Jemaine Clement is back on stage this month, touring New Zealand with Bret McKenzie as Flight of the Conchords for the first time since 2012. The 52-year-old from the Wairarapa has been married to Wellington theatre maker Miranda Manasiadis since 2008, they have one son, and his latest big-screen role is Tamatoa, the giant crab, in the live-action Moana.
Clement is one of the most recognisable New Zealand voices in Hollywood, but he still lives in Wellington and keeps his family life quiet. Here is what he is doing now, who his wife is, and the films and shows people most often look him up for.
What is Jemaine Clement doing now?
As of November 2026, Clement is on the road with Flight of the Conchords. The tour opened at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre on 10 November and finishes at Spark Arena in Auckland on 21 November, with dates, tickets and the opening-night setlist on our Flight of the Conchords tour page.
On screen, 2026 has been busy. He voiced Tamatoa again in Disney’s live-action Moana, which reached New Zealand and Australian cinemas on 8 July 2026, a decade after the animated original, Variety Australia reported. Dwayne Johnson returned as Maui, with Australian newcomer Catherine Lagaʻaia as Moana. NZ On Screen also lists him as Pop in the 2026 film I, Object.
Who is Jemaine Clement’s wife?
Jemaine Clement’s wife is Miranda Manasiadis, a Wellington actress, playwright and theatre maker. The couple married in Los Angeles in 2008, the year after Flight of the Conchords premiered on HBO, and their son was born in New York later that year. They live in Wellington.
Clement rarely talks about his marriage in interviews, and the couple do not share family life publicly. When he spent three months in Vancouver shooting Steven Spielberg’s The BFG, the NZ Herald noted that his wife and son came with him.
Who is Miranda Manasiadis?
Miranda Manasiadis is a New Zealand theatre maker who has worked as an actor, writer, dramaturg, director and concept designer. Her biography at Circa Theatre says she has worked between Wellington, New York and Athens, across contemporary dance and installation performance as well as theatre.
She was a founding member of three Wellington companies, Jealous Theatre Company, Open Book Theatre Company and Afterburner Productions. Circa lists award nominations for her performances in The Great Gatsby and Ancient Lights, for directing The Singularity and for writing The Telescope, and she was part of the writing team behind Flood, which won Best Original Work.
Does Jemaine Clement have children?
Yes. Jemaine Clement and Miranda Manasiadis have one son, Sophocles Iraia Manasiadis Clement, who was born in New York in 2008 while Clement was filming the second season of Flight of the Conchords. Iraia is a name from Clement’s side of the family.
Sophocles is a nod to Manasiadis’s Greek family. Beyond his name, the family has kept his life out of the media, and we don’t add to that.
How old is Jemaine Clement and where is he from?
Jemaine Clement was born on 10 January 1974 in Masterton, which makes him 52, and he turns 53 in January 2027. He grew up in the Wairarapa, was raised by his mother and grandmother with two brothers, went to Makoura College in Masterton and studied drama and film at Victoria University of Wellington.
He has credited his grandmother with shaping his sense of humour, calling her “a funny lady … sometimes intentionally” in an interview with the Herald’s Kahu team. He is still close to his mum, who once went to the Emmys with him as his guest.
How did Jemaine Clement meet Bret McKenzie and Taika Waititi?
Clement met both at Victoria University of Wellington. With Taika Waititi he formed the comedy duo The Humourbeasts, which won the Billy T Award, and with Bret McKenzie he started Flight of the Conchords, which grew from Wellington gigs and shows in Edinburgh into a BBC radio series in 2005.
HBO turned the Conchords into a TV series that ran for two seasons from 2007 to 2009, and their album The Distant Future won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album. With Waititi he co-wrote and co-directed the vampire film What We Do in the Shadows (2014), then co-created the spin-offs Wellington Paranormal and the US series What We Do in the Shadows, which ran until 2024. Our page on Taika Waititi’s movies covers that side of the partnership.
Jemaine Clement movies and TV shows
Jemaine Clement has nearly 20 years of film and TV credits, from Eagle vs Shark in 2007 to live-action Moana in 2026. Many of his best-known roles are voice parts, which is why people often recognise the voice before the face. These are the roles people search for most.
| Year | Film or show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–2009 | Flight of the Conchords (HBO) | Jemaine, co-creator |
| 2007 | Eagle vs Shark | Jarrod |
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Jerry the Minion (voice) |
| 2011 and 2014 | Rio and Rio 2 | Nigel the cockatoo (voice) |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | Boris the Animal |
| 2014 | What We Do in the Shadows | Vladislav, co-writer and co-director |
| 2016 | Moana | Tamatoa (voice) |
| 2016 | The BFG | The Fleshlumpeater |
| 2017–2019 | Legion | Oliver Bird |
| 2019–2024 | What We Do in the Shadows (TV) | Co-creator, Vladislav |
| 2022 and 2025 | Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash | Dr Ian Garvin |
| 2024 | Time Bandits | Pure Evil, co-creator |
| 2025 | A Minecraft Movie | Daryl and the voice of Bruce |
| 2025 | M3GAN 2.0 | Alton Appleton |
| 2026 | Moana (live action) | Tamatoa (voice) |
Is Jemaine Clement in Moana?
Yes. Clement voices Tamatoa, the treasure-hoarding crab, in Disney’s Moana (2016), and he returned for a short mid-credits scene in Moana 2 (2024). He voiced Tamatoa again in the live-action Moana, released in New Zealand on 8 July 2026.
Who does Jemaine Clement voice?
His best-known voice roles are Nigel, the villainous cockatoo in Rio and Rio 2, Jerry the Minion in Despicable Me, Tamatoa in Moana and the Fleshlumpeater giant in Steven Spielberg’s The BFG. On screen he also played Pure Evil in the Apple TV+ series Time Bandits, which he co-created with Taika Waititi and Iain Morris.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jemaine Clement married?
Yes. He married Miranda Manasiadis in Los Angeles in 2008, and they are still together and living in Wellington as of November 2026.
Is Jemaine Clement in Avatar?
Yes. He plays the scientist Dr Ian Garvin in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025).
Is Jemaine Clement in What We Do in the Shadows?
He co-wrote, co-directed and starred as Vladislav in the 2014 film, and co-created the TV series, which ran from 2019 to 2024.
Where does Jemaine Clement live?
He lives in Wellington with his family, and the Conchords’ April 2026 comeback shows were in the city too.
Is Jemaine Clement in the Minecraft movie?
Yes. In A Minecraft Movie (2025) he plays Daryl and also voices the character Bruce. His awards include a Grammy for Best Comedy Album with Flight of the Conchords and Emmy nominations for both Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows.
