Taika Waititi | |
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 Waititi at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Taika David Cohen 16 August 1975 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Education | Victoria University of Wellington (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Works | Filmography |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Signature | |
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Taika David Cohen ONZM (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi (/ˈtaɪkə ˈwaɪtɪti/ TY-kə WY-tee-tee),[1] is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. He is known for directing quirky comedy films and has expanded his career as a voice actor and producer on numerous projects. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing New Zealand film.[2][3] Waititi's 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. He co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with Jemaine Clement, which was adapted into a television series of the same name in 2019. The series has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
His directing credits include the superhero films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) as well as the black comedy film Jojo Rabbit (2019), the last of which he also wrote and starred in as an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler. Jojo Rabbit received six Academy Award nominations and won Best Adapted Screenplay. Waititi also earned a Grammy Award for producing the film's soundtrack.
In television, Waititi co-created and produced the dramedy series Reservation Dogs, and directed, produced, and starred in the comedy Our Flag Means Death. In addition to directing an episode of the series The Mandalorian, he also voiced the character IG-11, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.
- ^ Murphy, Mekado (15 July 2022). "'Thor: Love and Thunder' | Anatomy of a Scene". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ Churchouse, Nick (24 April 2010). "Home Boy hit helps keep local cameras rolling". The Dominion Post. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ Gardiner, Irene (9 June 2016). "What are New Zealand's top five grossing local films of all time?". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.