The script was written with the sole intention of playing the title role.
Oscar winner William Goldman was one of the first people to read the script, he mentored and encouraged Davis to move to Los Angeles.
Davis procured a micro-budget of $130,000 to shoot Fighting Tommy Riley.
The film was well received and opened theatrically in Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco.
Raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Davis attended the Berkshire School before graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.