Jun 4, 1968

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Rachel Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress.

Despite her background, Griffiths is known best for her portrayals of two American characters, Brenda Chenowith in HBO's Six Feet Under and Sarah Walker Whedon in ABC's Brothers & Sisters.

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Griffiths grew up in Melbourne with her art consultant mother and two older brothers. After earning a Bachelor of Education degree in drama and dance at Victorian College of the Arts, she began her career a... ... (read more...) s a member of Woolly Jumpers, a community theatre group. She had her first success as the creator and performer of Barbie Gets Hip, which played at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 1991.
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Griffiths received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of real-life flautist Hilary du Pré opposite Emily Watson as her sister, famed cellist Jacqueline "Jackie" du Pre, in Hilary and Jackie (1998). Showing convincing range, she portrayed Johnny Depp's hysterical mother in 2001's "Blow", opposite Ray Liotta.

In 2001, Griffiths was cast as one of the leads in Six Feet Under. Her performance as emotionally-scarred massage therapist Brenda Chenowith earned her Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as two Emmy Award nominations. At present she is part of the ensemble cast, including Sally Field and Calista Flockhart, of the dramatic series Brothers & Sisters, in which she portrays Sarah Walker Whedon, who inherits control of the family business after her father's death.