Rhys Darby | |
---|---|
Born | Rhys Montague Darby 21 March 1974 |
Occupations | |
Years active | 1996–present |
Spouse | Rosie Carnahan (m. 2004) |
Children | 2 |
Website | rhysdarby |
Rhys Montague Darby (born 21 March 1974) [1] [2] is a New Zealand actor and comedian, known for his energetic physical comedy routines, telling stories accompanied with mime and sound effects [3] of things such as machinery and animals. [4] He was nominated for the Billy T Award in 2001 and 2002. [5] He also won the 2012 Fred (Dagg) award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, for best NZ show. [6]
Darby is best known for playing Murray Hewitt, the band manager of Flight of the Conchords in the television series, a role he originally played in the BBC radio series under the name Brian Nesbit. [7] He has appeared in films such as Yes Man (2008), The Boat That Rocked (2009), Love Birds (2011), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Trolls (2016), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Guns Akimbo (2019), Relax, I'm from the Future (2022), and Next Goal Wins (2023). Starting March 2022, he starred as Stede Bonnet alongside Taika Waititi in the HBO Max period romantic comedy series Our Flag Means Death . [8]
Darby was born in Auckland and was brought up in the suburb of Pakuranga. He attended Edgewater College. [9] A former soldier (signaller trained in morse code), he left the New Zealand Army in 1994 and began studies at the University of Canterbury. [10] In 1996 he formed a comedy duo, Rhysently Granted, with Grant Lobban. [11] After winning an open mic contest at Southern Blues Bar in Christchurch, he began performing at local venues. [12]
Rhysently Granted performed at two international comedy festivals which led to Darby moving back to Auckland to seek more solo stand-up experience. [13] After performing his first solo show at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Darby moved to the UK to pursue his career further. [5]
In 2004 he appeared in the Flight of the Conchords BBC radio series as the band's manager Brian Nesbit alongside comedy stars such as Rob Brydon, Andy Parsons and Jimmy Carr. [7] Darby's character was renamed to Murray Hewitt, the band's manager, for the Flight of the Conchords TV show. He provided vocals for the track "Leggy Blonde" on their self-titled first album and also in the second series of the show on the track "Rejected" during the episode "A Good Opportunity" alongside tenor Andrew Drost. [14]
Darby played the role of Norman, the boss of Jim Carrey's character in Yes Man . [15] In July 2008 he appeared in a Nike advertisement featuring Roger Federer; he played an impostor posing as Federer's coach. [16] [17] [ dead link ]
He appeared on a British children's television programme The Slammer during its first series. He also appeared in several advertisements for New Zealand mobile phone company 2degrees. He appeared on Soccer AM on 18 October 2008 and on Never Mind The Buzzcocks on 23 October. The DVD of his live performance Imagine That! has gone platinum in New Zealand.[ citation needed ]
Rhys Darby's hair colour is self-described as Electric Copper in the episode of Flight of the Conchords entitled Murray Takes It to the Next Level . He refers to this in his stand-up show It's Rhys Darby Night which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6–15 August 2009, [18] The Bloomsbury Theatre in London from 27 July – 1 August and toured around New Zealand with in October and November that year.
Darby played the role of Angus in the Richard Curtis film The Boat That Rocked [19] released in the UK on 1 April 2009. This film was released in some countries in November 2009 under the name Pirate Radio. [20]
In 2009, while home in New Zealand, he began filming TV ads for NZ's new mobile network 2degrees and appearing in NZ shows Rocked the Nation 2, Jaquie Brown Diaries and Intrepid Journeys. He has also branched out into producing live comedy with his wife and their company Awesomeness International. At the NZ International Comedy Festival they produced shows for local comedians. Darby became a climate ambassador for Greenpeace in its Sign On climate campaign [21] and published a poem and video in support of the campaign. [22]
In 2009 Darby became a part of the New Zealand TV ONE series Intrepid Journeys , Season 5, touring Rwanda. On 10 August 2010, Entertainment Weekly claimed that Darby was in consideration for a role in the television series The Office after Steve Carell left at the end of the 2011 season; however, this did not materialise. [23]
In May 2011, he also filmed a pilot for a Channel 4 sitcom in the UK, The Fun Police. [24] The pilot was broadcast on 16 September. In 2011, Darby and family moved to the US for Darby to take a role in the CBS sitcom How to Be a Gentleman . [25] Darby's second DVD It's Rhys Darby Night! was released in NZ on 12 December 2011. [20]
He wrote a self-described "autobiographical space novel" entitled This Way to Spaceship, which was released on 12 April 2012. On 20 May 2012, Darby was awarded the Fred Award by the New Zealand International Comedy Festival for his show of the same name as his book. [6]
In 2013, he was responsible for flying 'Cornish rappers' Hedluv + Passman to New Zealand for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. [26] This was followed by an appearance on Seven Sharp , where he introduced 'his rappers' [26] to the New Zealand public. [27]
Since 2013, Darby has co-hosted the cryptozoology-focused podcast The Cryptid Factor with Dan Schreiber, David Farrier and producer Leon 'Buttons' Kirkbeck. [28]
Darby climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in July 2013 as part of a World Vision team of celebrities that included Olympian Mahé Drysdale and musician Boh Runga. On 8 November 2013, Darby made an appearance and performed some standup comedy in his capacity as second guest on the Late Show with David Letterman . He portrayed Anton in the 2014 release comedy horror film What We Do in the Shadows . [29]
As of July 2014, Darby and his family reside in Los Angeles, California. [30]
In February 2016, he played Guy Mann in the third episode ("Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster") of season 10 of The X-Files . Darby, a long-time fan of the show, was thrilled by his experience on set. He saw this as an opportunity that only comes around every so often and said he'd return to the set the first chance he received. [31]
In 2018, Darby participated in a video together with Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern as part of a tourism campaign for the country in which they discussed why New Zealand was being excluded from world maps so frequently. [32] Darby appeared on the panel show Patriot Brains in 2021.
In 2022, he starred in the HBO Max show Our Flag Means Death as pirate Stede Bonnet. Our Flag Means Death received praise for its LGBT representation, [33] in part due to the romantic relationship between Bonnet and Blackbeard, played by co-star Taika Waititi. [34]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Yes Man | Norman "Norm" Stokes | |
2009 | The Boat That Rocked | Angus Nutsford | Titled Pirate Radio in North America |
Diagnosis: Death | Specialist | ||
Peacock Season | Galtrex Guy | ||
2011 | Coming & Going | Lee Leonetti | |
Love Birds | Doug | ||
Arthur Christmas | Lead Elf | Voice | |
2014 | What We Do in the Shadows | Anton | |
2016 | Hunt for the Wilderpeople | Psycho Sam | |
Trolls | Bibbly | Voice [35] | |
2017 | Killing Hasselhoff | Fish | |
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | Nigel Billingsley | ||
2019 | Guns Akimbo | Glenjamin | |
Mosley | Deaver | Voice [35] | |
Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans | The Master of Games | Voice [36] [35] | |
Jumanji: The Next Level | Nigel Billingsley | ||
2020 | 100% Wolf | Foxwell Cripp | Voice [35] |
2022 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie | Hypno-Potamus | Voice [37] [35] |
Relax, I'm from the Future | Casper | ||
2023 | Next Goal Wins | Rhys Marlin | |
Uproar | Madigan |
Years | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Who's Ya Mate? | Multiple | Television film |
2007–2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Murray Hewitt | 22 episodes |
2008 | Yo Gabba Gabba | Himself | 1 episode |
2009 | The Jaquie Brown Diaries | Terence Ben'et | 1 episode |
Comedy Showcase: The Amazing Dermot | Dermot Flint | ||
2010 | Radiradirah | Gavin Hoode, First Officer Rangi | 3 episodes |
2011 | How to Be a Gentleman | Mike | 9 episodes |
Comedy Showcase: The Fun Police | Leslie | ||
2012 | Missing Christmas | Dennis Gob | Television film [35] |
Jake and the Never Land Pirates | Percy | ||
Life Stinks | Connor | Miniseries | |
The Skinner Boys: Live at Mingara NSW | Professor Tinkerpuff | Television stage show | |
QI | Guest panellist | Episode: "Justice" | |
2013 | How I Met Your Mother | Hamish | 1 episode |
Watsky's Releasing an Album | Flynn | 3 episodes | |
The Aquabats! Super Show! | The Shark Fighter | ||
Tiny Commando | Tony Turk | Voice, 2 episodes | |
Keep Calm and Karey On | Television film | ||
2014 | Legit | Trevor | 1 episode |
Short Poppies | Various characters | ||
Modern Family | Fergus Anderson | 1 episode | |
Comedy Bang! Bang! | Uncle Deckard | ||
Hot in Cleveland | Jack | 3 episodes | |
The Millers | Martin | Episode: "CON-Troversy" | |
It's a Date | Craig | 1 episode | |
2015–2016 | Thunderbirds Are Go | Langstrom Fischler | Voice, 3 episodes [38] [35] |
2015 | Life in Pieces | Teddy | 2 episodes |
2016 | The X-Files | Guy Mann | Episode: "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" |
The Barefoot Bandits | Dennis Gobb, Billy Bob Gobb | Voice [35] | |
2016–2019 | Mike Tyson Mysteries | Terry | Voice, 2 episodes [35] |
2016–2018 | Wrecked | Steve | Regular |
Voltron: Legendary Defender | Coran | Voice, 27 episodes [35] | |
2017 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | Charles | 2 episodes |
Fresh Off the Boat | Tony Wonder | Episode: "Living While Eddie" | |
Dr. Ken | Charles Evans | Episode: "Ken and the CEO" | |
The Lion Guard | Mwenzi | Voice, episode: "Ono the Tickbird" [35] | |
Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Stevahn Rabren | Episode: "Dean's Legacy" | |
Milo Murphy's Law | King Pistashion | Voice, episode: "Missing Milo" | |
We Bare Bears | Kyle | Voice, episode: "Kyle" | |
The Jim Jefferies Show | Jacko | Episode: "America’s Opioid Epidemic" | |
Welcome to the Wayne | Isthotep | Voice, episode: "Flutch" [35] | |
2017–2023 | Bob's Burgers | Duncan / Quincy Cox | Voice, 3 episodes [35] |
2018 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Hypno-Potamus / Mezmer-Ron | Voice, recurring role [35] |
Skylanders Academy | Crash Bandicoot | Voice, 2 episodes (Season 3) | |
The Simpsons | Tag Tuckerbag | Voice, episode: "Heartbreak Hotel" [39] | |
The Venture Bros | H.E.L.P.eR. Model Two | Voice, episode: "The Inamorata Consequence" [35] | |
2018–2019 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Eddie | Voice, 5 episodes [35] |
2019–2020 | Infinity Train | Randall | Voice, 4 episodes [35] |
2019–2020 | Carmen Sandiego | Neal the Eel | Voice, 2 episodes [35] |
2020 | Big City Greens | Life Guard | Voice, episode: "Shark Objects" |
Moominvalley | Mysterious Fisherman | Voice, 3 episodes | |
The Big Fib | C.L.I.V.E. | 30 episodes | |
The Boss Baby: Back in Business | Happy Sedengry | Voice, 3 episodes | |
2021 | Wellington Paranormal | Anton-Park Ranger | Episode: "Te Maero" |
The Great North | Denny the Snowflake | Voice, episode: "Game of Snownes" | |
Sweet Tooth | Hazmat #2 | Episode: "Big Man" | |
2022 | Pacific Rim: The Black | Bunyip Man | Voice, episode: "The Never Never" |
Home Economics | Monroe Davies | Episode: "Book Deal, Terms Negotiable" | |
Action Pack | Mr. Villainman | 2 episodes [35] | |
2022–2023 | Our Flag Means Death | Stede Bonnet | Main Role, 18 episodes |
2023 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Krabby Patty | Voice, episode: "My Friend Patty" |
Kiff | Trollie | Voice, 2 episodes [35] | |
Curses! | Stanley | Main role | |
2024 | Night Court | Alistair Tully, The Duke of Greybog | season 2 episode 12 "The Duke's a Hazard" |
Year | Title |
---|---|
2001–2002 | Billy T Award |
2005 | Mighty Truck of Stuff |
2006 | The Slammer |
2007–2008 | Sounds Like a Laugh |
2008 | Yo Gabba Gabba! |
2008 | The Comedy Store Live |
2009 | Rocked the Nation 2: 100 NZ Pop Culture Moments |
2009 | Spicks and Specks |
2009 | Thank God You're Here |
2009 | ROVE |
2009 | Intrepid Journeys |
2009–2012 | 7 Days |
2010 | The Qantas TV and Film Awards |
2011 | A Quiet Word With ... |
2011 | The Rob Brydon Show |
2012 | Mad Mad World |
2012 | Sunday Brunch |
2012 | The Comedy Marathon Spectacular |
2012 | QI |
2013–2017 | @midnight |
2013 | Late Show with David Letterman |
2014 | No, You Shut Up! |
2016 | The Café |
2016–2017 | Whose Line is it Anyway? Australia |
2021 | The Masked Singer NZ |
2021 | Patriot Brains |
Year | Title | Voice role |
---|---|---|
2017 | Voltron VR Chronicles | Coran |
2018 | Dr. Grordbort's Invaders | Gimble |
2019 | Jumanji: The Video Game | Nigel Billingsley [35] |
2020 | Half-Life: Alyx | Russell [40] [35] |
2020 | Fortnite | Chapter 2, Season 3 Battle Pass voiceover |
2023 | Jumanji: Wild Adventures | Nigel Billingsley [35] |
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | Peabody Awards | Entertainment | Our Flag Means Death | Nominated | [41] |
New Zealand cinema can refer to films made by New Zealand-based production companies in New Zealand. However, it may also refer to films made about New Zealand by filmmakers from other countries. Due to the comparatively small size of its film industry, New Zealand produces many films that are co-financed by overseas companies.
New Zealand humour bears some similarities to the body of humour of many other English-speaking countries. There are, however, several regional differences.
Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of the self-titled BBC radio series (2005) and, subsequently, the HBO American television series (2007–2009). Most recently, they released the HBO comedy special Live in London in 2018. The special was concurrently released by Sub Pop as their fifth album.
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a New Zealand musician, comedian, music supervisor, and actor. He is best known as one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement. In the 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an oft-lauded American television series, which aired for two seasons on HBO. Active since 1998, the duo released their most recent comedy special, Live in London, in 2018.
Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the same name for both the BBC and HBO, for which he received six Primetime Emmy nominations.
Taika David Cohen, known professionally as Taika Waititi, 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, as well as two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
Two Cars, One Night is a 2003 New Zealand short film written and directed by Taika Waititi.
Flight of the Conchords is an American sitcom that was first shown on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of a struggling two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, who also perform as real-life musical comedy act Flight of the Conchords. In the series, they play fictionalised versions of themselves and their band. A second season was announced on August 17, 2007 and shown from January 18, 2009. On December 11, 2009, the duo announced that the series was not going to be returning for a third season.
Coco Solid is an emcee, writer, artist, director and producer. She is of Māori, Pacific and German heritage. Her musical style is a mixture of hip hop, disco and electronica. She created the animated television series Aroha Bridge.
Radiradirah was a New Zealand comedy sketch show that originally aired from 21 May to 9 July 2010, with a total of 8 episodes.
Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House 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 for her contributions as an actor and director.
What We Do in the Shadows is a 2014 New Zealand mockumentary horror comedy film written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi and the first installment in the What We Do in the Shadows franchise. The film also stars Clement and Waititi, along with Jonathan Brugh, Ben Fransham, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, and Jackie van Beek. The film's plot concerns several vampires who live together in a flat in Wellington.
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" Hector and Ricky Baker; a father figure and foster son who become the targets of a manhunt after fleeing into the New Zealand bush. Carthew Neal, Leanne Saunders, Matt Noonan, and Waititi produced the film.
Chelsea Jane Winstanley is a New Zealand film producer. She produces short films and documentaries which celebrate Indigenous peoples. She also produced the films What We Do in the Shadows and Jojo Rabbit.
David Jenkins is an American pirate historian, television writer, producer, director, and showrunner. He created the sitcoms Our Flag Means Death for HBO Max and People of Earth for TBS.
Jonathan Brugh, also known as Jonny Brugh, is a New Zealand comedian, actor, and musician. He is best known for his work in What We Do in the Shadows (2014). In the 1990s he was part of the comic duo Sugar and Spice.
Wellington Paranormal is a New Zealand mockumentary comedy horror television series which first aired on 11 July 2018 on TVNZ 2. The series is a spin-off of the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows and first television series in the franchise, and its lead characters—Officers Minogue and O'Leary—first appeared in the film as a pair of incurious police officers.
Next Goal Wins is a 2023 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Taika Waititi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Iain Morris. It is based on the 2014 documentary of the same name by Mike Brett and Steve Jamison about Dutch-American coach Thomas Rongen's efforts to lead the American Samoa national football team, considered one of the weakest soccer teams in the world, to qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The film stars Michael Fassbender as Rongen, alongside Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Will Arnett, and Elisabeth Moss.
Our Flag Means Death is an American period romantic comedy television series created by David Jenkins. Set in the early 18th century during the Golden Age of Piracy, the series follows the misadventures of gentleman-turned-pirate Stede Bonnet and his crew aboard the Revenge as they try to make a name for themselves as pirates and cross paths with famed pirate captain Blackbeard.
Taika Waititi is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor and comedian. Waititi began his film career in the early 2000s by directing short films. His short film Two Cars, One Night (2003) got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. His first feature film, Eagle vs Shark, was released in 2007. Waititi's second film, Boy (2010) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.