RENA
OWEN

Rena Owen is an actor and writer from Aotearoa New Zealand. Raised in the Bay of Islands, she identifies with Ngāti Hine; her official biography recalls an early introduction to Māori singing and dancing through kapa haka.

After training at the Actors Institute in London and working in theatre, Owen gained international attention as Beth Heke in Once Were Warriors (1994). The family drama became a defining screen credit, though her work had begun before that film.

Her later work ranges from Taun We in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones to the older Dame Whina Cooper in Whina (2022). The latter tells the story of a Māori leader whose advocacy included land and women’s rights.

In Disney’s live-action Moana, Owen plays Gramma Tala, the grandmother of Catherine Lagaʻaia’s Moana. The role brings her experience to a family adventure rooted in the stories of Oceania.

The films below are those available on FLM.RED, not her complete filmography.