Davidtz was born in 1966 in Indiana and raised in Trenton, New Jersey until she was nine when her family moved to South Africa. She studied drama and English literature at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, graduating cum laude with a masters in drama. She won a contract with South Africa's Johannesburg-based National Theatre Company where she performed Shakespeare, Chekov and other classics for three years before moving on to television and film. Her first bit of professional acting was for the National Theatre Company's production of "Romeo and Juliet" at age 21.

Performing in English and Afrikaans, the bilingual actress also starred in local plays, including "Stille Nag" and "A Chain of Voices," both for which she was nominated for the South African equivalent of the Tony Award. Her debut on film came in 1988 she won a major role in the politically sensitive film, "A Private Life," about an interracial relationship. She went on to win the country's equivalent of an Oscar in the Afrikaaner psychological drama Night of the Nineteenth.

After meeting with an agent in London, Davidtz traveled to Los Angeles in 1991 and immediately landed a role in her first American film, Sam Raimi's "Army of Darkness." Soon after she appeared in two NBC projects, the made-for-television movie "'Till Death Do Us Part" and the miniseries "Deadly Matrimony." She can also be seen in "Murder in the First," starring Christian Slater and in Laura Ziskin's short film, "Oh, What A Day," opposite Viggo Mortensen.

From her first days in film, Davidtz has shown a preference for appearing in political dramas. In 1995, Davidtz won more critical praise for her work as young pregnant woman who causes a family crisis with her obsessive search for the lover who deserted her in the Merchant/Ivory production of Feast of July (1995). As a change of pace, Davidtz played a kind-hearted teacher in Danny DeVito's darkly comic adaptation of Roald Dahl's Mathilda (1996) and then it was back to straight political drama with Garden of Redemption (1997). In 1998, Davidtz co-starred with Kenneth Branagh in Robert Altman's adaptation of John Grisham's The Gingerbread Man.

The 5'8" Davidtz currently resides in Venice, California with her Feast of July co-star, Ben Chaplin. Chaplin has consciously avoided marriage, kids, and a mortgage. He says: "I've held off that kind of stuff because I've always thought 'You don't know where your next role's coming from'. I suppose the worst worry is 'Am I any good?' rather than 'Will I get another role?'"

Davidtz has a younger sister named Jennifer, and a pet bulldog named Frank, who was given to her by Harvey Keitel. Davidtz keeps in shape at Gold's Gym and I am told surfs the 'net with AOL, but the latter is unconfirmed.

Excerpt from the Matilda "Behind the Scenes" webpage:
The antithesis of the Trunchbull, the compassionate and winsome Miss Honey, is played by Embeth Davidtz. "Danny wanted someone who could play a teacher that every child would love, someone gentle and nurturing, but not too wispy or fearful. Embeth nailed it," says associate producer Levinson.

Excerpt from Danny Devito interview on Matilda webpage:
Q: Why Embeth? A: Embeth was the best person for the part, I mean, I read lots and lots of women for Miss Honey. I take a very long time casting because it's very important to get the right people for the roles and Embeth is Miss Honey. She's sweet and soft and gentle and loving and just gives you a really warm, wonderful feeling. And she's from New Jersey, not many people know that.

Excerpt from MovieTalk interview about Mansfield Park:
"Sometimes, I sort of or almost get my feelings hurt when people say 'well, what about, you know, why, why don't we see more of you?' and 'why, why haven't you done more?' And I think God, I feel like I've worked a lot, but it depends on how those things have been put out there, how they've been received. And ultimately, unfortunately, a lot of one's work and the ability to get work depends on how many people saw your last film. It's a fact of life."