Rhiana Griffith
Encyclopedia
Rhiana Jade Griffith is an Australian actress, artist and model.
region of New South Wales
, Australia
. She began modeling as a child, doing runway work and catalogue ads, and progressed from there to television commercials.
From there, she got her first guest-starring role on the Australian medical drama Children's Hospital, and won her first film role, as Mercia in the 1998 film 15 Amore. Shortly thereafter, she won ModelQuest98's Grand Final for the 12-to-15 division, and was cast as "Jack" in the science fiction
film Pitch Black
.
Griffith continued to act throughout her teenage years, balancing her career with schooling. She starred in Desperately Seeking Brandi
, a short film that was broadcast on the Nike
website to coincide with the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Her costars in the film were Brandi Chastain
and Oliver Ackland
. That same year, she was also a guest-star on the Australian comedy TV series Backberner.
In 2001, she starred in the short film Search by director Hannah Hilliard. In 2002, she did a three-month guest-star stint on the popular Australian soap opera Home & Away
and then guest-starred on an episode of the crime drama White Collar Blue
. 2003 saw her appearing in a music video by rocker Ben Lee
, called "Running With Scissors," directed by Nash Edgerton
.
In 2004 she reprised her role as "Jack" from Pitch Black in the anime
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
. She also auditioned to play the role in the feature film sequel to Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick
. Her casting was backed by producer and star Vin Diesel
, but Griffith was told she had to "toughen up" for the role. Despite enlisting the aid of a kick-boxing trainer, she had only three weeks to prepare, and the role eventually went to Alexa Davalos
.
2004 also saw Griffith embark upon her art career in earnest, with two major solo gallery showings. Her first, Chrysalis, was held at the Tighes Hill Gallery in Newcastle, Australia
in January 2004. Her second, A Month in Kaos, was held at the Surry Hills Cafe 249 art gallery in Sydney, Australia
in May 2004. Griffith also acted in another short film, A Whole New You, and guest-starred in an episode of the hit Australian medical drama All Saints
. As the year came to a close, Griffith portrayed Barbarella
in print and television ads promoting the Flickerfest
film festival.
In 2005, Griffith held her third art exhibition, a collaboration with her brother, poet Damien Griffith, called Sibling Revelry. In conjunction with the art show, they released a limited-edition book of their work, pairing her paintings with his poems. Griffith also contributed to a Wearable Art
Festival, and will launch a line of clothing later in 2005. She is working on her second book, a children's book, for release in late 2005, and portrayed the starring role of Clare Newell in a short film, Wrong Answer, which will be continued in the psychological thriller called Volunteer, to be directed by JD Cohen.
Life and career
Griffith was born in the Hunter ValleyHunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She began modeling as a child, doing runway work and catalogue ads, and progressed from there to television commercials.
From there, she got her first guest-starring role on the Australian medical drama Children's Hospital, and won her first film role, as Mercia in the 1998 film 15 Amore. Shortly thereafter, she won ModelQuest98's Grand Final for the 12-to-15 division, and was cast as "Jack" in the science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
film Pitch Black
Pitch Black
Pitch Black is a 2000 science fiction thriller film directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel. The film costars Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser and Keith David....
.
Griffith continued to act throughout her teenage years, balancing her career with schooling. She starred in Desperately Seeking Brandi
Desperately Seeking Brandi
Desperately Seeking Brandi is a short film that was broadcast on the Nike website to coincide with the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.-Plot:A teenage girl chronicles her best friend's obsession with American women's soccer star Brandi Chastain and his quest to meet her during the 2000 Sydney Olympics,...
, a short film that was broadcast on the Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
website to coincide with the 2000 Sydney Olympic games. Her costars in the film were Brandi Chastain
Brandi Chastain
Brandi Denise Chastain is a professional American soccer defender and midfielder who plays for the team California Storm of Women's Premier Soccer League and is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team....
and Oliver Ackland
Oliver Ackland
Oliver Ackland is an Australian actor. Oliver is best known for his role as Vince on the children's television program Outriders and Mars in Pirate Islands...
. That same year, she was also a guest-star on the Australian comedy TV series Backberner.
In 2001, she starred in the short film Search by director Hannah Hilliard. In 2002, she did a three-month guest-star stint on the popular Australian soap opera Home & Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
and then guest-starred on an episode of the crime drama White Collar Blue
White Collar Blue
White Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and...
. 2003 saw her appearing in a music video by rocker Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
, called "Running With Scissors," directed by Nash Edgerton
Nash Edgerton
Nash Edgerton is an Australian film director and stuntman.-Life and career:Edgerton was born in Blacktown, New South Wales and is the brother of actor Joel Edgerton....
.
In 2004 she reprised her role as "Jack" from Pitch Black in the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD animated movie. It was directed by the Korean-American animator Peter Chung, and features Vin Diesel reprising his role of Richard B. Riddick.-Plot:...
. She also auditioned to play the role in the feature film sequel to Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick
The Chronicles of Riddick is a 2004 American science fiction film which follows the adventures of Richard B. Riddick, as he attempts to elude capture after the events depicted in the 2000 film Pitch Black, and details his meeting with Jack and Imam, his escape from the prison planet Crematoria, and...
. Her casting was backed by producer and star Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
, but Griffith was told she had to "toughen up" for the role. Despite enlisting the aid of a kick-boxing trainer, she had only three weeks to prepare, and the role eventually went to Alexa Davalos
Alexa Davalos
Alexa Davalos is an American actress. She has appeared in several Hollywood films, including Feast of Love, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Mist, Defiance, and Clash of the Titans.-Early life:...
.
2004 also saw Griffith embark upon her art career in earnest, with two major solo gallery showings. Her first, Chrysalis, was held at the Tighes Hill Gallery in Newcastle, Australia
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
in January 2004. Her second, A Month in Kaos, was held at the Surry Hills Cafe 249 art gallery in Sydney, Australia
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in May 2004. Griffith also acted in another short film, A Whole New You, and guest-starred in an episode of the hit Australian medical drama All Saints
All Saints (TV series)
All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...
. As the year came to a close, Griffith portrayed Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
in print and television ads promoting the Flickerfest
Flickerfest
Flickerfest is an Australian, Academy Award-accredited short film festival. Founded in 1992 at Balmain High School which is now called Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus, it is held every January in Sydney. The films then go on tour throughout Australia. The Festival Director is currently...
film festival.
In 2005, Griffith held her third art exhibition, a collaboration with her brother, poet Damien Griffith, called Sibling Revelry. In conjunction with the art show, they released a limited-edition book of their work, pairing her paintings with his poems. Griffith also contributed to a Wearable Art
Wearable art
Wearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to individually designed pieces of hand-made clothing or jewelry created as fine or expressive art...
Festival, and will launch a line of clothing later in 2005. She is working on her second book, a children's book, for release in late 2005, and portrayed the starring role of Clare Newell in a short film, Wrong Answer, which will be continued in the psychological thriller called Volunteer, to be directed by JD Cohen.
Portfolio
| Year | Work | Format | Role | Status |
| 2006 | Volunteer | Motion Picture | Clare Newell | Pre-production |
| 2005 | Wrong Answer | Short Film | Clare Newell | Winner of Judges' Choice: Short Film, Audience Choice: Short Film and Best of Fest at the 2005 Frankly Film Fest |
| 2005 | Sibling Revelry | Art exhibit | painter | Completed |
| 2004 | Flickerfest Flickerfest Flickerfest is an Australian, Academy Award-accredited short film festival. Founded in 1992 at Balmain High School which is now called Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus, it is held every January in Sydney. The films then go on tour throughout Australia. The Festival Director is currently... |
Advertising campaign | Barbarella Barbarella (film) Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:... |
Completed |
| 2004 | All Saints All Saints (TV series) All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009... |
TV show | Cindy | Single episode guest appearance (completed) |
| 2004 | A Whole New You | Short film | Receptionist | Completed |
| 2004 | The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury is a 2004 made-for-DVD animated movie. It was directed by the Korean-American animator Peter Chung, and features Vin Diesel reprising his role of Richard B. Riddick.-Plot:... |
Anime DVD | Jack/Jackie | Completed |
| 2004 | A Month in Kaos | Art exhibit | painter | Completed |
| 2004 | Chrysalis | Art exhibit | painter | Completed |
| 2003 | Running With Scissors | Music video | Waitress | Completed |
| 2002 | White Collar Blue White Collar Blue White Collar Blue was an Australian television series made by Knapman Wyld Television for Network Ten from 2002 to 2003.Starring Peter O'Brien as Joe Hill and Freya Stafford as Harriet Walker, the series dealt with a division of the police force working in the city of Sydney and the personal and... |
TV show | Lilly Derwent | Single episode guest appearance (completed) |
| 2002 | Home & Away Home and Away Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television... |
TV show | Aimee Cooper | Recurring guest role (completed) |
| 2001 | Search | Short film | May | Completed |
| 2000 | Backberner | TV show | Kristi Taylor | Single episode guest appearance (completed) |
| 2000 | Desperately Seeking Brandi Desperately Seeking Brandi Desperately Seeking Brandi is a short film that was broadcast on the Nike website to coincide with the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.-Plot:A teenage girl chronicles her best friend's obsession with American women's soccer star Brandi Chastain and his quest to meet her during the 2000 Sydney Olympics,... |
Short film (internet webcast) | Bea | Completed |
| 2000 | Pitch Black | Motion Picture | Jack/Jackie | Completed |
| 1999 | 15 Amore | Motion Picture | Mercia | Completed |
| 1998 | Children's Hospital | TV show | Kelly | Single episode guest appearance (completed) |