Taika Waititi
Biography
Taika David Cohen ONZM (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi (/ˈtaɪkə ˈwaɪtiti/ TY-kə WY-tee-tee), is a New Zealand filmmaker, writer, actor, and comedian. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and six Emmy Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.
His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing film entirely funded and produced within New Zealand. Waititi's 2003 short film Two Cars, One Night earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. He co-wrote, co-directed and starred in the horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with Jemaine Clement, which was adapted into a television series of the same name in 2019. The series has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
His directing credits include the superhero films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), as well as the black comedy film Jojo Rabbit (2019), the last of which he also wrote and starred in as an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler. Jojo Rabbit received six Academy Award nominations and won Best Adapted Screenplay. Waititi also earned a Grammy Award for producing the film's soundtrack.
Most directed genres
Recurring actors
- Taika Waititi 9
- Chris Hemsworth 5
- Rachel House 5
- Daley Pearson 3
- Jemaine Clement 3
- Loren Taylor 3
- Cori Gonzalez-Macuer 2
- David Fane 2
Awards and nominations
- 2022 Time 100
- 2020 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- 2020 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
- 2020 Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- 2020 Academy Award for Best Picture Nominated
- 2020 Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay Nominated
- 2016 Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate Award
- 2010 Wellingtonian of the Year (category award)
- 2007 Arts Foundation of New Zealand New Generation Award
- 2005 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film Nominated
- — New Zealander of the Year
The career in numbers
- US$ 462 mi Total budget from 6 film(s) with data
- US$ 1.8 bi Total box office from 8 film(s) with data
- US$ 77 mi Average budget from 6 film(s) with data
- US$ 220 mi Average box office from 8 film(s) with data
- 7.0 Average rating from 13 film(s) with data
- 3.8× Return on investment from 6 film(s) with data
Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.
Films directed
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Klara and the Sun
|
2026 | — | — | — |
A Holiday Short: Best Christmas Ever
|
2025 | — | — | 6.1 |
The Boy & the Octopus
|
2024 | — | — | 6.6 |
Next Goal Wins
|
2023 | US$ 14 mi | US$ 18 mi | 6.4 |
Thor: Love and Thunder
|
2022 | US$ 250 mi | US$ 761 mi | 6.4 |
Jojo Rabbit
|
2019 | US$ 14 mi | US$ 82 mi | 8.0 |
Team Darryl
|
2018 | — | — | 6.2 |
Thor: Ragnarok
|
2017 | US$ 180 mi | US$ 855 mi | 7.6 |
Team Thor: Part 2
|
2017 | — | — | 6.9 |
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
|
2016 | US$ 3 mi | US$ 24 mi | 7.6 |
Team Thor
|
2016 | — | — | 7.2 |
What We Do in the Shadows
|
2014 | US$ 2 mi | US$ 6 mi | 7.5 |
Blazed
|
2013 | — | — | — |
Boy
|
2010 | — | US$ 9 mi | 7.3 |
42 One Dream Rush
|
2010 | — | — | 6.0 |
Eagle vs Shark
|
2007 | — | US$ 1 mi | 6.4 |
What We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires
|
2005 | — | — | 6.6 |
Falling Leaves
|
2005 | — | — | 4.0 |
Two Cars, One Night
|
2004 | — | — | 6.7 |
Tama Tū
|
2004 | — | — | 7.0 |
Heinous Crime
|
2004 | — | — | 5.8 |
Tower of Terror
|
— | — | — | — |
