Jemaine Clement
Encyclopedia
Jemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords
along with Bret McKenzie
.
region. He moved to New Zealand's capital Wellington
, where he studied drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington
. There he met Taika Waititi
(a.k.a. Taika Cohen) with whom he went on to form So You're a Man
and The Humourbeasts
. In 2004, the Humourbeasts toured New Zealand in a stage show titled The Untold Tales of Maui, a rework of the traditional Maori legends of Māui
. The duo received New Zealand's highest comedy honour, the Billy T Award
.
formed Flight of the Conchords
while at Victoria University. They have toured internationally and released four CDs: Folk the World Tour in 2002, The Distant Future EP in 2007, Flight of the Conchords in 2008 and I Told You I Was Freaky in 2009. The Conchords produced a six-part improvisational comedy radio program on BBC Radio 2
and have appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show
. After appearing in 2005 on HBO
's One Night Stand
, the Conchords were offered their own 12-part HBO series Flight of the Conchords
. Its first season ran from June to September 2007, and was renewed for a second season, which aired on HBO in the US from January to March 2009. In December 2009, the Conchords announced the show would not have a third season.
, directed by New Zealander Jason Stutter
. He has worked with Stutter on two more movies to date: the low budget ghost comedy Diagnosis Death and the drama Predicament, based on the book by late New Zealand novelist Ronald Hugh Morrieson
. Clement also has a role in American comedy Gentlemen Broncos
, directed by Napoleon Dynamite
s Jared Hess
. This role landed him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Though Gentlemen Broncos was almost universally panned by critics, some singled out Clement's performance for praise.
Clement has starred in a number of television commercials internationally and provided voiceover
s for many others in New Zealand. In 1999, Clement was a Radio Awards Winner as writer for Trashed, for Channel Z
, Wellington. In 2000 he was given a Special Radio Awards Commendation for The Sunglass Store. He also was a writer and cast member of the television shows Skitz and Tellylaughs in New Zealand.
On 5 February 2006, Outback Steakhouse
began running a series of television commercials starring Clement during Super Bowl XL
in which Clement pretends to be Australian and feigns an Australian accent. One of the long-running gags of Flight of the Conchords is the traditional ill-will between New Zealand and Australia and the differences between their accents. The campaign ended in July 2006.
Jemaine, along with fellow Conchord member Bret, was featured as one of 2008's "100 Sexiest People" in a special edition of the Australian magazine Who. Clement and fellow Conchord McKenzie guest starred as a pair of camp counselors in "Elementary School Musical
", the season premiere of the 22nd
season of The Simpsons
, which aired on 26 September 2010. In May 2010, it was confirmed Clement will portray Boris (formerly named Yaz) in the upcoming science fiction film Men in Black III
. Most recently, he voiced Jerry in Despicable Me
as well as Nigel in Rio
, and appeared in the film Dinner for Schmucks
.
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
along with Bret McKenzie
Bret McKenzie
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a comedian, actor, musician and producer, best known for being one half of the Grammy Award winning musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement....
.
Early life
Clement was born in New Zealand and raised by his Māori mother, in the WairarapaWairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
region. He moved to New Zealand's capital Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, where he studied drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
. There he met Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi , also known as Taika Cohen, is a New Zealand-born film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor named as one of Varietys "ten new directors to watch" in 2007....
(a.k.a. Taika Cohen) with whom he went on to form So You're a Man
So You're a Man
So You're a Man were a five-man comedy troupe, who performed in the mid-90s in both New Zealand and Australia. Members were Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, actor Carey Smith and theatre director David Lawrence...
and The Humourbeasts
The Humourbeasts
The Humourbeasts, composed of Jemaine Clement and Taika Cohen, were a comedy duo from Wellington. They received New Zealand's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999....
. In 2004, the Humourbeasts toured New Zealand in a stage show titled The Untold Tales of Maui, a rework of the traditional Maori legends of Māui
Maui (Maori mythology)
In Māori mythology, Māui is a culture hero famous for his exploits and his trickery.-Māui's birth:The offspring of Tū increased and multiplied and did not know death until the generation of Māui-tikitiki . Māui is the son of Taranga, the wife of Makeatutara...
. The duo received New Zealand's highest comedy honour, the Billy T Award
Billy T Award
The Billy T Award is New Zealand’s most prestigious comedy award recognizing New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award...
.
Music
Clement and Bret McKenzieBret McKenzie
Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie is a comedian, actor, musician and producer, best known for being one half of the Grammy Award winning musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Jemaine Clement....
formed Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords are a New Zealand-based comedy duo composed of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an American television series, which premiered in 2007 on HBO, also called Flight of the Conchords.They were named...
while at Victoria University. They have toured internationally and released four CDs: Folk the World Tour in 2002, The Distant Future EP in 2007, Flight of the Conchords in 2008 and I Told You I Was Freaky in 2009. The Conchords produced a six-part improvisational comedy radio program on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and have appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)
The Late Late Show is an American late-night television talk and variety show on CBS hosted by Craig Ferguson since 2005. It immediately follows Late Show with David Letterman and is produced by Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated...
. After appearing in 2005 on HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
's One Night Stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
, the Conchords were offered their own 12-part HBO series Flight of the Conchords
Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...
. Its first season ran from June to September 2007, and was renewed for a second season, which aired on HBO in the US from January to March 2009. In December 2009, the Conchords announced the show would not have a third season.
Film and television
Clement has appeared in a number of feature films. His feature debut was in the kung fu comedy Tongan NinjaTongan Ninja
Tongan Ninja is a 2002 full length kung-fu action-comedy directed by Jason Stutter and filmed in New Zealand. The film has received recent notoriety for co-starring and being co-written by Jemaine Clement, star of the HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords...
, directed by New Zealander Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter
Jason Stutter is a New Zealand-based motion picture director.He has directed a number of short movies, including Blood Suckers and Careful With That Axe, the latter winning the Golden Spike Award for best short film at the film festival in Valladolid, Spain.In 2009 he directed Diagnosis Death, a...
. He has worked with Stutter on two more movies to date: the low budget ghost comedy Diagnosis Death and the drama Predicament, based on the book by late New Zealand novelist Ronald Hugh Morrieson
Ronald Hugh Morrieson
Ronald Hugh Morrieson of Hawera, Taranaki was a novelist and short story writer in the New Zealand vernacular. He earned his living as a...
. Clement also has a role in American comedy Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge.-Plot:...
, directed by Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 comedy film co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite. The film was Jared Hess' first full-length feature and is partially adapted from his earlier short film, Peluca....
s Jared Hess
Jared Hess
Jared Lawrence Hess is an American filmmaker known for his work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre , which he co-wrote and directed with his wife, Jerusha Hess....
. This role landed him a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Though Gentlemen Broncos was almost universally panned by critics, some singled out Clement's performance for praise.
Clement has starred in a number of television commercials internationally and provided voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
s for many others in New Zealand. In 1999, Clement was a Radio Awards Winner as writer for Trashed, for Channel Z
Channel Z
Channel Z was an alternative music radio station which had a high youth demographic broadcasting in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand. In early 2005, the station was relaunched as Kiwi FM and only plays New Zealand music....
, Wellington. In 2000 he was given a Special Radio Awards Commendation for The Sunglass Store. He also was a writer and cast member of the television shows Skitz and Tellylaughs in New Zealand.
On 5 February 2006, Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
began running a series of television commercials starring Clement during Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
in which Clement pretends to be Australian and feigns an Australian accent. One of the long-running gags of Flight of the Conchords is the traditional ill-will between New Zealand and Australia and the differences between their accents. The campaign ended in July 2006.
Jemaine, along with fellow Conchord member Bret, was featured as one of 2008's "100 Sexiest People" in a special edition of the Australian magazine Who. Clement and fellow Conchord McKenzie guest starred as a pair of camp counselors in "Elementary School Musical
Elementary School Musical (The Simpsons)
"Elementary School Musical" is the season premiere of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on the Fox Network in the United States on September 26, 2010...
", the season premiere of the 22nd
The Simpsons (season 22)
The Simpsons twenty-second season began airing on Fox on September 26, 2010 and ended on May 22, 2011. The Simpsons was renewed for at least two additional seasons during the twentieth season leading up to this season. The cast is currently signed through the 25th season. On November 11, 2010, the...
season of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, which aired on 26 September 2010. In May 2010, it was confirmed Clement will portray Boris (formerly named Yaz) in the upcoming science fiction film Men in Black III
Men in Black III
Men in Black III is an upcoming 3D science fiction comedy film starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones...
. Most recently, he voiced Jerry in Despicable Me
Despicable Me
Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
as well as Nigel in Rio
Rio (film)
Rio, often promoted as Rio: The Movie, is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, in which the film is set. The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne...
, and appeared in the film Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks, a 2010 screwball comedy film, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons , being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it...
.
Personal life
In August 2008, Clement married his long time girlfriend, theater actress and playwright Miranda Manasiadis. Clement's first child, a son named Sophocles Iraia Clement, was born in October, 2008, in New York City.Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Blood Suckers | Vampire | |
| 1999 | Fizz | Chased Man | Short Film |
| 2002 | Tongan Ninja Tongan Ninja Tongan Ninja is a 2002 full length kung-fu action-comedy directed by Jason Stutter and filmed in New Zealand. The film has received recent notoriety for co-starring and being co-written by Jemaine Clement, star of the HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords... |
Action Fighter (Marvin) | Also Writer |
| 2004 | Futile Attraction Futile Attraction Futile Attraction is a 2005 New Zealand film directed by Mark Prebble. It is an anti-romantic comedy filmed in mockumentary style. The movie attracted media attention for the fact that it was largely funded by web donations.- Production :... |
Editor | |
| 2006 | What We Do In The Shadows | Director/Writer | |
| 2007 | Eagle vs Shark Eagle vs Shark Eagle vs Shark is a 2007 New Zealand romantic comedy film directed by Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. The screenplay was also written by Waititi, based on the character of Lily created by Loren Horsley.... |
Jarrod | |
| 2007–2009 | Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords (TV series) Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement... |
Jemaine Clemaine | TV Series: 23 Episodes Also Writer/Executive Producer 2009 Emmy nomination for Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series |
| 2008 | The Drinky Crow Show The Drinky Crow Show The Drinky Crow Show is an American animated television series created by Eric Kaplan and Tony Millionaire, based on the latter's comic strip Maakies. The pilot episode aired on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim on May 13, 2007. The series premiered on November 23, 2008 and... |
Alien | TV Series: 2 Episodes Voice Only |
| 2009 | Gentlemen Broncos Gentlemen Broncos Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge.-Plot:... |
Ronald Chevalier | 2010 Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Male |
| Diagnosis: Death Diagnosis: Death Diagnosis: Death is a 2008 horror comedy film made in New Zealand, directed by Jason Stutter and co-written by Stutter Raybon Kan and briefly featuring members of the TV-series Flight of the Conchords, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie and Rhys Darby.... |
Garfield Olyphant | ||
| 2010 | Despicable Me Despicable Me Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and... |
Jerry the Minion | Voice Only |
| Predicament | Spook | ||
| Dinner for Schmucks Dinner for Schmucks Dinner for Schmucks, a 2010 screwball comedy film, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons , being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it... |
Kieran Vollard | ||
| The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... |
Ethan Ballantyne | Voice Only Episode: "Elementary School Musical Elementary School Musical (The Simpsons) "Elementary School Musical" is the season premiere of The Simpsons twenty-second season. It aired on the Fox Network in the United States on September 26, 2010... " |
|
| 2011 | Rio Rio (film) Rio, often promoted as Rio: The Movie, is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, in which the film is set. The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne... |
Nigel | Voice Only |
| 2012 | Men in Black III Men in Black III Men in Black III is an upcoming 3D science fiction comedy film starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones... |
Boris |