Rena Owen is a renowned actress with a career spanning 35 years, working in theater, television, film, and voice work. Born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, she is one of nine children to a Maori/Welsh father and a European mother. Rena was first published at the age of eight when she won a national children's poetry contest.
She moved to Auckland at 18 to pursue a nursing career, but later shifted to London, where she trained at the Actors Institute of London in the mid-1980s. During her formative years, she worked in various aspects of theater, including writing, acting, directing, and producing. Her first play, "The River That Ran Away," was produced by Clean Break and directed by her mentor, award-winning British actress Ann Mitchell.
Rena's breakthrough role came in the 1994 film "Once Were Warriors," which earned her widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards. She has since appeared in a range of films and television shows, including "Rapa Nui," "East West," "Kvetch," "When Love Comes," "Dance Me To My Song," "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones," "Artificial Intelligence (A.I)," "Angel," and "The Last Witch Hunter."
In addition to her film and television work, Rena has continued to work in theater globally and has served on multiple international film festival juries. She is also a mentor and public speaker when time permits. Her motto is "Love what you do and do it to the very best of your ability!"
