Rachel Griffiths facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rachel Griffiths AM
Griffiths on the set of Underground: The Julian Assange Story in 2012
Born	Rachel Anne Griffiths 1968 (age 56–57) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Education	Star of the Sea College Rusden College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Andrew Taylor ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	3
Awards	Full list

Rachel Anne Griffiths (born 1968) is a famous Australian actress. She has won many awards for her acting, including a Golden Globe Award and three AACTA Awards. She has also been nominated for an Academy Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

Griffiths grew up mostly in Melbourne. Her career began on the Australian TV show Secrets. She became well-known for her role in the hit comedy movie Muriel's Wedding (1994). This role won her an AACTA Award. She later played the musician Hilary du Pré in the movie Hilary and Jackie (1998). For this performance, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

On television, Griffiths is known for playing Brenda Chenowith in the HBO series Six Feet Under (2001–2005). This role won her a Golden Globe Award. She also starred as Sarah Walker Laurent in the ABC drama Brothers & Sisters (2006–2011).

She has appeared in many other movies, such as Blow (2001), Ned Kelly (2003), and Step Up (2006). In 2016, she was in the war movie Hacksaw Ridge and the TV series When We Rise. More recently, she had a role in the popular romantic comedy Anyone but You (2023).

Besides acting, Griffiths has also worked as a director. She directed a short film called Tulip in 1998 and later directed episodes of the TV show Nowhere Boys.

Early Life and Education

Rachel Griffiths was born on December 18, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia. She spent her early years on the Gold Coast before moving back to Melbourne with her mother and two older brothers when she was five. Griffiths was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. She has said that watching the American TV series Roots as a child first made her want to be an actress.

Griffiths went to Star of the Sea College, a Catholic high school for girls. She later earned a degree in drama and dance from Victoria College. After she was not accepted into the famous National Institute of Dramatic Art, she joined a community theater group called the Woolly Jumpers. In 1991, she wrote and starred in her own one-woman show called Barbie Gets Hip.

Acting Career

1994–2000: Breakthrough Roles

Griffiths's big break came in 1994 with the movie Muriel's Wedding. She played Rhonda Epinstall, the best friend of the main character, played by Toni Collette. Her performance was a huge success, and she won awards from both Australian film critics and the Australian Film Institute.

In 1997, she starred in the British film My Son the Fanatic. That same year, she made her first American movie, My Best Friend's Wedding.

Her role as the real-life musician Hilary du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This made her one of the few Australian actresses to be nominated for such a high honor.

2001–2011: American Television Success

In 2001, Griffiths was cast in the popular HBO TV series Six Feet Under. She played Brenda Chenowith, a massage therapist with a troubled past. For this role, she won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmy Awards. The show was a major success and ran for five seasons.

While working on Six Feet Under, Griffiths also appeared in several films. She played the supportive wife of Dennis Quaid's character in the Disney movie The Rookie (2002). She also acted alongside Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom in the Australian film Ned Kelly (2003).

In 2006, she joined the cast of the TV drama Brothers & Sisters. She played Sarah Walker, a woman who takes over her family's business. The show was very popular and ran until 2011. Her work on the series earned her more Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

In 2011, Griffiths performed on Broadway for the first time in a play called Other Desert Cities. Critics loved her performance, calling it a "knockout New York stage debut."

2012–Present: Return to Australia and Directing

After living in the United States for a decade, Griffiths moved back to Australia in 2012. She wanted to work less and spend more time with her family.

In 2015, she began directing for television. She directed three episodes of the Australian teen show Nowhere Boys.

In 2016, she appeared in the American TV series When We Rise, which tells the story of the LGBT rights movement. That same year, she had a supporting role in the war movie Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson. Her performance earned her another AACTA nomination.

In 2020, Griffiths starred as the mysterious Gretchen Klein in the Amazon Prime show The Wilds. In 2024, she appeared in the final season of the Australian political drama Total Control, where she also worked as an executive producer.

Personal Life

Griffiths married Australian artist Andrew Taylor on December 31, 2002. The wedding took place in the chapel of her old high school in Melbourne. They have three children: a son born in 2003, a daughter born in 2005, and another child born in 2009. During the birth of her third child, Griffiths had a serious medical emergency but made a full recovery.

In a 2015 interview, she said she had returned to the Catholic faith she was raised in. Griffiths is a supporter of social causes, including marriage equality and the charity Oxfam Australia. She also considers herself a feminist.

In 2020, Griffiths was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to the performing arts. This is one of Australia's highest honors.

Filmography

Film

Television

As director

Stage credits

Awards and nominations

Griffiths has received many awards and nominations for her acting. Her role in Muriel's Wedding (1994) won her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She has been nominated for six AACTA awards in total and has won two of them.

Her performance in Hilary and Jackie (1998) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This made her the seventh Australian actress to be nominated for an Academy Award. She has also been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, winning one for Six Feet Under. In addition, she has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her work on that same show.

See also

In Spanish: Rachel Griffiths para niños