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Rachel House
Rachel House
Rachel House
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Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House ONZM (born 20 October 1971) is a New Zealand actress and director. She is best known for her roles in the films of Taika Waititi. 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.

Key Information

Early life

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House was born 20 October 1971 in Auckland and raised in Kamo, Whangārei by her adoptive Scottish parents John and Sheila House.[1][2] Her Māori iwi (tribal) affiliations are Ngāti Mutunga, Te Ātiawa and Ngāi Tahu.[3]

Career

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Acting

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House attended the New Zealand national drama school, Toi Whakaari, graduating in 1992.[2] She went into stage work with the Pacific Underground Theatre and the Auckland Theatre Company.[2]

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.[2]

In 1998 House made her screen debut in the short film Queenie and Pete.[4] 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.[5] In 2016 she appeared in Waititi's third film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and again provided acting coaching for the young lead Julian Dennison.[6]

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.[7] 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."[8]

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 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.

As a voice actor, she is 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 Māori 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).

House was named as part of the cast for Stan Australia series Sunny Nights.[9]

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.[2]

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.[2]

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 Māori-language version of Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, 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. 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,[10] 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 Māori language versions of Disney animated films The Lion King (2004) and Moana (2016).[11]

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".[12][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.[2] 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.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2][where?]

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 rāua ko Kahira.[2]

In 2016, House received the WIFT (Women in Film and Television) NZ Mana Wāhine 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-ā-Rangi Award for Arts and Entertainment at the Matariki Awards,[17] held by Whakaata Māori (formerly Māori TV).

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2002 Whale Rider Shilo
2004 Fracture Taxi driver
2006 Perfect Creature Forensic woman
2007 Eagle vs Shark Nancy
2010 Boy Aunty Gracey Also acting coach[18]
2013 White Lies Maraea
2014 Everything We Loved TV reporter (voice)
The Dark Horse Vagrant woman
2016 Hunt for the Wilderpeople Paula Hall Director's intern and dialogue coach
The Rehearsal Rewia
Cradle System (voice) Short film[19]
Moana Gramma Tala (voice) English and Māori-language dubbings
2017 Thor: Ragnarok Topaz
2019 Bellbird Connie [20]
Jojo Rabbit American Soldier Deleted scene; also acting coach[21]
2020 Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) Patty
Penguin Bloom Gaye
Soul Terry (voice)
Baby Done Principal Mullins
2021 Cousins Missy
Rhys Darby: Mystic Time Bird The Shaman (voice) Recorded voice role[22]
Millie Lies Low Marlene [23]
Back to the Outback Jacinta (voice)
2023 The Portable Door Nienke Van Spee
Next Goal Wins Ruth
The Moon Is Upside Down Tuffy [24]
Coco Mamá Coco (voice) Māori-language dubbing[25]
2024 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Hampton
Moana 2 Gramma Tala (voice)
2025 A Minecraft Movie Malgosha (voice) [26]
Kangaroo Jesse
Zootopia 2 Gramma Taller (Voice) Cameo[27]

Director

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Year Title Notes
2008[2] Bravo Short film
New Skirt Short film
2010 The Winter Boy Short film[2]
2024 The Mountain

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Queenie and Pete Queenie
1998 Duggan Warder Introductory episode 2: "Sins of the Fathers"
Tiger Country Faenza Television movie
1999–2000 The Life and Times of Te Tutu Hine Core cast
2002 Mataku Rachel Season 1; episode 3: "Going to War"
Revelations – The Initial Journey Ocelot
2005 Ask Your Auntie Panelist
2006 Maddigan's Quest Goneril Core cast. 8 episodes
2011 Super City Roimata Season 1; 2 episodes
2013 The Blue Rose Tina 3 episodes
2014 Hope and Wire Joycie Waru Miniseries; 3 episodes
2014–2016 Soul Mates Mum Seasons 1 & 2; 10 episodes
2015 Find Me a Māori Bride Kuini Season 1; episode 2
2016 Wolf Creek Ruth Season 1; episode 2 & 6: "Kutyukutyu" and "Wolf Creek"
2018 Wrecked Martha Season 3; 7 episodes
2018, 2020 The New Legends of Monkey Monica / Demon Queen Hakuru Season 1 & 2; 7 episodes
2019 Sherwood Tui 7 episodes
Get Krack!n Sybill Rigg Season 2; episode 5
Over and Out Barbar Miniseries; episode 4
Aroha Bridge Whaea Bubbles Season 3; 6 episodes
The Lion Guard Mama Binturong (voice) Season 3; 6 episodes
2020 Stateless Harriet Miniseries; 6 episodes
2020–2021 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone Ms. Afeaki (voice) 11 episodes
2021 Cowboy Bebop Mao Main cast. 3 episodes
2021, 2023 Creamerie Doc Garvey Seasons 1 & 2; 8 episodes
2021–2024 What If...? Topaz (voice) Seasons 1–3; 3 episodes
2022 Amphibia Parisia (voice) Season 3; episode 12: "Olm Town Road"
2022–2023 Pinecone & Pony Gladys (voice) Recurring role. Seasons 1 & 2; 7 episodes
2022–2024 Heartbreak High Woodsy Recurring role. Seasons 1 & 2; 13 episodes
2023 Koala Man Janine / Louise (voice) Main role. 6 episodes
Bay of Fires Airini Season 1; 5 episodes
Foundation[28] Tellem Bond Season 2; 5 episodes
Our Flag Means Death [29] Mary Read Season 2; episode 4: "Fun and Games"
Kiff Mary Buns (voice) 4 episodes
100% Wolf: Book of Hath Ms. Afeaki (voice) 17 episodes
2024 Time Bandits Fianna 10 episodes
The Legend of Vox Machina [30] Dohla (voice) Season 3; episodes 3 & 5: "Vexations" and "The Frigid Doom"
2025 Sunny Nights Mony 7 episodes. Post-production

Theatre

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Actor

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Tales of the Pacific Various Pacific Underground Theatre
By Degrees Donna Auckland Theatre Company
Savage Hearts – Manawa Taua Various Theatre at Large
1995 Risky Risque Baby BATS Theatre
Nga Pou Wahine Various New Zealand Tour
The Maids Claire
Five Angels Carol / Api Centrepoint Theatre
1996 Waiora America New Zealand International Festival of the Arts
Waitapu Jackie New Zealand and Canadian Tour
King Lear Cordelia / Various Theatre at Large
1997 Waiora America New Zealand and UK Tour
Alice in Wonderland Various Bruce Mason Centre
Nga Pou Wahine New Zealand and Sydney – Australia Tour
1998 Beauty and the Beast New Zealand International Festival of the Arts
2000 Serial Killers Simone Circa Theatre
Woman Far Walking Tiriti New Zealand International Festival of the Arts
2001 New Zealand and Hawaiian Tour
2002 The World's Wife Various New Zealand International Festival of the Arts
The Bellbird Tapairu Auckland Theatre Company
South Pacific Bloody Mary Court Theatre
2003 Cherish Maeve Circa Theatre
An Enemy of the People
The World's Wife Various New Zealand Tour
2010 The Vagina Monologues The Basement Theatre
2013 White Rabbit, Red Rabbit Nassim Silo Theatre

Director

[edit]
Year Title Notes
2001 Have Car Will Travel Taki Rua
2002 Silo Theatre
2005 The Mercy Seat
Hinepau Capital E National Theatre for Children
2006 Australian Tour
2006–2007 Frangipani Perfume New Zealand; Brisbane, Australia; Cambridge, UK
2007 Wild Dogs Under My Skirt Auckland Festival
2009 Flintlock Musket STAMP at THE EDGE
2010 The Vagina Monologues The Basement Theatre[31]
2012 The Māori Troilus and Cressida Globe Theatre
2013 Hui Auckland Arts Festival and Silo Theatre
Don Ioane Pacific Institute of Performing Arts
2014 MISS.Understood
2016 Medea Silo Theatre

Awards

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Year Award Category Work Result
1995 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award Most Promising Female Newcomer Nga Pou Wahine Won
1996 Best Supporting Actress King Lear Nominated
2001 Director of the Year Have Car Will Travel Won
New Zealand Listener Award Best Director Won
2002 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award Outstanding Performance Woman Far Walking Won
2003 Best Supporting Actress An Enemy of the People Won
2008 Prague Film School Best Director Bravo Won
Prague Film School Audience Award Best Film New Skirt Won
2010 Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Boy Won
2012 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award Director of the Year The Māori Troilus and Cressida Won
New Zealand Arts Foundation Laureate Award Won
2016 WIFT NZ Mana Wāhine Award Won
2018 Te Waipuna-ā-Rangi Award for Arts and Entertainment Entertainer of the Year Won

References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Rachel House

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from Grokipedia
Rachel House is a New Zealand actress and director known for her supporting roles in films by director Taika Waititi and her voice work in major animated features. She gained international attention for voicing the grandmother Tala in Disney's Moana (2016) and has appeared in Waititi's Boy (2010) as Aunty Gracey, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) as Paula Hall (the Child Welfare Officer), and other projects. House has built a career across film, television, and theatre, often playing strong, memorable characters in New Zealand productions before expanding to Hollywood. Her performance as Paula Hall in Hunt for the Wilderpeople earned particular praise for its warmth and humor, contributing to the film's critical and commercial success. She played Topaz in live action in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and has continued to work in both live-action and voice roles. In addition to acting, House is active in New Zealand theatre as a performer and director, and she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017 for services to the performing arts. Her work has helped highlight Māori representation in mainstream cinema and animation.

Early life

Career

Early career in theatre and screen

Rachel House was born on October 20, 1971, in Auckland, New Zealand, and raised in Kamo, Whangārei, by her adoptive Scottish parents. She is of Māori descent and affiliates with the iwi Ngāti Mutunga, Te Ātiawa, and Ngāi Tahu. Her parents, who loved the arts, encouraged her participation in cultural activities, leading her to lessons in ballet, piano, and classical singing after unsuccessful attempts at sport, though drama proved the enduring interest. House graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1992 and immediately entered professional theatre, working with Pacific Underground Theatre and the Auckland Theatre Company, including in Roger Hall's play By Degrees. She earned recognition in 1995 as Most Promising Female Newcomer at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for her performance in Briar Grace-Smith's one-woman show Nga Pou Wahine. Over the following years, she appeared in numerous productions such as Manawa Taua/Savage Hearts, Waiora, Wit, Beauty and the Beast, and The Worlds Wife, with many touring nationally and internationally. Her screen debut came in the short film Queenie and Pete in 1996. House also began directing for the stage, notably helming Mitch Tawhi Thomas's Have Car, Will Travel in 2001, for which she won Director of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and Best Director in the New Zealand Listener awards. This early work in theatre laid the foundation for her multifaceted career in acting and directing.

Breakthrough roles and Taika Waititi collaborations

Her collaboration with director Taika Waititi began with his debut feature Eagle vs Shark (2007), where she played Nancy. This partnership grew into a recurring professional relationship, with House appearing in multiple Waititi-directed films and contributing behind the scenes as an acting coach, particularly for child performers. In Boy (2010), she portrayed the Child Welfare Officer while stepping in as acting coach for the child actors after the regular coach became unavailable, an experience that pushed her beyond her comfort zone as she balanced performing, coaching, and chaperoning duties. She reprised similar multifaceted roles on Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), playing Aunt Bella while serving as dialogue coach and director's intern. House appeared as Topaz, one of the Grandmaster's enforcers, in Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok (2017), describing the familiar dynamic with Waititi as making the large-scale Marvel production feel more comfortable and home-like despite its scale. She had a small role as an American Soldier in a deleted scene from Jojo Rabbit (2019) and worked as acting coach for lead child actor Roman Griffin Davis. Her most recent collaboration with Waititi was in Next Goal Wins (2023), where she played Ruth. Waititi frequently enlisted House to coach young actors on his projects, a role she has described as natural and familial given their shared Māori heritage and long-standing connection. This coaching experience extended beyond Waititi's films to projects directed by Jane Campion, including Top of the Lake (2017) and The Power of the Dog (2021). These collaborations with Waititi have had a profound impact, helping elevate Māori and New Zealand Indigenous stories to international audiences and normalizing their presence on screen in ways House credits as healing and celebratory. She has called Waititi's influence fundamental and immeasurable in advancing Indigenous representation through powerful storytelling.

Voice acting

Rachel House has earned acclaim for her voice acting in animated features and series, frequently contributing to projects that amplify Indigenous representation on screen. She is best known for voicing Gramma Tala in Disney's Moana (2016), a role she performed in both the English-language original and the Māori-language version, which she also co-directed alongside Matewa Media. She reprised the role for Moana 2 (2024). House voiced the character Terry in Pixar's Soul (2020), bringing her distinctive style to the animated afterlife administrator. In the Marvel animated series What If...? she voiced Topaz across three episodes from 2021 to 2024. Her additional voice credits include Mama Binturong in The Lion Guard, a role in Amphibia, Mary Buns in Kiff, characters in 100% Wolf and Koala Man, as well as upcoming roles as Gramma Taller in Zootopia 2 (2025) and Malgosha in A Minecraft Movie (2025). Beyond performing, House has co-directed Māori-language versions of Disney films in partnership with Matewa Media, including The Lion King and Moana, facilitating the integration of te reo Māori into major animated releases. Her involvement in these projects has been notable for promoting Māori language and cultural presence in global animation, helping to preserve and showcase Indigenous voices within mainstream family entertainment.

Television and recent film work

Rachel House has featured prominently in television series and live-action films throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, often in Australian and international productions. In television, she portrayed Woodsy in the Netflix series Heartbreak High from 2022 to 2024, appearing in 13 episodes. She played Airini, a formidable federal agent, in the 2023 Australian series Bay of Fires, appearing in 5 episodes; House described the character as well-drawn, formidable, and ultimately good-hearted. That same year, she took the role of Tellem Bond in Apple TV+'s Foundation, appearing in 5 episodes, with filming taking place in Prague, highlighting her involvement in large-scale international projects. She also guest-starred as Mary Read in one episode of HBO Max's Our Flag Means Death in 2023. In recent live-action films, House appeared as Connie in the 2019 New Zealand drama Bellbird, as Gaye, an empathetic kayaking instructor, in Penguin Bloom (2020), as Missy in Cousins (2021), as Tuffy in The Moon Is Upside Down (2023), and as Hampton in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024).

Directing

Rachel House began her directing career in theatre, making an early impact with her 2001 production of Mitch Tawhi Thomas's Have Car, Will Travel, which earned her Director of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and Best Director in the New Zealand Listener awards. She went on to direct and co-adapt Gavin Bishop's Hinepau for the stage in 2005–2006, a work that toured throughout Aotearoa and Australia. In 2016, she directed Silo Theatre's contemporary adaptation of Medea, a production noted for its use of young actors and fresh perspective on the classic myth. House expanded into international theatre directing with her co-direction (with Jamus Webster) of the Māori-language adaptation Toroihi rāua ko Kahira (Troilus and Cressida) at Shakespeare's Globe in 2012, a landmark production that brought te reo Māori to a global stage and highlighted her commitment to Indigenous storytelling. Her work consistently uplifted Māori and Pasifika voices, including directing plays by writers such as Tusiata Avia (Wild Dogs under my Skirt) and Makerita Urale (Frangipani Perfume), the latter touring internationally to Canada, Brisbane's Festival of the Dreaming, and the Cambridge Festival. In film, House studied directing at the Prague Film School in 2008, where she directed the short films Bravo (winning Best Director) and New Skirt (winning the audience award for Best Film). She followed with the 2010 short The Winter Boy, written by Kylie Meehan and produced by Hineani Melbourne for the New Zealand Film Commission's Premiere Shorts initiative, which screened at festivals including the New Zealand Film Festival, Créteil International Women's Film Festival, and Hawaii International Film Festival. House has also contributed to Māori-language adaptations of Disney animated films, directing performances for the te reo Māori version of Moana (Te Reo Moana) and serving as performance director for the Māori version of The Lion King. These projects marked significant efforts to preserve and promote te reo Māori through mainstream storytelling. Her feature directorial debut came with The Mountain (2024), a drama centered on three children who find friendship and healing while trekking up Taranaki Mounga; House adapted the original script to infuse Māori characters, perspectives, and themes of cultural identity and reconnection with the land, emphasizing the living presence of the mounga as a source of strength. The film reflects her longstanding focus on uplifting Indigenous voices and storytelling across her directing work.

Awards and honours

In the 2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours, Rachel House was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to film and theatre.
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