Taika Waititi net worth in 2024 has intrigued fans and film enthusiasts alike. The visionary director and actor, celebrated for his unique storytelling and distinctive humor, has made a significant mark in Hollywood. With memorable works such as Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok, Waititi has proven to be a powerhouse in the entertainment industry.
Let’s explore his earnings, sources of income, and the creative journey that has contributed to his impressive net worth.
Taika Waititi in Brief
| Full Name | Taika David Cohen |
| Date of Birth | August 16, 1975 |
| Place of Birth | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Director, Screenwriter, Actor, Producer |
| Height | 6 feet (183 cm) |
| Partners | Chelsea Winstanley (ex-partner) |
| Spouse | Rita Ora |
| Children | Te Hinekāhu and Matewa Kiritapu |
| Net Worth | $13 million |
Table of Contents
What is Taika Waititi Net Worth in 2024?
Taika Waititi is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, director, producer, and comedian with a net worth of $13 Million as of 2024. The main source of Taika Waititi’s wealth comes from his work in the film industry.
He makes money from directing, writing, and acting in movies and TV shows. Notable projects that have boosted his earnings include the hit film “Thor: Ragnarok,” which he directed and wrote, and the popular TV series “What We Do in the Shadows,” which he co-created.
Additionally, he earns from acting roles and other creative ventures, like producing and voice work. His diverse talents and successful projects in film and TV contribute significantly to his net worth.
Taika Waititi’s Early Life and Education
Taika David Cohen was born on August 16, 1975, in Wellington New Zealand. He grew up in Wellington’s Aro Valley and the small town of Raukokore in the Bay of Plenty.
Taika’s father was an artist with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui heritage while his mother Robin Cohen was a schoolteacher of Jewish descent. His maternal grandfather was a Russian Jew from Novozybkov Russia and Taika’s mother’s family had a mix of Russian, Jewish, Irish, and other European roots. His father’s side included Māori and a touch of French Canadian heritage. Taika’s paternal grandfather also named Taika was a soldier in the Māori Battalion during World War II.
Taika Waititi identifies as both Māori and Jewish calling himself a “Polynesian Jew.” He was more closely connected to his Māori heritage as his household didn’t actively practice Judaism. Taika considers himself an atheist who values indigenous beliefs more.
After his parents divorced when he was about five, Taika was mainly raised by his mother. He went to Onslow College and later studied theatre at Victoria University of Wellington where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1997.
Though his legal surname is Cohen, Taika Waititi has mostly used his father’s surname Waititi in his professional life. Initially, he used Cohen for his film and writing work and Waititi for his visual arts projects. After his first short film’s success, he chose to continue using Waititi for his career.
Taika Waititi’s Career
Early career and film debut
Taika Waititi’s early career began while he was studying at Victoria University of Wellington. He was a member of the comedy group “So You’re a Man” which had a successful tour around New Zealand and Australia. Waititi also gained recognition as part of the comedy duo “The Humourbeasts” with Jemaine Clement. This duo won New Zealand’s top comedy award the Billy T Award in 1999.
Waititi’s creative journey included making short comedy films for New Zealand’s 48Hours film contest. One of his notable shorts “Two Cars One Night” about kids meeting in a rural pub’s parking lot earned significant praise and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 2005. Though it didn’t win it highlighted his talent.
In 2007, Taika Waititi made his feature film debut with “Eagle vs Shark” a romantic comedy he co-wrote with Loren Horsley. That year he also worked on the TV show “Flight of the Conchords” directing and writing episodes. In 2010, Waititi starred in the New Zealand TV show “Radiradirah” and released his second feature film “Boy” at the Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. “Boy” was a major success in New Zealand setting several box office records.
In 2011, Waititi directed “Super City” a TV series featuring Madeleine Sami in multiple roles. He also appeared in the superhero film “Green Lantern” as Thomas Kalmaku.
Career breakthrough
From 2013 to 2019, Waititi’s career expanded significantly. He co-wrote, co-directed, and acted in the vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” with Jemaine Clement. The film which premiered at Sundance in 2014 was later adapted into a TV series with Waititi serving as executive producer and director. The series debuted on FX in 2019 and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Waititi’s fourth feature “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” premiered at Sundance in 2016 and set new box office records in New Zealand. He also worked on the Disney film “Moana” although his original screenplay ideas were not used in the final version.
In 2017, Taika Waititi directed “Thor: Ragnarok” his first major studio film, and played the motion-capture role of the alien Korg. The film was a critical and commercial success. He also contributed to the storyline of Thor for “Avengers: Infinity War.”
In 2019, Waititi’s film “Jojo Rabbit” based on the book “Caging Skies” was released. The film featuring Waititi as a comedic version of Adolf Hitler earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay with Waititi winning the latter. He became the first Māori to win an Academy Award in a screenplay category. In 2021, he also won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the “Jojo Rabbit” soundtrack.
In 2018, Taika Waititi was announced as a director for the Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” which premiered in November 2019. He voiced the droid IG-11 and directed the first season’s finale “Chapter 8: Redemption.” His work on the series earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance in 2020.
In 2020, Taika Waititi took part in a charity reading of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. He also appeared as Ratcatcher in the DC movie “The Suicide Squad” which came out in August 2021 and was well-received. That same month Waititi played Antwan Hovachelik the villain in the action-comedy Free Guy.
Reservation Dogs
In the field of TV, Taika Waititi co-created the comedy series “Reservation Dogs” with Sterlin Harjo. This show highlighting Indigenous teens’ lives in Oklahoma premiered on FX and garnered positive feedback. He also served as executive producer, director, and actor for the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death where he played Blackbeard. The series premiered in March 2022 and earned praise. Later in 2022, Time magazine named Waititi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He voiced Mo Morrison in Pixar’s Lightyear the same year.
Taika Waititi wrote and directed “Thor: Love and Thunder” a sequel to “Thor: Ragnarok” released in July 2022. The film received mixed reviews; critics noted the jokes felt tired and the film didn’t leave much of an impression. Despite this, some found the ideas intriguing.
Before “Thor: Love and Thunder” Waititi directed a film adaptation of the documentary “Next Goal Wins.” Released on November 17, 2023, after re-shooting some scenes with Will Arnett replacing Armie Hammer the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival but received mostly negative reviews.
Looking ahead Waititi had announced in 2017 that he was working on a sequel to “What We Do In The Shadows” called “We’re Wolves.” As of 2023, there have been no updates. He was also set to direct a live-action version of “Akira” but this project is on hold due to his busy schedule. Waititi has expressed his intent to complete it.
Flash Gordon
In 2019, Taika Waititi was lined up to direct an animated “Flash Gordon” movie for 20th Century Studios but it is now planned as a live-action film. He is also involved in directing and co-writing the pilot episode of a TV adaptation of “Time Bandits.”
In 2020, Taika Waititi was announced to write, direct, and produce two animated Netflix series based on Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and its sequel as well as a series focusing on the Oompa Loompas. Additionally, he was set to executive produce and direct the Showtime limited series “The Auteur” starring Jude Law and adapt “The Incal” into a feature film.
He was also planning to direct a TV adaptation of the Charles Yu novel Interior Chinatown with Jimmy O. Yang starring. In 2023, it was revealed that Waititi would direct an adaptation of the novel “Klara and the Sun.”
Rumors about Waititi directing a “Star Wars” movie started in late 2019 and were confirmed on May 4, 2020. While the film is still in development it is expected to be released before Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron. Filming is scheduled to start in 2024.
Taika Waititi’s Personal Life
Taika Waititi was in a decade-long relationship with New Zealand actress and writer Loren Horsley who co-wrote and appeared in his first film “Eagle vs Shark.” He then married New Zealand film producer Chelsea Winstanley in 2011 and they have two daughters. The couple split in 2018. Since 2021 Waititi has been with British singer Rita Ora and they got married in August 2022.
Support for Indigenous artists
Taika Waititi actively supports indigenous artists by integrating his Māori heritage into his work. He includes Indigenous interns in his projects and ensures traditional owners conduct a Welcome to Country ceremony before filming begins in Australia. As an executive producer, he has supported New Zealand films like “The Breaker Upperers,” “Baby Done,” and “Night Raiders” all made by Māori or Indigenous directors.
In 2021, his cousin Tweedie Waititi who he sees as a sibling started making Māori language versions of Disney films with Winstanley. In 2023, Waititi was the executive producer for “Frybread Face and Me” directed by Billy Luther, and in 2024 he also executive produced “We Were Dangerous” directed by Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu.
Taika Waititi’s Awards
Taika Waititi has earned a host of awards and nominations throughout his career. These include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, a Writers Guild of America Award, and several nominations for Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Awards.
In 1999, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement won the Billy T Award together. Later in 2005, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his work on “Two Cars One Night.” His 2019 film “Jojo Rabbit” which he wrote and directed received widespread praise and earned him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and nominations for Best Picture at the Academy Awards Best Musical or Comedy Film at the Golden Globes and Outstanding Directing at the Directors Guild of America Awards. He also won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for the film’s soundtrack.
Since 2019, Waititi has been working on the TV series “What We Do in the Shadows” which is based on his 2014 film of the same name. This series has earned him nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys and Best New Series at the Writers Guild of America Awards.
In 2020, Taika Waititi was honored with the title of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to film during the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Taika Waititi Real Estate
In 2018, Taika and Chelsea bought a 2,323-square-foot home in Studio City, Los Angeles, for $2.4 million. The house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. They listed it for sale in early 2021 for $2.75 million. The previous owner was Marti Noxon, a writer and producer known for her work on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “UnREAL,” and “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.”
This shows a clear increase in the home’s value by $350,000, reflecting the rise in property prices in that area.
