Background
His father is Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is of Russian and Jewish heritage. Waititi used his mother"s surname, "Cohen", for some of his work in film and writing.
His father is Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is of Russian and Jewish heritage. Waititi used his mother"s surname, "Cohen", for some of his work in film and writing.
His 2010 film Boy became the top grossing film in New Zealand, and was released internationally in 2012. Waititi hails from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of the North Island of New Zealand. Comedy work While a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington, Waititi was part of the five-member ensemble, So You"re a Manitoba, which toured New Zealand and Australia with some success.
He was one half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts alongside Jemaine Clement – recipients of New Zealand"s highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999.