Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House (born 20 October 1971) is a New Zealand actress, comedian, director and acting coach.

Early life

House was born in 1971 in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

and was raised in

Kamo The name Kamo may refer to the following: Places Japan (Note: ''kamo'' ( 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that character.) *Kamo, Ni ...

, Whangarei, by her adoptive Scottish parents John and Sheila House. She is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

(

Ngāti Mutunga Ngāti Mutunga is a Māori iwi (tribe) of New Zealand, whose original tribal lands were in north Taranaki. They migrated from Taranaki, first to Wellington (with Ngāti Toa and other Taranaki Hāpu), and then to the Chatham Islands (along wit ...

and

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...

) and European descent.

Career

Acting

House attended the New Zealand national drama school, Toi Whakaari, graduating in 1992. From here she went into stage work with Pacific Underground Theatre and

Auckland Theatre Company Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) is a professional theatre company in Auckland. It was founded in 1992 and since 2016 has been based in ASB Waterfront Theatre in the Wynyard Quarter in central Auckland. History Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) w ...

. In 1995, she won the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award Most Promising Female Newcomer of the Year Award for her performance in the one-woman show ''Nga Pou Wahine'' by

Briar Grace-Smith Briar Grace-Smith is a screenwriter, director, actor, and short story writer from New Zealand. She has worked as an actor and writer with the Maori theatre cooperative Te Ohu Whakaari and Maori theatre company He Ara Hou. Early plays ''Don't Ca ...

. This was followed by other awards in 2000 (Most Outstanding Performance) for

Witi Ihimaera Witi Tame Ihimaera-Smiler (; born 7 February 1944) is a New Zealand author. Raised in the small town of Waituhi, he decided to become a writer as a teenager after being convinced that Māori people were ignored or mischaracterised in litera ...

's critically acclaimed ''Woman Far Walking'' (in which she played the key role of Tiriti, a 160-year-old woman) and 2003 (Best Supporting Actress) in

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...

's ''An Enemy of the People''. She has acted in several major productions that have toured both nationally and internationally, including Hone Kouka's ''

Waiora Waiora is a trio of indigenous Māori musicians from New Zealand. The three members of Waiora are Horomona Horo, Korey Atama, and Joshua Henare Rogers. The musical performances of Waiora are centred upon the ancient cultural practices of the M ...

'',

Carol Anne Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. She was the first ...

's ''The Worlds Wife'' and the UK/New Zealand co-production of ''Beauty and the Beast''. House's film work has included roles in '' Whale Rider'', '' Eagle vs Shark'', '' Boy'', and '' White Lies''. Her television appearances include '' Maddigan's Quest'' and

Gaylene Preston Dame Gaylene Mary Preston (born 1 June 1947) is a New Zealand filmmaker with a particular interest in documentary films. Early life and family Born in Greymouth on 1 June 1947, Preston was educated at Colenso High School (now William Colenso Co ...

's series ''Hope and Wire''. Jason Buchanan of the Rovi corporation says of her "While she may not necessarily possess traditional Hollywood good looks, House has an undeniably distinct persona onscreen and exhibits just the kind of charisma that could prove the foundation for an enduring career." In 2016, House appeared in

Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at ...

's feature film ''

Hunt for the Wilderpeople ''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'' is a 2016 New Zealand adventure comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, whose screenplay was based on the book ''Wild Pork and Watercress'' by Barry Crump. Sam Neill and Julian Dennison play "Uncle ...

''. The film became the top grossing New Zealand film of all time at the New Zealand box office. House voiced the character of Gramma Tala in the 2016 Disney animated film '' Moana''. In 2017, she played Grandmaster's bodyguard

Topaz Topaz is a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine with the chemical formula Al Si O( F, OH). It is used as a gemstone in jewelry and other adornments. Common topaz in its natural state is colorless, though trace element impurities can mak ...

in '' Thor: Ragnarok''. In 2020, she provided the voice of Terry in the

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...

animated film ''

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

''. House is a frequent collaborator of director Taika Waititi, acting in four of his films (''Eagle vs Shark'', ''Boy'', ''Hunt for the Wilderpeople'', ''Thor: Ragnarok'') while also serving as acting coach for the young actors on ''Boy'', ''Hunt for the'' ''Wilderpeople'' and ''Jojo Rabbit''. She also worked as acting coach in ''Everything We Loved'', '' The Dark Horse'', ''The Rehearsal'' and the second season of the series '' Top of the Lake''.

Directing

House has directed several theatrical performances, winning the 2001 Director of the Year award at both the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and the ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

'' Awards for her direction of Mitch Tawhi Thomas' play ''Have Car Will Travel''. House 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''.'' In 2010, House directed Kylie Meehan's short film ''The Winter Boy,'' produced by Hineani Melbourne for the

New Zealand Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amended ...

's Premiere Shorts. In 2012, House directed the Māori-language version of Shakespeare's ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Me ...

'', ''Toroihi rāua ko Kahira,'' adapted by Te Haumihiata Mason and set in a classical Māori and a pre-colonial Māori world. It was performed as part of an international series at London's

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and ...

. For this she was awarded Production of the Year and Director of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. Other theatre directing work includes the award-winning production of ''Hinepau'', which House also co-adapted from

Gavin Bishop Gavin John Bishop (born 1946) is an author and illustrator, from Invercargill, New Zealand. He is known for illustrating books from prominent New Zealand authors, including Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy. Bishop's first published picture book was ...

'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'', a contemporary retelling of the

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars ...

myth created by Australian theatre-makers

Kate Mulvany Kate Mulvany (born 24 February 1977) is an Australian actress, playwright and screenwriter. She works in theatre, television and film, with roles in '' Hunters '' (2020–2023), ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013), '' Griff the Invisible'' (2010) and ...

and

Anne-Louise Sarks Anne-Louise Sarks is an Australian theatre director, writer and actor. She has been the Artistic Director of the Melbourne Theatre Company since October 2021. Her partner is journalist Sean Kelly. Career Studies and early work Sarks studied ...

Achievements

In 2012, House 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 2016, House received the WIFT (Women in Film & Television) NZ Mana Wāhine Award for her prolific contribution to theatre and film, both in front of and behind the camera. In the

2017 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

, House was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...

for services to the performing arts.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Actor

Director

Awards

References

External links

* *
Rachel House
, The Arts Foundation. Retrieved 22 June 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:House, Rachel 1971 births Living people 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses New Zealand adoptees New Zealand film actresses New Zealand television actresses New Zealand Māori actresses Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand people of Scottish descent People from the Northland Region Ngāi Tahu people Ngāti Mutunga people People from Auckland Toi Whakaari alumni