Bret McKenzie
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Bret Peter Tarrant McKenzie (born 29 June 1976) is a New Zealand musician, comedian,
music supervisor A music supervisor is a person who combines music and visual media. According to The Guild of Music Supervisors, a music supervisor is “a qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games ...
, and actor. He is best known as one half of musical comedy duo
Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...
along with
Jemaine Clement Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the ...
. In the 2000s, the duo's comedy and music became the basis of a BBC radio series and then an oft-lauded
American television series Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. ...
, which aired for two seasons on
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. Active since 1998, the duo released their most recent comedy special, '' Live in London'', in 2018. Primarily a musician, McKenzie has worked as a songwriter and music supervisor for film and television since the 2010s. He served as music supervisor for two
Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...
films, ''
The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...
''(2011) and ''
Muppets Most Wanted ''Muppets Most Wanted'' is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, the film is a sequel to ''The Muppets'' (2011) and sta ...
''(2014), the former of which won him an
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...
for the song "
Man or Muppet "Man or Muppet" is a song from Disney's 2011 musical comedy film ''The Muppets'', written by singer-songwriter Bret McKenzie. Performed by the film's main characters, Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz), the song also features Bill Barret ...
". In the 2000s, McKenzie was part of reggae fusion band
The Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, ''Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "One ...
and
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers of modern popul ...
, and, in the 2010s, he began performing solo material. His debut album ''Songs Without Jokes'' was released in August 2022. As an actor, he portrayed elves in
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
's ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogies: in the first he remained unnamed with fans naming him
Figwit Figwit is a fan-created name for a then-unnamed elf in Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, played by Bret McKenzie of the musical duo Flight of the Conchords. The name Figwit derives from an acronym for "Frodo is great...who i ...
, a character originally cast as an extra who gained attention thanks to the trilogy's
fan community A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
. He later appears in ''The Hobbit'' as
Lindir Figwit is a fan-created name for a then-unnamed elf in Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, played by Bret McKenzie of the musical duo Flight of the Conchords. The name Figwit derives from an acronym for "Frodo is great...who i ...
, a minor character who originally appears in the book of ''
The Fellowship of the Ring ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' is the first of three volumes of the epic novel ''The Lord of the Rings'' by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It is followed by ''The Two Towers'' and ''The Return of the King''. It takes place in the fiction ...
''.


Early life

McKenzie was born in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
to Peter McKenzie, a part-time actor, and
Deirdre Tarrant Deirdre Elizabeth Anne Tarrant (born 1946) is a New Zealand dancer, dance teacher and choreographer. She was the founding director of Footnote Dance and is principal of the Tarrant Dance Studios. Tarrant was born in 1946, the daughter of Alfr ...
, a contemporary dance teacher. He was raised in Kelburn with his brothers Justin and Jonny. McKenzie attended Clifton Terrace Model School between 1982 and 1987 ("model" refers to a standard school for training teachers as opposed to modelling). His classmates at the school included Antonia Prebble and
Age Pryor Age Pryor is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. He records and performs solo, he plays many instruments and is a founding member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, The Woolshed Sessions, and Congress of Animals, and is also a ...
. McKenzie then went on to
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...
where he was a
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...
and won the Wellington regional heats of the Smokefree Rockquest with his jazz and funk band, The Blue Samanthas.


Career


Flight of the Conchords

While studying at
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...
, McKenzie met
Jemaine Clement Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the ...
, a fellow student who was also studying film and theatre. They didn't complete their degrees but ended up living together and first were members of So You're a Man, and then later forming
Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...
. As Flight of the Conchords they have toured internationally and released four CDs: '' Folk the World Tour'' in 2002,'' The Distant Future'' (which won the
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to presen ...
) in 2007, the Grammy nominated ''
Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...
'' in 2008, and ''
I Told You I Was Freaky ''I Told You I Was Freaky'' is the second studio album by New Zealand folk parody duo Flight of the Conchords. It features 13 songs. Out of those 13, ten were released as singles on the American iTunes Store following their television debut. It ...
'' in 2009. The Conchords produced a six-part improvisational comedy radio program for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and have appeared on ''
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'', the ''
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'' and ''
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airing from January 3, 2005, to December 19, ...
''. After a successful appearance in 2005 on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
s ''
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'', the Conchords were offered their own 12-part HBO series ''
Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...
''. Its first season ran from June to September 2007, and its second season premiered on HBO 18 January 2009. Along with Clement, McKenzie was featured as 2007
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...
"Sexiest Man Living" and 2008's "100 Sexiest People" in a special edition of the Australian magazine ''Who''. More recently, the duo toured in 2012, 2016, and 2018.


Acting

McKenzie has acted periodically since making his professional acting debut in 2000, a small role in the UK series '' Dark Knight'' which was filmed in Wellington. Outside the Flight of the Conchords television adaption, he is most notable for his appearances in the first and third films in
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
's ''
The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' trilogy. His silent role in the first film as
Figwit Figwit is a fan-created name for a then-unnamed elf in Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, played by Bret McKenzie of the musical duo Flight of the Conchords. The name Figwit derives from an acronym for "Frodo is great...who i ...
achieved some minor internet fame, which led to Jackson giving him a line in the third film. His father Peter McKenzie played the role of
Elendil Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is mentioned in ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales''. He was the father of Isildur and Anárion, last lord of Andúnië on the island of ...
in ''Lord of the Rings''. In April 2011, McKenzie was cast as the elf
Lindir Figwit is a fan-created name for a then-unnamed elf in Peter Jackson's ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series, played by Bret McKenzie of the musical duo Flight of the Conchords. The name Figwit derives from an acronym for "Frodo is great...who i ...
for ''
The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...
''. McKenzie, together with Australian comedian
Hamish Blake Hamish Donald Blake (born 11 December 1981) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author. Since 2003, he has worked with Andy Lee as part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy. The pair have performed live and on tel ...
, starred in a New Zealand feature film, ''
Two Little Boys "Two Little Boys" is a song written by American composer Theodore F. Morse and lyricist Edward Madden. It was written in 1902 and became a popular music hall song of the time, especially by Scottish singer Harry Lauder. It describes the story of ...
'', finished in late 2011 and released in New Zealand in March 2012. He had a supporting role in the 2013 film ''
Austenland ''Austenland'' is a 2007 chick lit novel by Shannon Hale, published by Bloomsbury. It follows protagonist Jane Hayes, a graphic designer living in New York City who is secretly obsessed with Jane Austen's 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice'', s ...
''. Guest starring roles include him and fellow Conchord Clement as a pair of camp counselors in " Elementary School Musical", the season premiere of the 22nd season of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', which aired on 26 September 2010, and other comedies.


Music and songwriting for screen

McKenzie has contributed to a number of projects outside of Flight of the Conchords. In the late 1990s, McKenzie joined the reggae fusion group
The Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, ''Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "One ...
; he put out four albums with band before leaving around 2007. The Black Seeds had some minor radio hits during his tenure, and continue to be regionally successful. In the mid-2000s, he released music under the name The Video Kid, including his album ''Prototype''. In 2005, he helped form the
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra is an ensemble of ukulele players based in Wellington, New Zealand. Apart from a double bass the band is composed entirely of ukuleles. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers of modern popul ...
which was active into the 2010s. In the late 2010s, he began writing and recording solo material again, and later toured New Zealand in 2018 with a collective that included musicians
Age Pryor Age Pryor is a New Zealand musician and songwriter. He records and performs solo, he plays many instruments and is a founding member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, The Woolshed Sessions, and Congress of Animals, and is also a ...
and Nigel Collins. During the summer of 2010, McKenzie flew to Los Angeles to serve as the music supervisor for ''The Muppets''. He went on to write four of the five original songs from the film's soundtrack including "Man or Muppet" and "Life's a Happy Song" both of which were nominated for
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...
and
Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
for Best Original Song. At the
84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in ...
in 2012 his song, "
Man or Muppet "Man or Muppet" is a song from Disney's 2011 musical comedy film ''The Muppets'', written by singer-songwriter Bret McKenzie. Performed by the film's main characters, Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (Peter Linz), the song also features Bill Barret ...
", won the
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...
. McKenzie then wrote the original songs for the 2014 movie ''
Muppets Most Wanted ''Muppets Most Wanted'' is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, the film is a sequel to ''The Muppets'' (2011) and sta ...
,'' as well as songs for other children's films like ''
The Pirates! Band of Misfits ''The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!'' (released in North America, Australia and New Zealand as ''The Pirates! Band of Misfits'') is a 2012 3D film, 3D stop-motion Animation, animated swashbuckler film, swashbuckler comedy film prod ...
'' and ''
Dora and the Lost City of Gold ''Dora and the Lost City of Gold'' is a 2019 American adventure comedy film directed by James Bobin. It is a live-action adaptation of the Nick Jr. animated television series ''Dora the Explorer'' as well as the Nickelodeon animated series '' ...
''. Other credits include the 2016
Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...
Christmas advert featuring James Corden on vocals. He has written songs for The Simpsons on numerous occasions. McKenzie released his debut solo album, ''Songs Without Jokes'', on
Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...
in August 2022. The release will be followed with an extensive tour in New Zealand, Great Britain, Ireland, and North America. The album is inspired by the songwriting of
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
,
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
, and
Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...
.


Personal life

He is married to New Zealand publicist Hannah Clarke and currently maintains residences in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. They have three children and mainly live in Wellington. In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, McKenzie was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services to music and film.


Awards and nominations


Filmography


Discography


Solo

* ''Prototype'' (2004) (as The Video Kid) * ''Songs Without Jokes'' (2022) – No. 40 New Zealand


Collaborative

The Black Seeds * ''Keep On Pushing'' (2001) * ''
On the Sun ''On the Sun'' is the second album by New Zealand reggae band The Black Seeds The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, '' Jamaica ...
'' (2004) * ''Into The Dojo'' (2006) * ''Sometimes Enough'' EP (2007) Flight of the Conchords * '' Folk the World Tour'' (2002) * '' The Distant Future'' (2007) * ''
Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...
'' (2008) * ''
I Told You I Was Freaky ''I Told You I Was Freaky'' is the second studio album by New Zealand folk parody duo Flight of the Conchords. It features 13 songs. Out of those 13, ten were released as singles on the American iTunes Store following their television debut. It ...
'' (2009) * '' Live in London'' (2019) Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra * ''The Heartache'' EP (2007) * ''A Little Bit Wonderful'' EP (2008) * ''The Dreaming'' EP (2009) * ''I Love You...'' EP (2010)


Notes


References


External links

*
Flight of the Conchords Official Site

What The Folk! Flight of the Conchords fan site

BBC Radio 2

Flight of the Conchords Official MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Bret 1976 births Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songwriters Grammy Award winners Flight of the Conchords members People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) Living people New Zealand male comedians Musicians from Wellington New Zealand male television actors Male actors from Wellington City Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit 21st-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century New Zealand male singers New Zealand male film actors