at the HBO party after the 1999 Emmy Awards
Television After graduation in 1987, Davis moved to New York and waited tables before opening a
yoga studio with a friend. In 1991, she acted in a couple of episodes of the daytime drama (
soap opera)
General Hospital. She later guest-starred on
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and
ER, and acted in made-for-television movies. Her big break came in 1995 when she landed the role of villainess Brooke Armstrong Campbell on the Fox nighttime soap opera
Melrose Place. She left the show after one year when producers decided to kill off the character. The following year, Davis guest-starred in two episodes of
Seinfeld. In 1998, Davis was cast as
Charlotte York in the HBO romantic comedy series
Sex and the City and remained an integral cast member until the series ended in 2004. In 1999, along with the rest of the cast, she was awarded the
Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of her excellence and innovation in her creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television. She received
Primetime Emmy Award nomination for
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series her role as Charlotte in the final season, and well as
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film nomination. During her time in the show, Davis guest-starred on
Friends in the episode "The One with Ross's Library Book", and
Will & Grace episode "Will & Grace & Vince & Nadine". She played leading roles in the 1999 miniseries
Atomic Train alongside
Rob Lowe, and television movies including
Blacktop (2000),
Three Days (2001) and
The Winning Season (2004). Davis hosted the
VH1 show
200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons in 2003. In 2005, she starred in a
television pilot entitled
Soccer Moms in which she and
Gina Torres star as suburban mothers who moonlight as private detectives. She starred as Miss Spider in the animated television series ''
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and was a guest judge on the Lifetime program Project Runway''. In 2012, Davis starred in and produced the Lifetime television film
Of Two Minds In 2014, she returned to series television with starring role in the short-lived CBS sitcom
Bad Teacher. In 2016, she starred in
Hallmark Channel film
A Heavenly Christmas. In 2020, she hosted Fox reality series
Labor of Love.
Film Davis made her movie debut in the 1988 comedy slasher film
Doom Asylum. In 1990s, she had secondary roles in films
Nine Months (1995) and
Sour Grapes (1998). Her later films include
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D (2005), opposite
David Arquette and
George Lopez; the 2006 version of
The Shaggy Dog, opposite
Tim Allen, and
Deck the Halls, opposite
Matthew Broderick and
Danny DeVito. , Kenya in July 2011 Davis appeared in 2008's
Sex and the City feature film, under the direction of executive producer
Michael Patrick King. The film was a box office success and amassed $415 million at the worldwide box office, despite mixed reviews. It was Davis' first movie to reach #1 at the US box office. Davis reprised her role of Charlotte York a second time in 2010's
Sex and the City 2, which grossed $290 million worldwide but was widely panned by critics. She remained interested in a third installment of the franchise. In 2009, Davis co-starred in the romantic comedy film
Couples Retreat, a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in
therapy sessions at a tropical island resort.
Jon Favreau, who also co-wrote the script, played her husband. The film opened at No. 1 during its opening weekend at the US
box office, making it her second film to do so. In 2010, Davis was cast as the mother of Josh Hutcherson's character in the adventure movie
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. The film opened theatrically in February 2012 and passed the $100 million mark at the US box office, being Davis' third film to achieve this. In 2015, Davis was credited as producer on the
documentary Gardeners of Eden, that comments on the illegal
ivory trade. In 2019, Davis starred in and produced romantic comedy-drama film
Holiday in the Wild for
Netflix. The film was pitched to her, after the producers had noticed her philanthropic work with elephants.
Stage Davis made her
Broadway debut in July 2012, when she replaced
Kerry Butler in the revival of
Gore Vidal's
The Best Man at the
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. She made her
West End debut playing Beth Gallagher in
Fatal Attraction at the
Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in March 2014.
Additional ventures Ambassador Davis visiting a Kenyan refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya Shortly after the wide release of the
Sex and the City feature film, in June 2008,
Belk, the nation's largest privately owned department store chain, announced a partnership with Davis. The arrangement includes a ladies' apparel and accessories line that debuted in 2008 in 125 store locations and online, with eventual plans for expanding availability to other store locations. In Belk's press release about the product line launch, Davis cited her upbringing in South Carolina as part of her inspiration for working with the chain. In late 2009 Belk cancelled the arrangement, citing the difficult economic conditions prevailing, while Davis said she hoped to take the line elsewhere.
Philanthropy and recognition Davis is a Global Ambassador for
Oxfam, and has campaigned in support of their work since 2004, travelling to locations including Haiti, Mozambique, and South Africa. In 2011 she gave a tearful interview with
BBC News describing the situation at the Dadaab refugee camp in
Kenya where she witnessed the impact of
drought. During her 2009 visit to Africa, Davis, a lifelong lover of
elephants, discovered an abandoned baby elephant and arranged for it to be taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center. In recognition of the attention she has brought to the plight of orphaned African elephants, Davis won the
Humane Society's 2010 Wyler Award, which is bestowed on a celebrity or public figure who has made news on behalf of animals. She is also a patron of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which works to protect elephants and other wildlife in Kenya. In 2023, Davis was awarded
The Perfect World Foundation Award for her exceptional contributions to wildlife conservation and advocacy. This prestigious honor, often referred to as "The Conservationist of the Year," recognizes individuals who have made a significant impact on the protection of biodiversity. Davis has worked with the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and is included on their list of "High Profile Supporters". In 2015 she visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Davis later filmed a fund-raising appeal supporting the UNHCR, and in 2016 visited Australia to promote the UNHCR's work, focussing on the plight of women victims of sexual violence in Congo. ==Personal life==