Jemaine Clement facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jemaine Clement
Clement in 2024
Born	Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (1974-01-10) 10 January 1974 (age 51) Masterton, New Zealand
Other names	Hiphopopotamus, J-Dog, Mad Dog
Education	Victoria University of Wellington (BA)
Occupation	Actor comedian musician filmmaker
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Miranda Manasiadis ​ ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	1
Musical career
Genres	Comedy folk acoustic
Instruments	Bass guitar guitar percussion keyboards ukulele omnichord drums flute xylophone accordion vocals
Labels	Sub Pop
Comedy career
Medium	Stand-up film television music theatre books
Genres	Observational comedy satire black comedy self-deprecation musical comedy cringe comedy deadpan
Subject(s)	New Zealand culture race relations

Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) 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 TV series titled Flight of the Conchords for both the BBC and HBO, for which he received six Primetime Emmy nominations.

He has had featured parts in films such as Eagle vs Shark (2007), Gentlemen Broncos (2009), Men in Black 3 (2012), People Places Things (2015), Humor Me (2017), The Festival (2018) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). He has also done voice-work for Despicable Me (2010), Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014), Moana (2016) and The Lego Batman Movie (2017). In 2014, he made his directorial debut with What We Do in the Shadows, which he also co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in with Taika Waititi, and later adapted into a show for the FX television series What We Do in the Shadows.

Early life

Clement was born on 10 January 1974 in Masterton in the Wairarapa, and was raised there in a working-class family by his mother and grandmother Maikara with his two brothers. Clement is Ngāti Kahungunu through his mother, and a direct descendant of the rangatira Iraia Te Ama-o-te-rangi Te Whaiti, who is his tīpuna as his great-great-great grandfather. His Pākehā father, Robert, left the family when Clement was a child. Jemaine would later reconnect with his father as an adult and now enjoys a "strong and loving" relationship with him.

Clement’s mother and grandmother were strong influences on him as a child, inspiring his sense of humour. Despite having a strong connection to his Māori ethnicity through visiting relatives regularly on trips to various marae, bans on the Māori language being spoken in schools meant Clement grew up in an almost entirely English-speaking environment. He has talked of his regrets about this and has emotionally spoken of the abuse his grandmother suffered at school for speaking te reo Māori.

He attended Makoura College in Masterton. After finishing school he moved to Wellington, where he studied drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington. There he met Taika Waititi, with whom he went on to form So You're a Man and The Humourbeasts. In 2004, the Humourbeasts toured New Zealand in a stage show titled The Untold Tales of Maui, a reworking of the traditional Maori legends of Māui. The duo received New Zealand's highest comedy honour, the Billy T Award. During his time in university, he also met Bret McKenzie, with whom he performed in Edinburgh, thus forming Flight of the Conchords.

Career

Music

Clement in 2010

Clement and McKenzie have toured internationally and released four CDs: Folk the World Tour in 2002, The Distant Future EP in 2007 (winner of 2008 Grammy for Best Comedy Album), Flight of the Conchords in 2008 and I Told You I Was Freaky in 2009. In 2005 the Conchords produced Flight of the Conchords, a six-part comedy radio programme on BBC Radio 2. They appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show. The Conchords were offered their own 12-part HBO series, Flight of the Conchords, which was based on their earlier BBC radio series. Its first season ran from June to September 2007, and was renewed for a second season, which aired on HBO in the US from January to March 2009. In December 2009, the Conchords announced the show would not have a third season.

Film and television

Clement has appeared in several feature films. His debut was in the kung fu comedy Tongan Ninja, directed by New Zealander Jason Stutter. He has worked with Stutter on two more films to date: the low budget ghost comedy Diagnosis: Death and the drama Predicament, based on the book by late New Zealand novelist Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Clement also has a role in American comedy Gentlemen Broncos, directed by Napoleon Dynamite's Jared Hess. This role landed him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Though Gentlemen Broncos was almost universally panned by critics, some singled out Clement's performance for praise. In 2010, he voiced Jerry in Despicable Me and appeared in the film Dinner for Schmucks. In 2011, he voiced Nigel in Rio, and in 2012 he appeared as the primary antagonist Boris the Animal in Men in Black 3. In 2012, Jemaine co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in a vampire mockumentary titled What We Do in the Shadows with Taika Waititi. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 19 January 2014. He also reprised his role as Nigel in Rio 2.

Clement has starred in television commercials internationally and provided voiceovers for many others in New Zealand. On 5 February 2006, Outback Steakhouse began running a series of television commercials starring Clement during Super Bowl XL in which Clement pretends to be Australian and feigns an Australian accent. One of the long-running gags of Flight of the Conchords is the traditional rivalry between New Zealand and Australia and the differences between their accents. The campaign ended in July 2006.

Clement has been involved in award-winning radio work. In 1999, Clement was a Radio Awards Winner as writer for Trashed, for Channel Z, Wellington. In 2000, he was given a Special Radio Awards Commendation for The Sunglass Store.

Besides his television work on Flight of the Conchords, Clement was a writer and cast member of the television shows Skitz and Tellylaughs in New Zealand. Clement, with fellow Conchord member Bret McKenzie, guest starred as a pair of camp counselors in "Elementary School Musical", the season premiere of the 22nd season of The Simpsons, which aired on 26 September 2010.

Clement at Fantastic Fest in 2009

Clement also played the role of a prisoner in a Russian gulag in the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted, a sequel to The Muppets (2011).

In 2016, Clement lent his voice to Tamatoa, a giant coconut crab, in the Disney animated film Moana, both in English, and the Māori dub. He based the character's voice on that of David Bowie.

In 2017, Clement played Oliver Bird in the FX TV series Legion. He also voiced Sauron in The Lego Batman Movie. In 2019, Clement played the role of a musician in the Belgian film Patrick.

Personal life

Clement's family did not have a car when he was a boy, and as a result he has never learned to drive. In August 2008, Clement married his longtime girlfriend, theatre actress and playwright Miranda Manasiadis. Their son, Sophocles Iraia, was born in October 2008 in New York City and is named after Manasiadis's Greek great-grandfather Sophocles, and Clement's ancestor Iraia Te Ama-o-te-rangi Te Whaiti. They live in Wellington.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Ninja, TonganTongan Ninja	Fighter (Marvin), ActionAction Fighter (Marvin)	Also writer
2004	Attraction, FutileFutile Attraction	, EditorEditor
2007	vs Shark, EagleEagle vs Shark	, JarrodJarrod
2009	Broncos, GentlemenGentlemen Broncos	Chevalier, RonaldRonald Chevalier	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
	Death, Diagnosis:Diagnosis: Death	Olyphant, GarfieldGarfield Olyphant
2010	Me, DespicableDespicable Me	the Minion, JerryJerry the Minion	Voice role
	, PredicamentPredicament	, SpookSpook
	for Schmucks, DinnerDinner for Schmucks	Vollard, KieranKieran Vollard
2011	, RioRio	, NigelNigel	Voice role; Nominated — Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production
2012	in Black 3, MenMen in Black 3	the Animal, BorisBoris the Animal	Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain
	Rhys Darby: This Way to the Spaceship	Spaceship	Recorded voice role
2014	We Do in the Shadows, WhatWhat We Do in the Shadows	, VladislavVladislav	Also director, writer and co-producer
	Most Wanted, MuppetsMuppets Most Wanted	King, PrisonPrison King	Cameo appearance
	, Rio 2Rio 2	, NigelNigel	Voice role
2015	Places Things, PeoplePeople Places Things	Henry, WillWill Henry
2016	& Clank, RatchetRatchet & Clank	Wannamaker, DallasDallas Wannamaker	Voice role
	BFG, TheThe BFG	Fleshlumpeater, TheThe Fleshlumpeater	Voice and motion capture
	, MoanaMoana	, TamatoaTamatoa	Voice role; also voiced the character in the 2017 Māori dub
2017	Lego Batman Movie, TheThe Lego Batman Movie	, SauronSauron	Voice role
	Me, HumorHumor Me	Kroll, NateNate Kroll
	Status, Brad'sBrad's Status	Wearsiter, BillyBilly Wearsiter
2018	Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, AnAn Evening with Beverly Luff Linn	Keith Threadener, ColinColin Keith Threadener
	Breaker Upperers, TheThe Breaker Upperers	Date, TinderTinder Date	Cameo appearance
	Festival, TheThe Festival	, RobinRobin
2019	, PatrickPatrick	, DustinDustin
2020	Used to Go Here, II Used to Go Here	Kirkpatrick, DavidDavid Kirkpatrick
2022	Go, Don't Make MeDon't Make Me Go	Angelo, DaleDale Angelo	Streaming film
	of Super-Pets, DC LeagueDC League of Super-Pets	, AquamanAquaman	Voice role
	The Way of Water, Avatar:Avatar: The Way of Water	Garvin, Dr. IanDr. Ian Garvin
2023	The Moon Is Upside Down	MacIntosh
2024	Thelma the Unicorn	Diamond, VicVic Diamond	Voice role; streaming film
	Harold and the Purple Crayon	, GaryGary
	Moana 2	, TamatoaTamatoa	Voice cameo; Mid-credits scene
2025	A Minecraft Movie		Post-production
	M3GAN 2.0		Post-production
	Avatar: Fire and Ash	Garvin, Dr. IanDr. Ian Garvin	Post-production
	Wildwood	Rex, OwlOwl Rex	Voice role; in production
TBA	I, Object	TBA	Post-production
	Rogue Trooper		Post-production
	Avatar 4	Garvin, Dr. IanDr. Ian Garvin	Pre-production

Theater

Television

Discography

Radio

Awards and nominations