CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A well-known actress with ties to Clarksville is celebrating her 40th birthday today, Friday, July 26.
Mageina Tovah was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father was a psychiatrist in the Green Berets and her mother a physical therapist for the Army. Their careers brought them to Clarksville, and later Nashville, where Tovah spent her school years.
Tovah was a brilliant student. She graduated Martin Luther King Junior Magnet School in Davidson County at the age of 16. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Southern California.
Tovah credits her love of acting to her father and brother, who she saw perform at The Roxy Regional Theatre when she was a child. In a 2017 interview with Audrey Kearns of Geek Girl Authority, she recounted memories of seeing her father do kicks in “My Fair Lady,” and watching Peter Pan prepare backstage.
Tovah played Peter Parker’s friendly neighbor, Ursula Ditkovitch, in Sami Rami’s Spiderman Trilogy. She wrote, directed and starred in “Hux,” which released in 2016. The film won Best Dramatic Short at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and a Platinum Award at WorldFest Houston. Tovah has also worked on such projects as “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie,” “Joan of Arcadia,” and “You’re the Worst.”
Tovah currently features on Syfy’s hit series “The Magicians” as Zelda Schiff, The Head Librarian. Her character is likely to play a major role in the show’s upcoming fifth season.