New Zealand actress and director
Rachel House
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Born
| Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House
(
1971-10-20
)
20 October 1971
(age 52)
[1]
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Occupations
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Years active
| 1992?present
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Notable work
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Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House
ONZM
(born 20 October 1971) is a New Zealand actress and director. She has received numerous accolades including an
Arts Laureate
,
NZ Order of Merit
, 'Mana Wahine' from
WIFT NZ
and Te Waipuna a Rangi (Matariki Awards) for her contributions as an actor and director.
She is best known for her roles in the films
Whale Rider
(2002),
Boy
(2010),
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
(2016),
Thor: Ragnarok
(2017),
Penguin Bloom
(2020),
Cousins
and
Millie Lies Low
(both 2021),
The Moon is Upside Down,
[2]
Next Goal Wins
and
The Portable Door
(all 2023).
In television, House became a series regular in the Netflix reboot series
Heartbreak High
as Principal Stacy "Woodsy" Woods in 2022. The same year, House also appeared in the Apple TV+ series
Foundation 2
and ABC series
Bay of Fires
. In 2023, House portrayed the pirate
Mary Read
in season 2 of the
HBO Max
comedy
Our Flag Means Death
.
House is also a distinctive voice actor, known for her roles as 'Gramma Tala' in Disney's
Moana
(2016) and 'Terry' in Pixar's
Soul
(2020). In 2023 she voiced 'Grandma Coco' in the
M?ori language
version of Pixar's
Coco
(2017). She has starred in numerous animated series for television, including
Sherwood
,
The Lion Guard
,
Amphibia
,
Pinecone and Pony
,
What If…?
,
Kiff
and
Koala Man
.
As an acting coach, House has worked alongside
Jane Campion
for
Top of the Lake
and
The Power of the Dog
(2021); and with
Taika Waititi
on
Boy
(2010),
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
(2016),
Jojo Rabbit
(2019) and
Next Goal Wins
(2023).
In 2008 House received praise for her directing on two short films at
Prague Film School
, receiving the award for Best Director and the Best Film Audience Award. Her directorial debut feature,
The Mountain
, premiered in
Taranaki
, Aotearoa New Zealand in 2024.
[3]
Early life
[
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]
House was born 20 October 1971 in
Auckland
and raised in
Kamo
,
Whangarei
by her adoptive Scottish parents John and Sheila House.
[1]
[4]
Her
M?ori
iwi
(tribal) affiliations are
Ng?ti Mutunga
,
Te ?tiawa
and
Ng?i Tahu
.
[5]
Career
[
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]
Acting
[
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]
House attended the New Zealand national drama school,
Toi Whakaari
, graduating in 1992.
[4]
She went into stage work with the
Pacific Underground Theatre
and the
Auckland Theatre Company
.
[4]
She has acted in several major productions that have toured nationally and internationally, including Hone Kouka's
Waiora
,
Carol Anne Duffy
's
The Worlds Wife
and the UK/New Zealand co-production of
Beauty and the Beast
.
[4]
In 1998 House made her screen debut in the short film
Queenie and Pete
.
[6]
In 2002 she appeared in the award-winning feature film
Whale Rider
.
In 2005 she became a series regular on
Maddigan's Quest
alongside a young
Rose McIver
.
In 2008 House appeared in Taika Waititi's first feature film,
Eagle vs Shark
.
She has gone on to become a regular collaborator with Waititi, appearing in his second film,
Boy
,
in 2010, and providing acting coach for the young actors on set.
[7]
In 2016 she appeared in Waititi's third film,
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
, and again provided acting coaching for the young lead
Julian Dennison
.
[8]
House voiced Gramma Tala in the 2016 Disney animated film
Moana
. In 2017, she played Grandmaster's bodyguard
Topaz
in
Thor: Ragnarok
. In 2019, she was one of the leading roles in
Bellbird
, a film that received several awards at several international film festivals. In 2020, she voiced Terry in the
Pixar
animated film
Soul
.
She plays one of the main roles in the Australian 2023 comedy drama series
Bay of Fires
, and in 2024 will reprise her role in the second season of the award-winning Netflix series
Heartbreak High
.
[9]
In response to her work in Australia, Bridget McManus of the
Sydney Morning Herald
wrote, "with her commanding presence and unmistakable New Zealand accent, Rachel House is a serial scene-stealer on Australian television and film."
[10]
Directing
[
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]
House has directed numerous theatrical performances, short films and a feature film released in 2024.
After graduating from drama school in 1992, House went on to direct theatrical performances, including
Have Car, Will Travel
by
Mitch Tawhi Thomas
in 2001 for which she won several awards.
[4]
In 2008 House studied directing at the
Prague Film School
in the
Czech Republic
. While there she made two short films,
Bravo
and
New Skirt
.
[4]
In 2010, she directed Kylie Meehan's short film
The Winter Boy,
produced by Hineani Melbourne for the
New Zealand Film Commission
's Premiere Shorts.
In 2012, House directed the
M?ori-language
version of Shakespeare's
Troilus and Cressida
,
Toroihi r?ua ko Kahira
, adapted by Te Haumihiata Mason and set in a classical M?ori and a pre-colonial M?ori world. It was performed as part of an international series at London's
Globe Theatre
. Other theatre directing work includes the award-winning production of
Hinepau
, which House also co-adapted from
Gavin Bishop
's original book and toured both nationally and internationally,
Neil La Bute
's
The Mercy Seat
and
Hui
by longtime collaborator
Mitch Tawhi Thomas
that premiered at the
Auckland Arts Festival
in 2013.
In 2016, House directed Auckland-based theatre company
Silo Theatre's
production of
Medea
,
[11]
a contemporary retelling of the
Euripides
myth created by Australian theatre-makers
Kate Mulvany
and
Anne-Louise Sarks
.
House has co-directed with Tweedie Waititi of
Matewa Media
for the M?ori language versions of
Disney
animated films
The Lion King
(2004) and
Moana
(2016).
[12]
In 2024, House's first feature film as a director premiered in Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Mountain
is "a heartfelt drama about three children on a mission to find healing under the watchful eye of Taranaki Mounga (Mountain) and discover friendship in the spirit of adventure".
[13]
Recognition
[
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]
In 1995, House won the "Most Promising Female Newcomer of the Year"
Chapman Tripp Theatre Award
for her one-woman show
Nga Pou Wahine
by
Briar Grace-Smith
.
[4]
In 2000 she won Most Outstanding Performance for her role in
Witi Ihimaera
's critically acclaimed play
Woman Far Walking
(as Tiriti, a 160-year-old woman)
[14]
and in 2003, Best Supporting Actress in
Henrik Ibsen
's
An Enemy of the People
.
[4]
House won the 2001 Director of the Year award at both the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and the
New Zealand Listener
Awards for her direction of
Mitch Tawhi Thomas
' play
Have Car Will Travel
.
[4]
She attended the
Prague Film School
in 2008 and was awarded Best Director and Best Film Audience Award for her two short films made while studying there
.
[4]
In 2012, she received the
New Zealand Arts Foundation's Laureate Award
, which is given as an investment in excellence across a range of art forms for an artist with prominence and outstanding potential for future growth. In the same year, she won Production of the Year and Director of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, for her direction of
Toroihi r?ua ko Kahira
.
[4]
In 2016, House received the WIFT (Women in Film & Television) NZ Mana W?hine Award for her prolific contribution to theatre and film, both in front of and behind the camera.
[15]
In the
2017 Queen's Birthday Honours
, House was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
for services to the performing arts.
[16]
In 2018, House was a joint winner with Professor Derek Lardelli of the Te Waipuna-?-Rangi Award for Arts and Entertainment at the Matariki Awards,
[17]
held by
Whakaata M?ori
(formerly M?ori TV).
Filmography
[
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]
Film
[
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Director
[
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Television
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Theatre
[
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Actor
[
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Director
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Awards
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Year
|
Award
|
Category
|
Work
|
Result
|
1995
|
Chapman Tripp Theatre Award
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Most Promising Female Newcomer
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Nga Pou Wahine
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Won
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1996
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Best Supporting Actress
|
King Lear
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Nominated
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2001
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Director of the Year
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Have Car Will Travel
|
Won
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New Zealand Listener Award
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Best Director
|
Won
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2002
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Chapman Tripp Theatre Award
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Outstanding Performance
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Woman Far Walking
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Won
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2003
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Best Supporting Actress
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An Enemy of the People
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Won
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2008
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Prague Film School
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Best Director
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Bravo
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Won
|
Prague Film School Audience Award
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Best Film
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New Skirt
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Won
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2010
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Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival
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Best Supporting Actress
|
Boy
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Won
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2012
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Chapman Tripp Theatre Award
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Director of the Year
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The M?ori Troilus and Cressida
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Won
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2012
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New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Award
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Won
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2016
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WIFT NZ Mana W?hine Award
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Won
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2018
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Te Waipuna-?-Rangi Award for Arts and Entertainment
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Entertainer of the Year
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|
Won
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References
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External links
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