Product Code Database
Maria Makarena Owen (born 22 July 1962), known professionally as Rena Owen, is a New Zealand actress in theatre, television and film. Owen is best known for her leading role as Beth Heke in Lee Tamahori's Once Were Warriors and as Taun We in George Lucas's .
Upon her return to New Zealand in 1989, Owen acted in two dramas for Television NZ's E Tipu E Rea series. A first of its kind, the series was written, acted, directed, and produced by Māori, telling Māori stories. She worked extensively in theatre; acting, writing, directing, working as a dramaturge, and was a founding member of Taki Rua Theatre. Owen wrote and starred in Daddy's Girl, while also playing reoccurring roles in two TV series; Betty's Bunch & Shark in the Park. Recent theatre credits include starring in the classic NZ plays, Haruru Mai for the NZ International Arts Festival and The Pohutukawa Tree for ATC. In the USA, she has acted in multiple stage readings for Native Voices at the Autry in LA, and a charity stage reading of Vagina Monologues for the City of West Hollywood. She also played the lead in a Hawaiian play called Fine Dancing, adapted and directed Toa Fraser's play Bare for the Asian American Theatre Company in San Francisco (AATC).
In Once Were Warriors, Owen portrayed the leading role of Beth Heke alongside Temuera Morrison, who played her husband. Once Were Warriors is predominantly narrated from Beth's perspective, and her performance was praised as "classic". Owen reprised the role in the film's sequel, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999).
Owen portrayed Taun We in George Lucas' , Nee Alavar in , and a cameo role in Steven Spielberg's A.I. Whilst playing a reoccurring role in The WB's Angel, Owen played supporting and cameo roles in multiple international independent films. Highlights include the NZ Canadian co-production, Nemesis Game, Garth Maxwell's When Love Comes, Rolf de Heer's acclaimed Dance Me to My Song, Vincent Ward's acclaimed Rain of the Children, and US thrillers Alyce Kills & The Well. She played leading roles in the Australian TV drama series Medivac in 1998 and recently in ABC's The Straits, a multi-ethnic crime-family drama. She also appeared in A&E's Longmire.
In 2011, as part of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Owen took part in a televised concert called Mika's Aroha Mardi Gras. Owen played the part of the story teller at the event, hosting 15,000 people in the outdoor event which featured two concerts.
Recently Owen and Morrison completed work on a documentary celebrating the 20-year anniversary of Once Were Warriors.
In 2016, Owen was cast in the Freeform thriller series Siren as Helen, which was premiered on March 29, 2018.
Further acting accolades include a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in the 1997 New Zealand TV Series, Coverstory and an AFI Best Supporting Actress nomination in 1998 for her role in Rolf de Heer's film, Dance Me to My Song. She won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2012 Aotearoa Film and Television Awards (AFTA) for her role as Hine Ryan in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her recurring role as Mere Hahunga in the award-winning Australian TV series, East West 101'', at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, and nominated for Best Actress at the Montecarlo International Television Festival.
| 1994 | Hinekaro Goes on a Picnic and Blows Up Another Obelisk | Hinekaro | Short |
| 1994 | Rapa Nui | Hitirenga | |
| 1994 | Once Were Warriors | Beth Heke | |
| 1995 | Emily Broughton | ||
| 1995 | Savage Play | Takiora | |
| 1998 | Dance Me to My Song | Rix | |
| 1998 | When Love Comes Along | Katie | |
| 1999 | I'll Make You Happy | Mickie | |
| 1999 | What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? | Beth Heke | |
| 1999 | 9 Across | Short | |
| 2000 | Her Iliad | Lena | |
| 2001 | A.I. Artificial Intelligence | Ticket Taker | |
| 2001 | Soul Assassin | Karina | |
| 2002 | Taun We (voice) | ||
| 2002 | sIDney | Clarissa | Short |
| 2003 | Red Zone | Mac's Mom | |
| 2003 | Nemesis Game | Emily Gray | |
| 2004 | Warrior Woman | ||
| 2005 | Nee Alavar | ||
| 2005 | Mary | ||
| 2005 | 'Crazy' Norma | ||
| 2005 | Freezerburn | Lee | |
| 2006 | Leela | Mother | Short |
| 2006 | Linda | ||
| 2006 | Dolores | ||
| 2008 | Ocean of Pearls | Anna Berisha | |
| 2008 | Sam | ||
| 2008 | Amusement | Psychiatrist | |
| 2008 | Finding Red Cloud | Barfly | |
| 2009 | Veronika Decides to Die | Nurse Josephine | |
| 2009 | Shu C.O. | Video | |
| 2009 | Spout | Oma | Short |
| 2011 | Alyce Kills | Danielle | |
| 2011 | Absolute Killers | Judge Irwin | |
| 2014 | Claire | ||
| 2014 | Grandmother | ||
| 2015 | Glaeser | ||
| 2016 | Lost Girls | Cop | Short |
| 2017 | Asomatous | Mordeya | |
| 2022 | Whina | Older Whina Cooper | |
| 2024 | A Mistake | Tessa | |
| 2026 | Moana | Gramma Tala | Post-production |
| TBA | Narrator | Documentary |
| 1990 | Betty's Bunch | Shirley Gardner | |
| 1990–91 | Shark in the Park | Ngaire | Recurring role |
| 1995 | High Tide | Kara Gibson | Episode: "Regarding Joey" |
| 1996 | Cover Story | Mairanga | Episode: "The Cult" |
| 1996 | G.P. | Hilary Harper | Episode: "Fire and Water" |
| 1996–1998 | Medivac | Macy Fields | Main role |
| 2000 | Soona Fualau | TV film | |
| 2000 | Dark Knight | Rock Witch | "Golden Bird" |
| 2001 | Gideon's Crossing | Tara | "Flashpoint" |
| 2002 | Angel | Dinza | "Ground State" |
| 2009 | Piece of My Heart | Kat | TV film |
| 2009 | Prison Break | SHU C.O. | "Free" |
| 2009 | Fear Clinic | Brett's Mom | Episode: "Hydrophobia" |
| 2009–2011 | East West 101 | Mere Hahunga | Episodes: "Ice in the Veins", "The Price of Salvation" |
| 2011 | Shortland Street | Hine Ryan | Recurring role |
| 2011 | Mika's Aroha Mardi Gras | Herself (Story Teller) | TV special |
| 2012 | Kitty Montebello | Main role | |
| 2014–15 | Longmire | Medicine Woman | Episodes: "Counting Coup", "The Calling Back" |
| 2015 | Medicine Woman | "Graves" | |
| 2016 | Joy | Kaylee | Episode: "California Soul |
| 2017–2022 | The Orville | Heveena | Recurring role (Episodes: "About A Girl", "Sanctuary", "A Tale of Two Topas", “Midnight Blue”) |
| 2018–2020 | Siren | Helen Hawkins | Main role |
| 2020 | The Gloaming | Grace Cochran | TV series |
| 2021 | Taun We | Voice; Episode: "Bounty Lost" |
| 2005 | Taun We (voice) |
|
|
