Rachel House

Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House (born 20 October 1971) 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 (Matariki Awards) for her contributions as an actor and director.

House was born 20 October 1971 in Auckland and raised in Kamo, Whangarei by her adoptive Scottish parents John and Sheila House.

Her Māori iwi (tribal) affiliations are Ngāti Mutunga, Te Ātiawa and Ngāi Tahu.

House attended the New Zealand national drama school, Toi Whakaari, graduating in 1992.

She went into stage work with the Pacific Underground Theatre and the Auckland Theatre Company.

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.

House's film work has included roles in Whale Rider, Eagle vs Shark, Boy, and White Lies.

Her television appearances include Maddigan's Quest and Gaylene Preston's series Hope and Wire.

Jason Buchanan of the Rovi corporation wrote: "While she may not necessarily possess traditional Hollywood good looks, House has an undeniably distinct persona onscreen and exhibits just the kind of charisma that could prove the foundation for an enduring career."

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.

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) and in 2003, Best Supporting Actress in Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People.

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.

She is best known for her roles in the films Whale Rider (2002), Boy (2010), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Penguin Bloom (2020), Cousins, Millie Lies Low and The Moon is Upside Down (all 2021), Next Goal Wins and The Portable Door (both 2023).

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 2 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.

In 2008 House received praise for her directing on two short films at Prague Film School, receiving the award for Best Director and the Best Film Audience Award.

Her directorial debut feature, The Mountain, will premiere in Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand in 2024.

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.

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.

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.

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.

House is also a distinctive voice actor, 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).

In 2016, House appeared in Taika Waititi's feature film Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

It became the top grossing New Zealand film of all time at the New Zealand box office.

House voiced Gramma Tala in the 2016 Disney animated film Moana.

In 2016, House directed Auckland-based theatre company Silo Theatre's production of Medea, a contemporary retelling of the Euripides myth created by Australian theatre-makers Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks.

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.

House is a frequent collaborator of director Taika Waititi, appearing in his films Eagle vs Shark, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, and serving as acting coach for the young actors on Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Jojo Rabbit.

She was also an acting coach for Everything We Loved, The Dark Horse, The Rehearsal and the second season of the series Top of the Lake.

House has directed several theatrical performances.