The best Rachel Griffiths movies and TV shows show the true range of the Australian actress, as she has taken on roles in several different genres over the past four decades. Griffiths studied drama and dance in college and then went on to get her start working in theatre groups, including writing and performing her own one-woman show in 1991 called Barbie Gets Hip. She then enjoyed her breakout role when she signed on to a supporting role in the Toni Collette 1994 movie Muriel’s Wedding.
Since then, Griffiths has split her time between movies and TV shows. She made her American film debut in My Best Friend’s Wedding and gained national prominence for her starring role in the critically acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under. Over her career, the actress has gained high critical praise for her performances, with a Golden Globe Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards for her television work and an Academy Award nomination for her work on the big screen.
10 Anyone But You (2023)
Rachel Griffiths Played Innie
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Anyone But You is a romantic comedy by director Will Gluck starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell. Sweeny and Powell star as Bea and Ben, two strangers with an incredible first date that goes sour following one incident at the tail end. Thinking the worst is behind them, the two are roped into a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, where they’ll have to pretend to be a couple despite absolutely hating each other.
Director Will Gluck Release Date December 22, 2023 Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Releasing Cast Sydney Sweeney , Glen Powell , Alexandra Shipp , GaTa , Hadley Robinson , Michelle Hurd , Dermot Mulroney , Darren Barnet , Rachel Griffiths Runtime 103 minutes
In 2023, Rachel Griffiths had a supporting role in the romantic comedy Anyone But You. A sleeper hit that did big box office numbers, the film is a loose adaptation of the William Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. Sydney Sweeney stars as Bea, a law student who meets a Goldman Sachs employee, Ben (Glen Powell), starting a tumultuous relationship. Griffiths plays Innie, Bea’s mother, in the film.
The audience loved it, with a very high 87% Popcornmeter rating.
With a $25 million budget, the movie was a huge financial success, and it ranks as the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation of all time. Critics were mixed on the release, with a 52% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience loved it, with a very high 87% Popcornmeter rating. The film received a nomination at the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Film – Wide Theatrical Release and though Griffiths’ role was small, it showed that she still could deliver on the big screen.
9 Blow (2001)
Rachel Griffiths Played Ermine Jung
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*Availability in US Director Ted Demme Release Date April 4, 2001 Cast Johnny Depp , Penelope Cruz , Franka Potente , Rachel Griffiths , Paul Reubens , Jordi Molla Runtime 124 minutes
In 2001, Rachel Griffiths worked with director Ted Demme in the biopic Blow. The movie stars Johnny Depp as the notorious American cocaine kingpin George Jung, and the movie shows his life story, from his rise in the drug industry to his eventual fall. The film also features other notable drug dealers of the era, including Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis) and Carlos Lehder Rivas (Diego Delgado). As for Griffiths, she plays Jung’s mother, Ermine Jung, while Ray Liotta plays his dad, Fred.
While the film was only a minor box-office success for Demme, it received mixed reviews, with a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In his review, Roger Ebert questioned making Jung the subject of a movie since he was mostly a middle-man in the drug industry (via Chicago Sun-Times). However, the film received praise for the acting, with Griffith among them, again performing well in a small part.
8 The Rookie (2002)
Rachel Griffiths Played Lorri Morris
In 2002, Rachel Griffiths took on a supporting role in the inspirational sports movie The Rookie. The film is based on the true story of Jim Morris, a high school science teacher and baseball coach. He was a former Little League baseball player, but when drafted into the MLB, he tore up his shoulder and gave up on his dream. While working with his players at the school, they realize that he still has a great fastball and convince him to try out again. He finally made his major league debut at 35 years old.
Related 10 Most Inspirational Sports Movies, Ranked
Great sports movies can transcend the confines of their sport and deliver inspirational messages which can be applied to all aspects of life.
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In the film, Rachel Griffiths plays Jim’s wife, Lorri, and the mother of his three children. As an inspirational sports story, Griffiths’ role mostly revolves around her supporting her husband’s dreams and being there when he finally reaches the goal he had never believed possible. Critics praised the movie’s heart and acting talent, awarding it an 84% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The American Film Institute also nominated it for its 100 Years … 100 Cheers list.
7 Me Myself I (1999)
Rachel Griffiths Played Pamela Drury
One of Rachel Griffiths’s better performances comes in the lesser-known romantic comedy Me Myself I. This was one of the rare movies where Griffiths took on the lead role, playing Pamela Drury, a journalist who realizes she is alone and starts to look back and regret decisions she didn’t make in the past. Things then get weird when Pamela Drury is hit by a car driven by Pamela Dickson, an alternate universe version of Pamela who made the decisions the other Pamela wishes she had made.
Critics praised Griffiths’ powerful performance in the lead…
Drury then wakes up in Dickson’s universe and has a chance to see what life would be like if she had made the decisions she passed on in her other life. Critics praised Griffiths’ powerful performance in the lead, although its Rotten Tomatoes score is only average, at 63% fresh. Despite this, it was a success, winning two awards at the Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards and was nominated for the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Leading Role.
6 Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Rachel Griffiths Played Bertha Doss
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Hacksaw Ridge is a historical war film based on the true story of Desmond Doss, a soldier in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, who saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong due to his upbringing.
Director Mel Gibson Release Date November 4, 2016 Distributor(s) Lionsgate , Summit Entertainment Cast Sam Worthington , Rachel Griffiths , Richard Roxburgh , Andrew Garfield , Teresa Palmer , matt nable , Vince Vaughn , Luke Bracey , Nathaniel Buzolic , Hugo Weaving , Ryan Corr Runtime 139minutes
Rachel Griffiths joined the war movie Hacksaw Ridge in 2016. Directed by Mel Gibson, the film follows Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), an American pacifist combat medic during World War II. He refused to carry a weapon and was the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor for his heroic activities in rescuing 75 soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge during the Battle of Okinawa. The film is based on the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector about the real-life Desmond Doss.
Griffith doesn’t have a large role but her character is the inspiration behind Desmond being a conscientious objector…
Rachel Griffiths plays Bertha Doss, Desmond’s mother. The movie was a box office success and also received critical acclaim, with an 84% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Mel Gibson even picked up an Oscar nomination for directing the film, while it also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor (Garfield). Griffith doesn’t have a large role but her character is the inspiration behind Desmond being a conscientious objector since his father threatened her with a gun.
5 Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Rachel Griffiths Played Rhonda Epinstall
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Rachel Griffiths made her film debut in the 1994 Australian movie Muriel’s Wedding. The film stars Toni Collette as Muriel Heslop, a socially awkward woman often mocked by her friends. Her dream is a glamorous wedding and a chance to escape her boring life in the beach town where she lives. However, nothing seems to go right for Muriel until she finally gets away and starts to see her life change as she realizes who she is supposed to be.
Rachel Griffith won Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA Awards.
Despite this being her film debut, Rachel Griffiths is the main co-star of the movie, Rhonda Epinstall. Her character ends up with a cancerous tumor in her spine, which leaves her a paraplegic, and Muriel’s relationship with Rhonda helps both women find what they are missing in life. Critics praised the movie, awarding it an 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This also marked the start of Griffiths’ rise to prominence, as she won Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA Awards.
4 Beautiful Kate (2009)
Rachel Griffiths Played Sally Kendall
Beautiful Kate is a 2009 Australian drama that follows a writer named Ned (Ben Mendelsohn) who returns to his remote family home to say goodbye to his father, who is dying. While there, he starts to have memories of his twin sister Kate and older brother Cliff. The memories lead to him starting to write about his experiences, which causes his fiancée, Toni, to leave him when she reads that he once had an awkward sexual encounter with his sister Kate.
Griffiths won Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA Awards.
The twisted backstory is what pushes this controversial drama forward, as Ned remembers everything that happened between him and his siblings up to their deaths, and he has to come to terms with these moments in his past. Rachel Griffiths plays Sally Kendall, Ned’s surviving sister who stays behind to care for their dad as his health begins to fail. The film has a fresh 84% Rotten Tomatoes score, and Griffiths won Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA Awards.
3 Brothers And Sisters (2006-2011)
Rachel Griffiths Played Sarah Walker
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Rachel Griffiths has taken on lead roles on several long-running TV shows. From 2006 to 2011, she was part of a great ensemble cast in the ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters. It was paired up almost its entire run with Desperate Housewives and provided a similar soap-styled melodramatic story. The series is about the wealthy Walker family, who deal with several problems and difficulties after the patriarch, William Walker (Tom Skerritt), dies at the start.
Griffiths earned two Supporting Actress Primetime Emmy nominations.
Sally Field played Nora Walker, William’s widow, who had to come to terms with the revelation that he had been unfaithful during their marriage. Rachel Griffiths played Sarah, one of her two children, who worked as an executive at the family’s business. Brothers & Sisters aired for five seasons and 109 episodes. For her part, Griffiths earned two Supporting Actress Primetime Emmy nominations and two Supporting Actress Golden Globe nominations for her performance.
2 Hilary And Jackie (1998)
Rachel Griffiths Played Hilary Du Pre
In 1998, Rachel Griffiths and Emily Watson co-starred in the British biopic Hilary and Jackie. In the film, they played classical musician sisters Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Hilary du Pré (flute). In real life, Jacqueline won Britain’s most prestigious cello award at age 11 and made her adult debut at 17. Hilary was also very talented but was always overshadowed by her sister. Watson stars as Jacqueline, and the film follows her meteoric rise, her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and her death at 42.
Watson was up for Best Actress and Griffiths for Best Supporting Actress…
Rachel Griffiths stars as Emily, who wrote a novel based on her sister’s life called A Genius in the Family (which was published while the movie was being filmed). This was Griffiths’s most successful movie role, earning her and Emily Watson Academy Award nominations for their performances. Watson was up for Best Actress and Griffiths for Best Supporting Actress, but neither won the award. Hilary and Jackie is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an 88% rating.
1 Six Feet Under (2001-2005)
Rachel Griffiths Played Brenda Chenowith
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Created by Alan Ball, Six Feet Under is a Black Comedy and Drama series that stars Peter Krause, Frances Conroy, Rachel Griffiths, and Michael C. Hall. Running for five seasons between 2001 and 2005, the plot revolves around a dysfunctional family that owns and operates a funeral home.
Cast Peter Krause , Lauren Ambrose Release Date June 3, 2001 Seasons 5 Directors Alan Ball
The most successful television show that Rachel Griffiths ever appeared in was the HBO series Six Feet Under. This series follows Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall), two brothers who inherit the family funeral home after their father’s death. The series follows the family, their relationships, and their struggles. Throughout its five-season run, the series received universal acclaim and was called one of the best shows on television at the time.
Six Feet Under earned nine Emmy Award wins and three SAG victories while also taking home three Golden Globe Awards and a Peabody Award. Rachel Griffiths stars as Brenda Chenowith, Nate’s on-again, off-again significant other who has depression issues. The series has an 81% Rotten Tomatoes score, but the audience score is a very high 96% fresh. Griffiths won her only Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2001 and received one other nomination and two Emmy nominations as well.