-war, the AAGPBL continued operation until finally dissolving in 1954. And yes, the women really did have to play ball wearing skirts, and they were required to attend "charm school". The story of the AAGPBL is quite fascinating, particularly if you're interested in either baseball history or women's sports; for more details, visit www.aagpbl.org.

Answer: False

"The Long Kiss Goodnight" was Geena's second leading role in a Renny Harlin film; previously, she starred in the 1995 action adventure "Cutthroat Island", also directed by Harlin. Geena also starred in the 1994 romance comedy "Speechless", which she and Renny co-produced.

In addition to their professional collaboration, Renny Harlin was also Geena's third husband; they were married in 1993 and divorced in 1998. Prior to Renny, Geena was married to, and divorced from, actor Jeff Goldblum (1987 to 1990), and New York restauranteur Richard Emmolo (1982 to 1983). Geena had no children from her first three marriages. On September 1, 2001, Geena married her fourth husband, Dr. Reza Jarrahy, a neurosurgeon. Geena and Reza have three children: daughter Alizeh Keshvar (born April 10, 2002), and twin sons, Kian William and Kaiis Steven (born May 6, 2004).

Answer: True

Geena's Academy Award for "The Accidental Tourist" was not only her first Oscar, it was her first Academy Award nomination. Based on Anne Tyler's novel of the same name, "The Accidental Tourist" received three other Academy Award nominations (for Best Picture, Best Writing, and Best Music), but Geena was the film's only Oscar winner.

Answer: Speechless

Geena starred in all four films, but only produced "Speechless", sharing production duties with Renny Harlin, executive producer Harry Colomby, and two associates. Directed by Ron Underwood, "Speechless" was a 1994 romance comedy about two political speechwriters, Julia Mann (Geena Davis) and Kevin Vallick (Michael Keaton), who fell in love before discovering that they were working for opposing senatorial candidates. Geena's performance earned her a 1995 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical.

Answer: Archery

Geena is a skilled archer, and was a semifinalist for the US Women's Olympic Archery Team prior to the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. During US Olympic trials in 1999, Geena ultimately placed 24th out of 28 semifinalists for the three-woman archery team.

Archery is not the limit of Geena's involvement with women's sports. She is also an outspoken advocate for "Title IX" (formally known as Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), the United States federal law mandating the right of equal opportunity for girls and women in high school and college sports. Geena sponsors a web page championing Title IX issues on the Women's Sports Foundation site; visit www.geenatakesaim.com for more information.

Answer: Mensa

At times, the popular media and various Internet sources have labeled a number of highly intelligent performers and celebrities as "Mensa members". The obvious intellect of many of those individuals is indisputable, but their supposed membership in Mensa is often an exaggeration. Geena Davis - who reputedly has an IQ of 140 - is one of very few performers who are actual Mensa members (and whose membership is publicly confirmed by Mensa itself).

IQ (an abbreviation for "Intelligence Quotient") is a measure of an individual's intelligence, based on standardized testing criteria, and statistical comparison to the test results attained by the rest of the population. Differing methods and standards exist for rating IQ numbers, but in broad terms, any IQ rating of 120 or higher is generally considered to be "superior" or "very superior" intelligence, and ratings of 140 or higher are considered by some methods to be "near genius" or "genius".

Mensa - which bills itself as "The High IQ Society" - has only one requirement for membership: a score in the top two percent of the population on a standardized intelligence test. Quoting from the Mensa Constitution, the society "provides a forum for intellectual exchange among members. Its activities include the exchange of ideas by lectures, discussions, journals, special-interest groups, and local, regional, national, and international gatherings; the investigations of members' opinions and attitudes; and assistance to researchers, inside and outside Mensa, in projects dealing with intelligence or Mensa." The Mensa International web site is located at www.mensa.org.