Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi a.k.a. Taika Cohen (born August 16, 1975) is a New Zealand born film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor of Maori Te Whanau-a-Apanui and Jewish descent who hails from the East Coast region of New Zealand. He is most notable for his short film Two Cars, One Night for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. At the awards ceremony, he famously feigned falling asleep, as the nominations were being read out. He first came ... more

Taika Waititi a.k.a. Taika Cohen (born August 16, 1975) is a New Zealand born film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor of Maori Te Whanau-a-Apanui and Jewish descent who hails from the East Coast region of New Zealand. He is most notable for his short film Two Cars, One Night for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. At the awards ceremony, he famously feigned falling asleep, as the nominations were being read out. He first came to the notice of the comedy scene in Wellington, via the brief, but witty five-member ensemble, So You're a Man, while a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington. This group toured both in New Zealand and Australia, with some success. He was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts with Jemaine Clement. The Humourbeasts were the recipients of New Zealand's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999. Also in 1999, he starred in the low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies. His first feature film, Eagle vs Shark, was released to U... less