Rima Te Wiata | |
|---|---|
 Te Wiata in 2017 | |
| Born | 11 October 1963 London, UK |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, comedian and stage, film, and television actress |
| Years active | 1986−present |
Heather Rima Te Wiata MNZM (born 11 October 1963) is a British-born New Zealand singer, comedian and stage, film and television actress. [1] [2]
Te Wiata was born in London, the only child of opera singer Inia Te Wiata and actress Beryl Te Wiata, on 11 October 1963. [3] [4] She is of the Ngāti Raukawa tribe. [5] Her father died when she was eight years old, and she and her mother returned to New Zealand two years later. [1] They settled in Auckland, where Te Wiata attended Epsom Girls' Grammar School. [5]
Te Wiata first appeared on stage in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at Auckland's Mercury Theatre, and later attended the New Zealand Drama School. [6] After graduating in 1983, [7] she went on a six month national tour, singing in Footrot Flats. [1]
She made her screen debut in 1986 on the long-running Australian soap Sons and Daughters, playing the role of Janice Reid for two years. On her return to New Zealand she appeared in a number of television series including Shortland Street , the police drama Shark in the Park, comedies The Billy T James Show and Porters, and sketch shows Laughinz,Issues and More Issues. [1] [8] Her roles in these sketch shows were written by David McPhail, Jon Gadsby and A. K. Grant and included impersonations of politician and future Prime Minister Helen Clark and newsreader Judy Bailey. The show won her the Viewers' Choice Most Popular Female on TV Award for two consecutive years, before she left the series in 1992. [1]
Te Wiata next spent two years working on the Australian sketch comedy show Full Frontal and also began appearing in films, including Send a Gorilla (1988), Cops and Robbers (1993), Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows Up another Obelisk (1995) and Via Satellite (1998).
Te Wiata's stage appearances have included starring roles as Sally Bowles in Cabaret , Lady Macbeth in Macbeth , the voice of the cannibalistic singing plant in Little Shop of Horrors and directing and acting in The Vagina Monologues in Dunedin.
In 2014 she appeared in horror comedy Housebound and in 2016 in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. [1]
In 2017, Te Wiata starred in season two of the podcast Within the Wires portraying artist and historian Roimata Mangakāhia. [9]
In 2023 she appeared in four episodes of season 2 of The Wheel of Time . [1]
Te Wiata has also released a self-titled jazz album, and toured with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. [1]
In 2016, Te Wiata won the New Zealand Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. [10] In the 2017 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to film and television. [1]
In October 2019 she was presented with a Scroll of Honour from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand for her contribution to New Zealand entertainment.
Lucille Frances Lawless is a New Zealand actress. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, and Lucretia in the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and associated series. Since 2019, she has starred as Alexa in the television series My Life Is Murder.
William James Te Wehi Taitoko, better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and was a household name during his lifetime.
New Zealand humour bears some similarities to the body of humour of many other English-speaking countries. There are, however, several regional differences.
Epsom Girls Grammar School is a state secondary school for girls ranging from years 9 to 13 in Auckland, New Zealand. It has a roll of 2,200 as of 2024, including a number of boarders who live in nearby Epsom House, making it one of the largest schools in New Zealand.
Olivia Tennet is a New Zealand actress and dancer best known in her home country for her role as Tuesday Warner on the nightly medical drama Shortland Street, along with several roles in television and theatre. Outside of New Zealand, she is best known for her roles in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Power Rangers RPM (2009), and the independent film Blood Punch (2013).
Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy, devised, and musical theatre. Her screen credits include the 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man, the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal.
Ngāti Raukawa is a Māori iwi with traditional bases in the Waikato, Taupō and Manawatu/Horowhenua regions of New Zealand. In 2006, 29,418 Māori registered their affiliation with Ngāti Raukawa.
Inia Morehu Tauhia Watene Iarahi Waihurihia Te Wiata was a New Zealand Māori bass-baritone opera singer, film actor, kaiwhakairo (carver) and artist.
Toi whakairo or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone.
Show Boat is a studio recording of the 1927 musical Show Boat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. The album was recorded in the summer of 1959 at the No.1 studio, Abbey Road, London, and issued by the 'His Master's Voice' label, a subsidiary of EMI, which was run at this time by Norman Newell. It features a cast that was formed for this recording only; this cast did not perform the show live in any theatre production.
Nancy Brunning was a New Zealand actress, director, and writer who won awards in film and television and made a major contribution to the growth of Māori in the arts. She won the best actress award at the New Zealand Film Awards for her lead role in the film What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999). In 2000, she won the Best Actress in Drama award at the New Zealand Television Awards for her lead role in the television series Nga Tohu.
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.
Rose Matafeo is a New Zealand comedian, actress and TV presenter. She was a writer and performer on the New Zealand late-night comedy sketch show Funny Girls. In 2018, she won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her show Horndog.
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.
Hens' Teeth Women's Comedy Company is a woman-only comedy troupe based in Wellington, New Zealand founded in 1988.
Beryl Margaret Te Wiata was a New Zealand actor, author, and scriptwriter.
Elisabeth Easther is a New Zealand actor, broadcaster, journalist and playwright. She played Carla Crozier on New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street from May 1995 to July 1996, and has since had a varied career in television, radio, journalism and playwriting. Her play Seed won the Adam NZ Play Award for Best Play in 2014.
Te Wiata is a Māori surname that may refer to the following notable people:
Miriama McDowell is a New Zealand actor, director and playwright. She is a graduate of Toi Whakaari.
Rose Beauchamp was a New Zealand puppeteer, actress, musician, and member of the Red Mole and Hens' Teeth theatre companies.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
