Rhys Darby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhys Darby
Darby in 2024
Born	Rhys Montague Darby (1974-03-21) 21 March 1974 (age 51) Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Rosie Carnahan (m. 2004)
Children	2

Rhys Montague Darby (born 21 March 1974) is a famous actor and comedian from New Zealand. He is well-known for his funny and energetic performances. He often tells stories using mime (acting without words) and makes funny sounds, like those of machines or animals.

Rhys Darby was nominated for the Billy T Award in 2001 and 2002. He also won the Fred (Dagg) Award in 2012 for the best New Zealand show at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

Many people know him as Murray Hewitt, the band manager in the TV show Flight of the Conchords. He first played this role in a BBC radio series.

He has been in many movies, including Yes Man (2008), The Boat That Rocked (2009), What We Do in the Shadows (2014), and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). From 2022 to 2023, he starred as Stede Bonnet in the TV series Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max.

Early Life and First Steps in Comedy

Rhys Darby was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He grew up in a place called Pakuranga. After leaving the New Zealand Army in 1994, where he was trained in morse code, he went to the University of Canterbury.

In 1996, he started a comedy group called Rhysently Granted with his friend Grant Lobban. They won a comedy contest and began performing in local places.

Rhys Darby's Career Journey

Rhys Darby performing in 2007

After performing at two international comedy festivals, Rhys Darby moved back to Auckland. He wanted to try doing stand-up comedy by himself. In 2002, he performed his first solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Soon after, he moved to the UK to grow his comedy career.

In 2004, he joined the Flight of the Conchords radio show on BBC. He played the band's manager, Brian Nesbit. When the show became a TV series, his character's name changed to Murray Hewitt. He also sang on some of the band's songs.

Rhys Darby played Norman, the boss of Jim Carrey's character, in the movie Yes Man. In 2008, he was in a Nike ad with tennis star Roger Federer. He pretended to be Federer's coach.

He also appeared on a British children's TV show called The Slammer. In New Zealand, he was in many ads for the mobile phone company 2degrees.

In 2009, Rhys Darby filmed TV ads for 2degrees in New Zealand. He also appeared in local shows like Rocked the Nation 2. With his wife, he started a company called Awesomeness International. They helped other comedians put on shows.

Rhys Darby also became a climate ambassador for Greenpeace. He supported their climate campaign by sharing a poem and video.

In 2011, Rhys Darby and his family moved to the US. He took a role in the CBS TV show How to Be a Gentleman. His second comedy DVD, It's Rhys Darby Night!, came out in New Zealand in 2011.

He wrote a funny book about space called This Way to Spaceship, released in 2012. For his show with the same name, he won the Fred Award from the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

Since 2013, Rhys Darby has co-hosted a podcast called The Cryptid Factor. It's all about cryptozoology, which is the study of hidden animals.

In 2013, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a charity team. He also performed stand-up comedy on the Late Show with David Letterman. In 2014, he played Anton in the comedy horror film What We Do in the Shadows.

In 2016, he played Guy Mann in an episode of The X-Files. As a big fan of the show, he was very excited about this experience.

In 2018, Rhys Darby made a video with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. It was a tourism campaign about why New Zealand is sometimes left off world maps.

From 2022 to 2023, he starred in the HBO Max show Our Flag Means Death. He played the pirate captain Stede Bonnet. The show was praised for its LGBTQ representation, especially the relationship between Stede and Blackbeard. Critics loved Rhys Darby's acting, calling it his "career-best" work. He said playing Stede was the "most challenging" role he'd ever had.

In November 2023, Rhys Darby hosted the 51st International Emmy Awards. He also presented awards at the 75th Creative Arts Emmy Awards and the Art Directors Guild Awards in 2024.

In June 2024, he starred in a fun video for the game "Final Fantasy XIV". It was a tourism ad for a new area in the game. In November 2024, he announced a new stand-up comedy show called The Legend Returns, which will tour in 2025.

Personal Life

Rhys Darby is the youngest of five children. He was raised by his single mother. He had a close bond with his sister Linda, who helped care for him.

He met his wife, Rosie Carnahan, at her café in Christchurch. They married in 2004 and have two sons, Finn and Theo. Since 2014, Rhys Darby and his family live in Los Angeles, California.

Rhys Darby has shared that he is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD.

Filmography

Film

Television

Television Appearances as Himself

Comedy Specials

• Imagine That! (2008)
• It's Rhys Darby Night! (2011)
• This Way to Spaceship (2012)
• I'm a Fighter Jet (2017)
• Mystic Time Bird (2021)

Video Games

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rhys Darby para niños