Mackenzie Rio Davis (born April 1, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She made her feature film debut in the drama film Smashed (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the film The F Word, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. From 2014 to 2017, she starred as computer programmer Cameron Howe in the AMC period drama series Halt and Catch Fire.
Davis starred in the two-time Emmy award winning Black Mirror episode "San Junipero" in 2016, for which she received critical acclaim. She appeared in the films The Martian (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and portrayed the title character in the comedy-drama film Tully (2018). She then starred as an augmented super-soldier in Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), and co-starred in the romantic comedy film Happiest Season (2020). In 2021, she had a lead role in the miniseries Station Eleven, which earned her a Critics' Choice Super Award.
Early life Davis was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Lotte, a graphic designer, and John Davis, a hairdresser from Liverpool, England. Her parents own AG Hair. She graduated from Collingwood School in West Vancouver in 2005 and then attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She went on to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.
Career
Davis's first feature film was Smashed. In 2015, she appeared in The Martian as NASA satellite communications engineer Mindy Park.
From 2014 to 2017, she played programming prodigy Cameron Howe in Halt and Catch Fire for the duration of its four-season run.
In 2016, she co-starred as Yorkie in "San Junipero", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror, which received two Emmy Awards. She was also cast as Mariette in Blade Runner 2049.
In 2019, she appeared in Terminator: Dark Fate as an augmented super soldier who is sent from the future to protect Dani Ramos. In October 2019, she was cast in the lead role in the HBO Max miniseries Station Eleven.
In 2020, Davis starred as Kate in The Turning, opposite Finn Wolfhard and Brooklynn Prince. The film is a modern adaptation of the 1898 horror novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. She also starred as Diana Hastings in Irresistible, a film by Jon Stewart about the outsized influence of money on the American electoral system. She also starred in the 2020 romantic comedy Happiest Season co-starring Kristen Stewart.
In June 2020, it was announced that Davis would be part of the ensemble cast of Zellner Brothers' science-fiction comedy Alpha Gang, which includes Jon Hamm, Andrea Riseborough, Nicholas Hoult, Sofia Boutella and Steven Yeun.
In February to April 2023 she played the role of Isolde in Phaedra in an updated version of the play by Simon Stone at the National Theatre in London.
Her short film WOACA, her directorial debut, screened in the Short Cuts program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Shorts Lineup Includes ‘Dammi’ Starring Riz Ahmed; Works By Mackenzie Davis, Yann Demange & More" . Deadline Hollywood, August 9, 2023.
In May 2022, she signed to star in Justin Anderson’s directorial debut Swimming Home, an adaptation of the Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name by Deborah Levy, alongside Christopher Abbott and Ariane Labed.
Acting credits +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes2011AlexTerriShort film2012SmashedMillie The Hat Goes WildCathyCredited as Mackenzie Rio Davis2013Breathe InLauren Reynolds The F WordNicole Alternative title: What If?Bad Turn WorseSue Plato's Reality MachineSophia MoontownShaynaShort film2014That Awkward MomentChelsea EmptiedCharlotte LaurenceShort film2015Freaks of NaturePetra Lane A Country Called HomeRenoMemory BoxIsabelleShort film The MartianMindy Park 2016Always ShineAnna2017Izzy Gets the F*ck Across TownIzzy Also producerBlade Runner 2049Mariette2018BoomerangJeniferShort filmTullyTully2019Terminator: Dark FateGrace Harper2020 The TurningKate MandellIrresistibleDiana HastingsHappiest SeasonHarper Caldwell 2023 WOACA Short film; writer, director, producer 2024 Swimming Home Isabel Speak No Evil Louise Dalton 2026My Notes on Mars Margot
Television Year Title Role Notes 2012 I Just Want My Pants Back Lucie Episode: "Safety Nets" 2014–2017 Halt and Catch Fire Cameron Howe Main role (40 episodes) 2016 Black Mirror Yorkie Episode: "San Junipero" 2017 No Activity Patricia / "Pat the Rat" Episode: "The Witness" 2020 Home Movie: The Princess Bride Princess Buttercup Episode: "Chapter Two: The Shrieking Eels" 2021–2022 Station Eleven Kirsten Raymonde Main role (10 episodes) 2022 Love, Death & Robots Martha Kivelson (voice) Episode: "The Very Pulse of the Machine"2026 The Undertow Nicola Main role Below Fonda Howander Main Role (miniseries)
Theatre Year Title Role Notes2023 Phaedra Isolde National Theatre, London
Accolades + Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2014 Canadian Screen Awards Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role The F Word 2016 Monster Fest Best Performance in a Feature Film (Female) Always Shine Tribeca Film Festival Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival Special Jury Award – Best Breakout Performance Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town Tacoma Film Festival Best Performance (shared with Jun Zhao) International Online Cinema Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie "San Junipero" 2018 Best Supporting Actress Tully Indiana Film Journalists Association 2019 Women's Image Network Awards Supporting Actress Feature Film CinemaCon Ensemble Award (shared with Linda Hamilton, Natalia Reyes and Gabriel Luna) Terminator: Dark Fate 2022 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series Station Eleven
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