Nationality: Maori and Pakeha (European New Zealander)
Birthdate: 03/24/1990
Birthplace: Donnybrook, Western Australia, Australia
biography
Though Keisha Castle-Hughes had always dreamt of being an actress, she never thought that she would actually be one. Plucked from roughly 10,000 New Zealand schoolgirls to play the part of Paikea in “Whale Rider” (2002), Castle-Hughes put in a performance that was hailed by critics the world over, especially since she never acted a day in her life, even in a school play. But Castle-Hughes’s depth of character and range of emotion was apparent to director Niki Caro and casting director Diana Rowan—who also discovered Anna Paquin for “The Piano” (1993)—from the start. It took several months, and
Made her feature film debut in "Whale Rider", as a Maori girl who goes to heartbreaking lengths to prove herself worthy to the stern tribal chief; received SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting and Best Actress
2005
Starred as Queen of Naboo in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," the final film in the Star Wars saga
2006
Portrayed the Virgin Mary in "The Nativity Story," which looks at her life before the birth of Christ
