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More Rachel Griffiths Bios & Profiles

 

The most recent Rachel Griffiths biography is published on the main page.
 


Biography #2 (for Ned Kelly)

After a successful career on the stage, Rachel Griffiths burst onto the international scene in 1994 with P.J. Hogan's critically acclaimed Australian film Muriel's Wedding. Her performance as Rhonda opposite Toni Collette earned her both the Australian Film Critics Award and the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Supporting Actress. Griffiths followed this success with a very different role as Arabella in Michael Winterbottom's 1996 release, Jude, before returning to Australia to star in Cosi (again with Muriel's Wedding co-star Collette) and Children of the Revolution.

In 1997 she was reunited with P.J. Hogan with the romantic comedy hit My Best Friend's Wedding, which also starred Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett. In the same year, she appeared as a London prostitute who becomes involved with a Pakistani taxi driver (Om Puri) in director Udayan Prasad's My Son the Fanatic.

Griffiths has earned international appreciation for her work, particularly for Hilary and Jackie (1998), in which she played Hilary Du Pre opposite Emily Watson. The two actresses complemented one another so perfectly that they both earned Oscar nominations: Watson for Best Actress and Griffiths for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Griffiths also received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the performance. Also released that year: the Irish black comedy Divorcing Jack; Sam Miller's Among Giants, in which Griffiths starred with veteran British actor Pete Postlethwaite; Me Myself I, from Australian director Pip Karmel which earned Griffiths an IF Film nomination for Best Actress; and another Australian film, Amy, which earned her an AFI nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

She appeared as Johnny Depp's mother in the controversial Blow and in the British comedies Blow Dry and Very Annie Mary (all 2001). More recently she voiced the character of Albertine in the animated kids' movie The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2001). Her portrayal of Brenda in the critically acclaimed HBO/Alan Ball drama Six Feet Under in 2002 garnered a Best Achievement in Drama nomination from the TV Critics Association and the Golden Globe gong for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series.

For her performance as the feisty Carol with co-star Guy Pearce in the 2002 Aussie heist-movie The Hard Word, Griffiths received further critical praise.

Griffiths has also had great success as a filmmaker. Her short films include Tulip (1998) and Roundabout (2001), the latter of which received the Best Australian Short Film Award at the 2002 Melbourne International Film Festival and numerous Australian Film Institute nominations.

Bio courtesy Focus Features for "Ned Kelly" (09-Jun-2004)


Biography #3 (for The Hard Word)

Griffiths earned accolades for her first film role as the sharp-tongued Rhonda in PJ Hogan's smash hit of 1994, Muriel's Wedding. She has since developed a highly versatile career working in the UK, U.S. and her native Australia. An Oscar-nominated performance as Jacqueline du Pré's put-upon sister Hilary, in 1999's Hilary and Jackie, was confirmation of an impressive talent. Other British credits include the lead in Sara Sugarman's Very Annie-Mary (1999), Among Giants (1997) opposite Pete Postlethwaite, Divorcing Jack (1997) directed by David Caffrey, My Son The Fanatic (1996) by Udayan Prasad, Michael Winterbottom's Jude (1995) and Blowdry (1999) directed by Paddy Breathnach. Griffiths' singing bridesmaid cameo in My Best Friend's Wedding reunited her with director PJ Hogan in 1997. In Australia, she has worked in both theatre and film: for the Melbourne Theatre Company, Griffiths appeared in A Doll's House, The Grapes of Wrath, Sisters Rosensweig and in 2002 starred in the Pulitzer prize-winning new play by David Auburn, Proof; as for film, she was the lead in Me Myself I (1999) directed by Pip Karmel and Amy (1998) directed by Nadia Tass, as well as an appearance in Peter Duncan's mock-historical drama, Children of the Revolution (1996) with Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis and Sam Neill. Griffiths more recent work has been in the U.S. as Johnny Depp's mother in Ted Demme's Blow (2001) and opposite Dennis Quaid in the Disney baseball movie, The Rookie (2002). Her upcoming big screen credits include Ned Kelly opposite Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.

Griffiths' won a Golden Globe award for best supporting actress for her role in the HBO series Six Feet Under. She has written and directed two short films – the acclaimed Tulip (1998) and Roundabout.

Bio courtesy Lionsgate Films for "The Hard Word" (01-Jan-2000)