Taika David Cohen ONZM (born August 16, 1975) is a New Zealand director, actor, and comedian best known as Taika Waititi. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award and has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) were the highest-grossing New Zealand films. Time magazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people in its annual list in 2022.
In addition to directing and producing the comedy series Our Flag Means Death, Waititi co-created, and executive produces the dramedy series Reservation Dogs.
He not only voiced the character IG-11 in The Mandalorian, but he also directed an episode of the show for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.
Taika Waititi’s Early Life
Taika David Cohen was born on August 16, 1975, in Raukokore, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand’s North Island, and grew up on both the East Coast and in Wellington’s Aro Valley. His father was a Te Whanau—Apanui artist, and his mother, Robin Cohen, was a schoolteacher.
Waititi’s mother’s family were Russian Jews “mixed with a touch of Irish” and other European ancestors, while his father’s family were “Mori with a little bit of French Canadian.” Waititi identifies as a “Polynesian Jew.” He was raised in a household where Judaism was not “actively practiced”; therefore, he felt more linked to his Mori heritage.
Waititi’s parents divorced when he was just five years old, and he was reared mainly by his mother. He attended Onslow College before studying drama at Victoria University of Wellington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1997.
Initially, he used his mother’s surname, Cohen, for his work in film and writing and his father’s, Waititi, for his work in visual arts. He continued to utilize Waititi professionally after the success of his debut short film.
Taika Waititi’s Career
Waititi made his cinematic debut in the 1999 New Zealand film “Scarfies” and later appeared in the movie “Snakeskin” (2001), as well as the TV series “The Strip” (2002), “The Tribe” (2002), “Revelations” (2003), and “Freaky” (2004). (2003).
Taika wrote and directed the 2002 short film “John and Pogo,” which was followed by “Two Cars, One Night” in 2004 and “Tama T” and “What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires” in 2005.
Waititi’s first feature film, “Eagle versus Shark,” starred Jemaine Clement; he also played Gordon in the movie. “Boy,” his second feature film, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
New Zealand series “Wellington Paranormal.” Taika co-wrote, co-directed, and featured in “What We Do in the Shadows,” a 2014 vampire mockumentary that received multiple accolades and produced an American spin-off television series of the same name. Waititi played Alamein in the film, and he played Thomas Kalmaku in “Green Lantern” in 2011.
Waititi wrote and directed the 2016 feature picture “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” in which he also starred. He wrote, directed, and produced the short films “Team Thor” (2016) and “Team Thor: Part 2” (2017), and he directed “Thor: Ragnarok,” the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2017.
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Taika created “The Breaker Upperers” in 2018, then wrote, directed, produced, and performed in “Jojo Rabbit,” for which he received an Oscar. That same year, he led an episode of “The Mandalorian” and went on to write and direct “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
Waititi was cast as Blackbeard in the HBO series “Our Flag Means Death” in May 2021, alongside his “What We Do in the Shadows” co-star Rhys Darby. He is also committed to two Netflix animated programs based on Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with one focusing on the Oompa-Loompas.
Taika Waititi’s Net Worth
A director, writer, comedian, actor, and painter from New Zealand, Taika Waititi has a $13 million net worth. Waititi also wrote and directed the blockbuster Marvel film “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), which brought in $854 million at the box office.
He also wrote and directed the feature films “Eagle vs. Shark” (2007), “Boy” (2010), “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014), “And Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2016), and “Jojo Rabbit” (2019).
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Taika Waititi’s Personal Life
Waititi was in a ten-year romance with New Zealand actor and writer Loren Horsley. In 2011, Waititi married New Zealand film producer Chelsea Winstanley.
They have two children. In 2018, he and Winstanley divorced. Waititi has been in a relationship with British singer Rita Ora since 2021.
Waititi infuses his Mori and Indigenous background into his projects by integrating “Indigenous attachments” and holding a Welcome to Country ceremony on-site in Australia.
He is an executive producer on three New Zealand films directed by Mori or Indigenous filmmakers: The Breaker Upperers (2018), Baby Done (2020), and Night Raiders (2021).
Taika Waititi’s Awards and Nominations
In addition to earning nominations for Best Short Film, Live Action for “Two Cars, One Night,” and Best Motion Picture of the Year for “Jojo Rabbit,” Waititi has been nominated for three Academy Awards. In 2020, “Jojo Rabbit” will win Best Adapted Screenplay.
He has been nominated for two Primetime Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for “The Mandalorian” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” respectively.
The “Jojo Rabbit” film also brought him a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media and accolades from the Leeds International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Aspen Filmfest, and CinEuphoria Awards.
He has won awards for the “Jojo Rabbit” screenplay from the BAFTA Awards, AACTA International Awards, Hollywood Critics Association, Online Association of Female Film Critics, and Writers Guild of America.
Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Hermosillo International Film Festival, Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Titanic International Film Festival, Torino Film Festival, and Warsaw International Film Festival all presented Taika Awards for “What We Do in the Shadows.”
He has received five New Zealand Film and TV Awards: Best Director for “Hunt for the Wilderpeople,” Best Director in a Feature Film, Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film, and Best Screenplay for a Feature Film for “Boy.”
He also received Achievement in Directing in Film for “Eagle vs. Shark” and Best Director for “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Additionally, Waititi has received honors from the AFI Fest (“Two Cars, One Night” and “Boy”), Amiens International Film Festival (“Two Cars, One Night”), Aspen Shortsfest (“Two Cars, One Night” and “Tama Tu”), Berlin International Film Festival (“Two Cars, One Night,” “Tama Tu,” and “Boy”).
Frequently Asked Questions
Taika Waititi Changed His Name for What Reason?
He began by using his mother’s last name, Cohen, for his literary and cinema projects and his father’s last name, Waititi, for his work in the visual arts. He kept using Waititi for work after the success of his debut short film.
Is Taika Waititi a Stripper or a Prostitute?
Waititi was only an actor in an Australian television series called The Strip, playing a stripper. His reaction was one of disappointment.
Is Taika Waititi an Adopted Child?
Waititi’s parents were a Mori artist and a Russian Jewish teacher. He spent much of his boyhood in Wellington, New Zealand, with frequent visits to his father’s home in Raukokore.