In , he made his directorial debut with What We Do in the Shadows , which he also co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in with Taika Waititi , and later adapted into a show for the FX television series What We Do in the Shadows. Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement [ 3 ] was born on 10 January in Masterton in the Wairarapa , [ 4 ] and was raised there in a working-class family by his mother and grandmother Maikara with his two brothers.
Robert would later become a stained glass artist in Midhurst , Taranaki ; Clement would later reconnect with his father as an adult and now enjoys a "strong and loving" relationship with him. Clement's mother and grandmother were strong influences on him as a child, inspiring his sense of humour. He attended Makoura College in Masterton. After finishing school he moved to Wellington , where he studied drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington. During his time in university, he also met Bret McKenzie , with whom he performed in Edinburgh , thus forming Flight of the Conchords.
Clement has appeared in several feature films. He has worked with Stutter on two more films to date: the low budget ghost comedy Diagnosis: Death and the drama Predicament , based on the book by late New Zealand novelist Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Though Gentlemen Broncos was almost universally panned by critics, some [ 14 ] singled out Clement's performance for praise. In , he voiced Nigel in Rio , and in he appeared as the primary antagonist Boris the Animal in Men in Black 3. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 19 January He also reprised his role as Nigel in Rio 2.
Clement has starred in television commercials internationally and provided voiceovers for many others in New Zealand. On 5 February , Outback Steakhouse began running a series of television commercials starring Clement during Super Bowl XL in which Clement pretends to be Australian and feigns an Australian accent.
One of the long-running gags of Flight of the Conchords is the traditional rivalry between New Zealand and Australia and the differences between their accents. The campaign ended in July Clement has been involved in award-winning radio work. Besides his television work on Flight of the Conchords , Clement was a writer and cast member of the television shows Skitz and Tellylaughs in New Zealand.
