Keisha Castle-Hughes Biography
Keisha Castle-Hughes born 24 March 1990 is a New Zealand actress who rose to prominence for playing Paikea “Pai” Apirana in the film Whale Rider. The film was nominated for many awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress and an award at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Young Actor/Actress, which she won in 2004. Castle-Hughes was born in 1990 in Donnybrook, Western Australia, to a Maori mother, Desrae Hughes, and Tim Castle, an Anglo-Australian father. Her family moved to Auckland, New Zealand when she was four years old. She attained citizenship in 2001. Castle-Hughes attended Penrose High School and graduated from Senior College of New Zealand in Auckland.
Keisha Castle-Hughes Career
Castle-Hughes made her debut in the film Whale Rider, in 2002, in which she played the main role of Paikea Apirana (Pai). Due to not having any previous acting experience, she went directly from her Auckland school classroom to the film set when the shoot began in New Zealand in late 2001. Castle-Hughes received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, and she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in 2004 ,at the 76th Academy Awards. Although she did not win the Best Actress award , at age 13 she became the youngest person nominated in this category at the time and the second Polynesian actress, after Jocelyne LaGarde, to be nominated for an Oscar. She soon followed the role by appearing in Prince’s controversial “Cinnamon Girl” music video and with a shoot in Vanity Fair magazine. In 2004, Castle-Hughes was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Castle-Hughes played a small part as Queen Apailana in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005 . In 2006, she portrayed the starring role of the Virgin Mary in The Nativity Story. New York Times critic, A. O. Scott, said that she “seemed entirely unfazed by the demands of playing Mary. She had the poise and intelligence to play the character not as an icon of maternity, but rather as a headstrong, thoughtful adolescent transformed by an unimaginable responsibility.” The Christian-themed film earned only $8 million during its opening week, but its box office surged during the week of Christmas.
Castle-Hughes in 2008 appeared in the Australian comedy-drama film Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger, which was filmed in late 2006. Castle-Hughes reunited with New Zealand director Niki Caro for the film adaption of The Vintner’s Luck, which had its international premiere in September 2009. Castle-Hughes starred in the Japanese horror film Vampire, and she also played a recurring role as Axl’s flatmate in The Almighty Johnsons which premiered in 2011. In 2011 Castle-Hughes also played a minor part in the film Red Dog as Rosa the veterinary assistant and wife of Vanno. In 2014 Keisha had a guest role in the American television series The Walking Dead in which she played Joan.
Keisha Castle-Hughes PhotoKeisha Castle-Hughes Game of thrones
She joined the cast of the HBO TV series Game of Thrones in Season 5 in 2015 as Obara Sand. She pursued a role on the show in part because she is a fan of the books. Castle-Hughes found out that she had won the role the night the Season 4 episode “The Mountain and the Viper” aired, in which her on-screen father’s death was shown. She described having a very intense emotional reaction to the scene, because of the connection between the characters on the show.
Keisha Castle-Hughes Age
Born on 24th March 1990 in Donnybrook, Australia, Hughes is 28 years old
Keisha Castle-Hughes Husband
In 2012, Castle-Hughes began dating Jonathan Morrison. After six weeks together, the couple became engaged in August 2012. Their wedding took place on Valentine’s Day 2013. They were divorced in December 2016. In early 2014, Castle-Hughes revealed that she has bipolar disorder, in the wake of television personality Charlotte Dawson’s suicide.
Keisha Castle-Hughes Children
In October 2006, it was announced that Castle-Hughes and boyfriend Bradley Hull were expecting a child together. Their daughter, Felicity-Amore Hull, was born on 25 April 2007. Castle-Hughes and Hull broke up in 2010 after seven years together.
Keisha Castle-Hughes Movies
- 2002 Whale Rider
- 2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- 2006 The Nativity Story
- 2008 Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger
- 2009 A Heavenly Vintage
- 2009 Piece of My Heart
- 2010 Legend of the Seeker
- 2011 Vampire Jellyfish
- 2011 Red Dog Rose
- 2011–2013 The Almighty Johnsons
- 2012 Rewind
- 2013 The Stolen
- 2014 The Walking Dead
- 2015–2017 Game of Thrones
- 2014 Queen of Carthage
- 2016 Roadies
- 2017 Thank You for Your Service
- 2017 Manhunt: Unabomber
Keisha Castle-Hughes Awards
| Year | Organisation | Award | Film | Result |
| 2003 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Actress | Whale Rider | Won |
| Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Young Actor/Actress | Won | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Promising Performer | Won | |||
| Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | Won | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Female | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout Movie Star – Female | Nominated | ||
| Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in an International Film | Won | ||
| 2007 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress | The Nativity Story | Nominated |
| 2009 | Qantas TV and Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Piece of My Heart | Won |
Keisha Castle-Hughes News
She’s a long way from Westeros! Game Of Thrones star Keisha-Castle Hughes is set to star in ‘sexy, gritty’ SBS drama The Ropes
Updated On: 21st May 2018
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
She shot to fame as the fierce warrior Obara Sand on Game Of Thrones.
But Keisha-Castle Hughes will now flex her acting muscles in a different kind of drama, when she stars as a boxer in a ‘sexy, gritty’ four-part SBS show The Ropes.
The 28-year-old New Zealander will share the screen with acting legend Jack Thompson and Romper Stomper actor Nicole Chamoun.
The drama, described as a ‘sexy, gritty drama that is fast-paced and full of heart’, went into production on Monday in Western Sydney.
Keisha plays hard-nosed fighter Jess O’Connor, who fights in a professional debut match thanks to her Iraqi-Australian trainer Amirah (Chamoun).
Chamoun, who works in the family gym in Sydney’s western suburbs, is cut off by her world champion father Sami (Igal Naor) for organising the match.
Jack Thompson will star as play Sami’s long-time promoter Strick.
SBS director of television Marshall Heald said: ‘The Ropes continues SBS’s run of acclaimed provocative dramas that reflect Australian stories through a uniquely multicultural lens.
The Ropes will premiere on SBS later in the year.
It’s a change from Keisha’s last role as warrior Obara Sand in the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of Game Of Thrones.
Keisha read the A Song of Ice and Fire novels long before the TV adaptation, but became fascinated with it when Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal) was introduced in season four.
She plays the eldest of eight bastard daughters of Oberyn Martell and was trained on how to wield a spear for the role.
‘I was really lucky. I’m half Māori and so I’ve worked a lot in my life with a Taiaha which is a Māori weapon which is very similar to the spear,’ she told Variety in 2015.
‘So it wasn’t completely foreign to me to have that in my hand, which was really nice.’