Keisha Castle-Hughes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keisha Castle-Hughes
Castle-Hughes in 2019
Born	(1990-03-24) 24 March 1990 (age 35) Donnybrook, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	New Zealand (from 2001)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Morrison ​ ​ (m. 2013; div. 2016)​ Donny Grahamer ​ (m. 2021)​
Partner(s)	Bradley Hull (2003–2010)
Children	2

Keisha Castle-Hughes was born on March 24, 1990, and is a talented actress from New Zealand. She first started acting in the movie Whale Rider in 2002. For her amazing performance in that film, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. This made her one of the youngest people ever to be nominated in that category! She has also appeared in other movies like The Nativity Story (2006) and Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger (2008). Later, she became well-known for her roles in popular TV shows such as Game of Thrones and FBI: Most Wanted.

Early Life and Education

Keisha Castle-Hughes was born in 1990 in Donnybrook, Western Australia, Australia. Her mother, Desrae Hughes, is from the Māori people of New Zealand, with family ties to the Ngāti Porou, Tainui, and Ngāpuhi tribes. Her father, Tim Castle, is Anglo-Australian. When Keisha was four years old, her family moved to Auckland, New Zealand. She became a New Zealand citizen in 2001. Keisha went to Penrose High School and later graduated from the Senior College of New Zealand in Auckland.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting with Whale Rider

In 2002, Keisha Castle-Hughes made her first movie appearance in Whale Rider. She played the main character, Paikea Apirana, also known as Pai. Before this movie, she had no acting experience at all! She went straight from her school in Auckland to the film set in New Zealand in late 2001. Critics praised her performance, and in 2004, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Even though she didn't win the award (it went to Charlize Theron), at just 13 years old, she became the youngest person nominated in that category at the time. She was also one of the first Indigenous actresses to receive an Oscar nomination.

Joining the Academy and Other Roles

After Whale Rider, Keisha appeared in Prince's music video for "Cinnamon Girl" and was featured in Vanity Fair magazine. In 2004, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the group that gives out the Oscars.

In 2005, Keisha had a small role as Queen Apailana in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. In 2006, she played the important role of the Virgin Mary in The Nativity Story. A critic from The New York Times said she played the character with great calm and intelligence, showing Mary as a thoughtful teenager facing a huge responsibility.

In 2008, Keisha appeared in the Australian comedy-drama film Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger. She also worked again with New Zealand director Niki Caro on the film The Vintner's Luck, which premiered in 2009.

Television and Recent Work

Keisha Castle-Hughes also starred in the Japanese horror film Vampire in 2011. She had a recurring role as Axl's flatmate in the TV show The Almighty Johnsons, which started in 2011. In the same year, she played a small part in the movie Red Dog as Rosa, a veterinary assistant.

In 2014, Keisha had a guest role in the American TV series The Walking Dead, playing a character named Joan.

In 2015, she joined the cast of the popular HBO TV series Game of Thrones for its fifth season. She played the character Obara Sand. Keisha was already a fan of the books the show was based on, which made her want the role even more.

Since 2020, Keisha Castle-Hughes has been playing Hana Gibson, an FBI analyst, on CBS's show FBI: Most Wanted. She also returned to the Star Wars universe by voicing Dr. Emerie Karr, an Imperial scientist, in Seasons 2 and 3 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Activism and Personal Life

Keisha Castle-Hughes has also been involved in activism. In 2009, she campaigned for Greenpeace to raise awareness about climate change in New Zealand.

In her personal life, Keisha became a mother in 2007 when her daughter was born. She later shared in 2014 that she has bipolar disorder, a health condition that affects mood. She spoke about this to help others and raise awareness. In early 2021, she married Donny Grahamer in New York City, and they welcomed their daughter in June of that year.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Keisha Castle-Hughes para niños

• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations