Kristin Davis

Kristin Landen Davis, also known as Kristin Lee Davis, is an American actress and producer born on February 23, 1965. She is best known for playing the character Charlotte York in the popular HBO series Sex and the City, which aired from 1998 to 2004. For her role as Charlotte, she received nominations at the Emmys and Golden Globes in 2004.

Her big break came in 1995 when she was cast as the villain Brooke Armstrong in the Fox soap opera Melrose Place. Davis has appeared in many films, including The Shaggy Dog, Deck the Halls, Couples Retreat, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and Holiday in the Wild. She also made her Broadway debut in 2012 and performed in the West End in 2014.

She continued to play Charlotte York in the films Sex and the City and Sex and the City 2, as well as the revival show And Just Like That... on HBO Max from 2021 to 2025.

Early life and education

Kristin Davis was born on February 23, 1965, in Boulder, Colorado. She grew up in a family that changed a bit when her parents divorced and she was adopted by her stepfather, Keith Davis, a professor. She also has three stepsisters. When she was young, her family moved to Columbia, South Carolina, where her father worked at the University of South Carolina.

Davis knew she wanted to be an actress from a very young age. She first performed in a play called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when she was nine. She finished her high school education at A.C. Flora High School in 1983 and then went on to study acting at Rutgers University, graduating from the Mason Gross School of the Arts in 1987.

Career

Television

After finishing school in 1987, Davis moved to New York and worked in a restaurant before opening a yoga studio with a friend. In 1991, she appeared in a few episodes of the daytime drama (soap opera) General Hospital. She later appeared as a guest on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and ER, and acted in television movies. Her big break came in 1995 when she played a character in the Fox nighttime soap opera Melrose Place. She left the show after one year. The next year, she appeared in two episodes of Seinfeld.

In 1998, Davis became a main cast member as Charlotte York in the HBO romantic comedy series Sex and the City, staying until the series ended in 2004. In 1999, she and the cast received the Women in Film Lucy Award for their work. She was also nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her role as Charlotte. During the show, she also appeared in Friends and Will & Grace. She played leading roles in the 1999 miniseries Atomic Train and in television movies like 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 called Soccer Moms with Gina Torres. She also voiced Miss Spider in the animated series Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and was a guest judge on Project Runway.

In 2012, Davis starred in and produced the Lifetime film Of Two Minds. In 2014, she returned to television in the CBS sitcom Bad Teacher. In 2016, she starred in the Hallmark Channel film A Heavenly Christmas. In 2020, she hosted the Fox reality series Labor of Love.

Film

Davis made her first movie in 1988. In the 1990s, she had smaller roles in Nine Months (1995) and Sour Grapes (1998). Later, she appeared in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D (2005), The Shaggy Dog (2006), and Deck the Halls (2006).

In 2008, Davis appeared in the Sex and the City movie, which was very popular. She played Charlotte York again in the 2010 sequel, Sex and the City 2. In 2009, she was in the comedy Couples Retreat. In 2010, she played the mother of Josh Hutcherson's character in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. In 2015, she produced the documentary Gardeners of Eden, focusing on the illegal ivory trade. In 2019, she starred in and produced the romantic comedy-drama Holiday in the Wild for Netflix. She also produced and starred in the 2021 thriller Deadly Illusions.

Stage

Davis made her Broadway debut in 2012 in The Best Man. She made her West End debut in 2014 in Fatal Attraction.

Additional ventures

After the Sex and the City movie, Davis worked with Belk, a large department store, to create a clothing and accessories line. It launched in 2008 but was cancelled in 2009.

Philanthropy and recognition

Davis supports many causes. She is a Global Ambassador for Oxfam, traveling to places like Haiti and Kenya to help. She has worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and visited places like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Davis loves elephants and helped rescue an abandoned baby elephant in Africa, earning her the Humane Society's Wyler Award in 2010. In 2023, she received The Perfect World Foundation Award for her work in protecting wildlife.

Personal life

In 2011, Kristin Davis adopted a daughter, and in 2018, she adopted a son. They live in the hills of Brentwood, Los Angeles, California.

Davis has shared that she stopped drinking alcohol. She mentioned that she was introduced to alcohol early because of where she grew up in the South.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Kristin Davis was nominated for important awards in 2004 for her work in a TV show. She played a character named Charlotte in a popular romantic comedy series and later appeared in movies based on the show.