Rachel Griffiths | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Griffiths in 2012 | |
| Born | Rachel Anne Griffiths (1968-12-18)December 18, 1968 (age 57) |
| Education | Star of the Sea College Rusden College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Full list |
Rachel Anne Griffiths (born December 18, 1968) is an Australian actress. Raised primarily inMelbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian seriesSecrets before being cast in a supporting role in the comedyMuriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her anAACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 1997, she was the lead inNadia Tass's dramaAmy, followed by her portrayal ofHilary du Pré inHilary and Jackie (1998), for which she received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
From 2001 to 2005, Griffiths portrayed massage therapistBrenda Chenowith in theHBO seriesSix Feet Under, for which she earned aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2002 and twoPrimetime Emmy Award nominations. She subsequently appeared on television asSarah Walker Laurent on theABC drama seriesBrothers & Sisters from 2006 to 2011, for which she was nominated for two additionalPrimetime Emmy Awards.
She has also had roles in the filmsBlow (2001), portraying the mother ofGeorge Jung; the historical dramaNed Kelly (2003);Step Up (2006), and theJulian Assange television biopicUnderground: The Julian Assange Story (2012). In 2016, she appeared in a supporting role inMel Gibson's biographical war dramaHacksaw Ridge, and in the docudrama miniseriesWhen We Rise, written byDustin Lance Black.
Onstage, Griffiths appeared in a Melbourne-based production ofProof in 2002, which earned her aHelpmann Award, and later made herBroadway debut in a 2011 critically acclaimed production ofOther Desert Cities. In addition to acting, she made her directorial debut with the short filmTulip in 1998, and directed several episodes of the Australian television seriesNowhere Boys in 2015.
Griffiths was born on December 18, 1968, inMelbourne, Australia, and spent her early childhood on theGold Coast. She is the daughter of Anna and Edward Martin Griffiths.[1] She has two older brothers, Ben and Samuel.[2][3] She moved to Melbourne at age five, with her mother and brothers. Griffiths was raisedRoman Catholic.[4][3] She recalled first being inspired to become an actress after watching the American miniseriesRoots as a child.[5]
Griffiths attendedStar of the Sea College, a Catholic girls' high school in Brighton.[6] She earned aBachelor of Education degree in drama and dance atVictoria College, Rusden(now part ofDeakin University[7]).[8] After being rejected from theNational Institute of Dramatic Art, Griffiths joined the Woolly Jumpers, aGeelong-basedcommunity theatre group.[9] In 1991, she wrote and performed the one-woman showBarbie Gets Hip, which played at theMelbourne Fringe Festival in 1991.[10]
Griffiths portrayed Rhonda Epinstall, the best friend ofToni Collette's titular character, in the 1994 filmMuriel's Wedding.[11] Her performance won her critical acclaim and both theAustralian Film Critics Award and theAustralian Film Institute Awards for Best Supporting Actress. She followed in 1996 with the role of an earthy, ill-mannered pig farmer's daughter inMichael Winterbottom'sJude.
In 1997, Griffiths sparked controversy after showing up uninvited at the opening of theCrown Melbourne inMelbourne, Australia. She was topless when she showed up at the new integrated resort. She stated a wish to protest the views taken by the media and state government towards the new casino, inspired by the story ofLady Godiva.[12][13]
Griffiths joined forces again withMuriel's Wedding directorP. J. Hogan for her American film debut,My Best Friend's Wedding, in 1997. That same year she starred inMy Son the Fanatic, a British film in which she portrayed a toughYorkshireprostitute who becomes involved with a considerably older Pakistani taxicab driver, played byOm Puri. Griffiths received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actress for her portrayal of real-life flautistHilary du Pré oppositeEmily Watson as her sister, famed cellistJacqueline "Jackie" du Pre, inHilary and Jackie (1998).[10] After the release ofHilary and Jackie, Griffiths was cast in the starring role in the Australian comedyMe Myself I (1999).[10]
In 2001, Griffiths appeared oppositeNatasha Richardson in the English comedyBlow Dry,[14] playing alesbian hairdresser who enters a hairstyling competition with her lover, followed by theTed Demme-directedBlow (2001) oppositeJohnny Depp andRay Liotta, in which she played the mother of Boston cocaine magnateGeorge Jung.[15] Nick Nunziata ofIGN was critical of Griffiths' performance in the film, writing: "the only performance that doesn't ring true is that of Rachel Griffiths as Jung's mother...she just doesn't connect."[15]
The same year Griffiths appeared inBlow, she was cast as one of the leads in the HBO drama seriesSix Feet Under. Her performance as emotionally scarredmassage therapist,Brenda Chenowith, earned herGolden Globe[16] andScreen Actors Guild Awards,[17][18] as well as twoEmmy Award nominations[19] over the series' five season-run. In the third season, she missed four episodes due to her first pregnancy; her second pregnancy was written into the show's final season and she appeared in almost every episode of the series.[20]
While starring onSix Feet Under, Griffiths continued to occasionally appear in the films, playing the supportive housewife ofDennis Quaid in theWalt Disney dramaThe Rookie (2002), and in the Australian biopicNed Kelly (2003), oppositeHeath Ledger,Geoffrey Rush, andOrlando Bloom.[21] In the spring of 2002,[22] she appeared in a Melbourne production ofProof by the American playwrightDavid Auburn, for which she earned aHelpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Play.[23]In 2004, she played a key role in the Hallmark film adaptation of the Kent Haruf novel Plainsong.In 2006, she became part of the ensemble cast, co-starring alongsideSally Field,Calista Flockhart,Balthazar Getty andMatthew Rhys, of the dramatic seriesBrothers & Sisters, in which she portraysSarah Walker, who inherits control of the family business after her father's death. Griffiths received a 2007Emmy nomination and a 2008 Emmy nomination for her work on the series,[24] followed by 2008 and 2009 Golden Globe nominations.[16] Griffiths starred on the series until its conclusion in 2011. Additionally, she appeared as Inez Scull in the 2008 miniseries adaptation ofLarry McMurtry'sComanche Moon.[25]
Griffiths made herBroadway debut inOther Desert Cities,[26] directed byJoe Mantello and co-starringJudith Light,Stockard Channing, andStacy Keach, which began previews on 10 October 2011, opening on 3 November 2011 inManhattan.[27][28] David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter praised both Griffith's performance as well as the overall production, writing: "[The play] has acquired a riveting center in the raw performance of Rachel Griffiths, who makes a knockout New York stage debut. With discreet adjustments to the text and more penetrating characterizations all around from the sterling cast, the balance between comedy and intense family drama has been fine-tuned in richly satisfying ways".[29] Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times deemed her performance "a beautifully modulated Broadway debut".[30]
In 2012, Griffiths returned to live in her native Australia, after having lived and worked in the United States for a decade.[31] She expressed a desire to work less and spend more time with her children after having worked what she described as "80-hour-weeks" while appearing onSix Feet Under andBrothers & Sisters.[31]
In November 2013,The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Griffiths was to playJulia Gillard in a television drama based on the book,The Stalking of Julia Gillard byKerry-Anne Walsh.[32] But the project stalled as the proposal for the film was rejected by the Australian television networks.[33][34]
In 2015, she made her debut as a television director when she directed three episodes of the second series of the Australian teen dramaNowhere Boys.[35][36]
In 2016, Griffiths was cast oppositeGuy Pearce andMary-Louise Parker in the American miniseriesWhen We Rise, a docudrama focusing onLGBT rights, in which she portrays a nurse during theHIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.[37] The same year, she appeared in a supporting part oppositeHugo Weaving in theMel Gibson-directed war dramaHacksaw Ridge,[38] which earned her anAACTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[39] In 2018, she appears in theSBS thriller miniseriesDead Lucky, which was sold for American distribution to the streaming serviceSundanceNow in April 2018.[40]
In 2020, Griffiths starred in theAmazon Prime television show,The Wilds, as Gretchen Klein.
In 2023, Griffiths was announced as the lead role for New Zealand comedy-drama seriesMadam.[41]
In 2024, Griffiths appeared in the final season of ABC political dramaTotal Control, after appearing in the two previous seasons, she also served as executive producer on the 3 series show..[42]
In 2017, Griffiths worked promoting the "No Robe" campaign for the Art Series Hotels, which invited hotel guests to pose for nude portraits in their rooms and have them brought to life by artists.[43] She also serves on the board of the Sydney Contemporary art fair.[44]
Griffiths married Australian artistAndrew Taylor on 31 December 2002 in the chapel of her high school,Star of the Sea College, in Melbourne.[45][9] In 2003, she and Taylor had a son, followed by a daughter in 2005. In 2009, she gave birth to her third child inLos Angeles;[46] Griffiths suffered aruptured uterus giving birth.[47] She spent a total of three days undergoing surgery and recovered from the condition.[48]
In 2002, Griffiths stated she was anatheist.[49] However, in a 2015 interview, she revealed she was again a practising Catholic, the faith in which she was raised.[50] In 2017, she spoke out in favour ofsame-sex marriage in Australia.[4] She has also supported the Global Charter of Basic Rights campaign forOxfam Australia.[10] She considers herself afeminist.[5]
After having lived and worked in the United States for nearly a decade while appearing on the seriesSix Feet Under andBrothers & Sisters, Griffiths returned to live in her native Australia in 2012.[31]Griffiths became aMember of the Order of Australia in theAustralia Day Honours in 2020.[51]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Muriel's Wedding | Rhonda Epinstall | |
| 1996 | Così | Lucy | |
| Jude | Arabella | ||
| Children of the Revolution | Anna | ||
| To Have & to Hold | Kate | ||
| 1997 | Welcome to Woop Woop | Sylvia | |
| My Son the Fanatic | Bettina/Sandra | ||
| My Best Friend's Wedding | Samantha Newhouse | ||
| 1998 | Among Giants | Gerry | |
| Hilary and Jackie | Hilary du Pré | ||
| Amy | Tanya Rammus | ||
| Divorcing Jack | Lee Cooper | ||
| 1999 | Me Myself I | Pamela Drury | |
| 2001 | Very Annie Mary | Annie Mary Pugh | |
| Blow | Ermine Jung | ||
| Blow Dry | Sandra | ||
| 2002 | The Rookie | Lorri Morris | |
| The Hard Word | Carol | ||
| The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina | Albertine Sparrow | Voice | |
| 2003 | Ned Kelly | Susan Scott | |
| 2006 | Step Up | Director Gordan | |
| 2009 | Beautiful Kate | Sally | |
| 2011 | Burning Man | Miriam | |
| 2012 | Butterflies | Claire | Voice; short film |
| 2013 | Patrick | Matron Cassidy | |
| Saving Mr. Banks | Helen "Ellie" Morehead | ||
| 2016 | Mammal | Margaret | |
| Hacksaw Ridge | Bertha Doss | ||
| The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One | General Lynex | ||
| 2017 | Don't Tell | Joy Conolly | |
| 2022 | The King's Daughter | Abbess | Filmed in 2014 |
| 2023 | Anyone But You | Innie | |
| Bring Him to Me | Veronica |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Secrets | Sarah Foster | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 1994 | Jimeoin | Various | Recurring role, 8 episodes |
| 1995 | Police Rescue | Shelley | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Since You've Been Gone | Sally Zalinsky | Television film |
| 2001–2005 | Six Feet Under | Brenda Chenowith | Main role, 60 episodes |
| 2004 | Plainsong | Maggie Jonas | Television film |
| 2005 | Angel Rodriguez | Nicole | |
| 2006–2011 | Brothers & Sisters | Sarah Walker | Main role, 109 episodes |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Inez Scull | Miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Rake | Eddie Langhorn | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Underground: The Julian Assange Story | Christine Assange | Television film |
| 2013 | Paper Giants: Magazine Wars | Dulcie Boling | Miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Camp | MacKenzie Granger | Main role, 10 episodes | |
| 2014 | House Husbands | Belle | Main role, 7 episodes |
| 2016 | Indian Summers | Sirene | 3 episodes |
| Barracuda | Samantha Taylor | 4 episodes | |
| 2017 | When We Rise | Diane Jones | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Dead Lucky | Grace Gibbs | |
| 2019–2021, 2024 | Total Control | Rachel Anderson | Main role, 18 episodes |
| 2020 | The Wilds | Gretchen Klein | |
| 2021 | Aftertaste | Margot | Main role, 12 episodes |
| 2022 | Bali 2002 | Dr Fiona Wood | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Madam | McKenzie Leigh | Main role: 10 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Suffering: Ties That Bind | Jordan |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tulip | Short film; Also writer |
| 2015 | Nowhere Boys | Series 2, 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Ride Like a Girl | Also producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Macbett | Victoria College Rusden Campus Drama | [22] | |
| 1988 | Two Gentlemen of Verona | [22] | ||
| The Inspector | [22] | |||
| 1989 | A Chaste Maid in Cheapside | [22] | ||
| 1990 | A Fantasy in Three Dreams | [22] | ||
| 1991 | Skin Deep | [22] | ||
| Barbie Gets Hip | Also writer; one-woman show performed atMelbourne Fringe Festival | [10] | ||
| 1992 | Wednesday | With theatre group The Woolly Jumpers, Melbourne | [22] | |
| 1994 | The Grapes of Wrath | Melbourne Theatre Company | [52] | |
| The Sisters Rosensweig | [22] | |||
| 1996–97 | Sylvia | Sylvia | [53] | |
| 1998 | A Doll's House | Nora | [54] | |
| 2002 | Proof | Catherine | [55] | |
| 2011–12 | Other Desert Cities | Brooke Wyeth | Broadway debut; 261 performances | [56] |
| 2012 | 8 | Exclusive two night-run; readings in Melbourne and Sydney | [22] |
Griffiths has received nominations formultiple awards. In 1994, her role in the comedy-drama filmMuriel's Wedding (1994) saw her nominated for theAACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She received an additional fiveAACTA nominations: three forBest Actress in a Leading Role forAmy (1997),Me Myself I (2000) andThe Hard Word (2002); and two more for Best Actress in a Supporting Role forBeautiful Kate (2009) andHacksaw Ridge (2016). Of these six nominations, she won two awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role forMuriel's Wedding and Best Actress in a Supporting Role forBeautiful Kate.
Achieving further success overseas, Griffiths was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress in1999 for her role in the biographical filmHilary and Jackie (1998). This performance made her theseventh Australian woman to be nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category. She has also been nominated for twoBAFTA Awards, fourGolden Globe Awards (winning one forSix Feet Under), fourPrimetime Emmy Awards and sixScreen Actors Guild Awards (winning two forSix Feet Under).
