Name	Embeth Davidtz
Height	5' 8"
Naionality	American
Date of Birth	11 August 1965
Place of Birth	Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Famous for

A graduate of South Africa’s Rhodes University, Embeth Davidtz made her professional theatrical debut at age 21 with the country’s National Theater Company, as Juliet in a production of Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet, ” in which her fine performance won Davidtz sizeable accolades. Performing in contemporary and classical drama in both English and Afrikaans, she was later nominated for the South African equivalent of the Tony Award for her bright acting in “Stille Nag” (Silent Night) and “A Chain of Voices.” In 1989, Davidtz kicked off her screen career when she landed a role in the South African-filmed, American horror film, Mutator, and subsequently distinguished herself with her role as Karen, the daughter of an interracial pair, in 1989’s A Private Life, a politically sensitive South African made-for-television film directed by Francis Gerard. She further gained notices with her role as a rape victim who becomes deaf and mute in the psychologically intense Afrikaner film Nag van die 19de/Night of the 19th (1992), where she received a South African equivalent of an Oscar nomination.

After encountering with an agent in London, Davidtz headed to Los Angeles in 1992 and quickly landed important roles in two NBC projects, the true crime television film Til Death Us Do Part (1992), opposite Arliss Howard and Treat Williams, and the crime/drama miniseries “Deadly Matrimony” (1992), along side Willims and Brian Dennehy. Her first US released feature was Sam Raimi’s Army of Darkness (1992), where she was cast as the female lead of the gorgeous maiden Sheila and her demonic alter ego. It was in 1993 that Davidtz was eventually put on the limelight when the impressed director Steven Spielberg had her play the role of the abused Jewish maid Helen Hirsch in the history film Schindler’s List, starring Liam Neeson. The touching performance won her rave reviews.

Next up for Davidtz was a prestigious leading role in the fact-based drama Murder in the First (1995), opposite Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman, but she fared better as a young woman who, in seeking out the lover who neglected her, ultimately brings tragedy to the family that offered her protection in the Merchant Ivory production Feast of July (also 1995). Her adroit portrayal again won Davidtz shimmering critical reviews. Davidtz further showcased her versatility with her roles as the lovable, sympathetic teacher, Miss Honey, in the movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s fantasy Matilda (1996) and a theology professor involved in a slaughter investigation the supernatural mystery Fallen (1998), with Denzel Washington. She went on to play a femme fatal linked to Kenneth Branagh in Robert Altman’s adaptation of John Grisham’s The Gingerbread Man (1998), a 19th-century woman of the world, Mary Crawford, in the movie version of the Jane Austen comedy Mansfield Park (1999) and a dual role Little Miss Amanda Martin/Portia Char in the futuristic fable Bicentennial Man (1999), along side Robin Williams and Sam Neill.

Entering the new millennium, Davidtz could be seen as an arrogant villain for a change in the movie adaptation of Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Dr. Philippa Horwood in the Thora Birch vehicle The Hole (2001) and Kalina Oretzia in the haunted house thriller Thir13en Ghosts (2001). She demonstrated even greater adaptability that same year by portraying the daughter of a conquered United States Senate serving (James Cromwell) on the CBS drama series “Citizen Baines.” In 2002, she appeared with Kenneth Branagh in the historical miniseries “Shackleton” and with Kevin Kline and Emile Hirsch in The Emperor’s Club, a drama film by Michael Hoffman. After a guest role in a 2004 episode of “Scrubs,” she starred an outsider art dealer and Alessandro Nivola’s wife on the Sundance-premiered drama Junebug (2005). She returned to TV with a guest spot on an episode of the hit ABC drama series “Grey’s Anatomy” (2006), playing Dr. Derek Shepherd’s sister Nancy.

The multifaceted performer is scheduled to have a supporting role on the thriller film Fracture (2007). Directed by Gregory Hoblit, the forthcoming project stars Anthony Hopkins, David Strathairn, Billy Burke and Rosamund Pike. On the small screen, she will appear with Gabriel Byrne in the drama film In Treatment, based upon a triumphant Israeli TV show.