Rachel Griffiths

Rachel Anne Griffiths was born on December 18, 1968, in Melbourne, Australia. She spent her early childhood on the Gold Coast before moving to Melbourne with her mother and two older brothers. Griffiths attended Star of the Sea Catholic Girls’ College and later earned a Bachelor of Education degree in dance and drama from Victoria College, Rusden (now part of Deakin University). After being rejected from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, she honed her skills with The Woolly Jumpers, a Geelong-based community theatre group. Her early career saw her writing and performing the one-woman show *Barbie Gets Hip* at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 1991. She gained significant recognition with her role as Rhonda Epinstall in the 1994 film *Muriel’s Wedding*, which earned her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Her career continued to gain momentum with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1998 for her portrayal of Hilary du Pré in *Hilary and Jackie*. In 2001, Griffiths transitioned into American television, starring as Brenda Chenowith in the HBO series *Six Feet Under*. This role garnered her widespread acclaim, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2002 and multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Following *Six Feet Under*, she joined the cast of ABC’s *Brothers & Sisters* from 2006 to 2011, receiving further Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role as Sarah Walker. Griffiths returned to her native Australia in 2012, marking a shift in her career focus to include directing and producing.

In recent years, Rachel Griffiths has expanded her work behind the camera. She made her directorial debut with the short film *Tulip* in 1998 and later directed three episodes of the Australian teen drama *Nowhere Boys* in 2015. In 2019, she directed and produced the highest-grossing Australian feature of the year, *Ride Like A Girl*. She also co-created, executive produced, and starred in the political drama *Total Control* for ABC Australia, winning AACTA Awards for Best Television series in 2019 and Best Supporting Actress in 2021. Her commitment to the arts extends to serving on the board of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Melbourne and as Patron of Bus Stop Films, advocating for inclusive filmmaking.