Jackie van Beek

Jackie van Beek
van Beek in 2018
Born	Jacqueline (1976-05-10) 10 May 1976 (age 48) Twizel, New Zealand
Education	Onslow College, Victoria University
Occupation(s)	director, writer, actress, producer
Years active	1998–present
Known for	Performing Arts
Notable work	What We Do in the Shadows The Breaker Upperers Nude Tuesday Time Bandits The Office
Spouse	Jesse Griffin
Children	3

Jackie van Beek (born 10 May 1976)[1] is a New Zealand film and television director, writer and actress.[2][3]

Early life

Van Beek was born and raised in Wellington and attended Onslow College. She studied contemporary dance at the Wellington Performing Arts Centre, then completed a linguistics degree at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating in 1998. Throughout her studies she wrote and produced plays in Wellington theatres and schools.[3]

Career

In 1999 van Beek moved to Auckland and worked on theatre productions, and she spent a year at Ohio Northern University as the writer-in-residence.[3] In 2006 van Beek moved to Australia and began making short films.[3] Her first feature film was The Inland Road, which was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival, followed by her second feature film, The Breaker Upperers.[4]

Van Beek has won a number of filmmaking awards, including SPADA New Filmmaker of the Year in 2013, as well as acting awards.[5] In 2014 she won Best Supporting Actress at the New Zealand Film Awards for her performance in What We Do in the Shadows.[6]

She is co-creator, with Jesse Griffin and Jonny Brugh, of the award-winning 2019 TV sitcom about teachers in a secondary school, called Educators. She also stars in the show.[7] In 2024, she co-created the Australian adaptation of The Office with Julie De Fina.[8]

Personal life

Van Beek is married to comedian Jesse Griffin. They got engaged a month after they met in 2006. They have three children.[9]

She is a cousin of writer Kathryn van Beek.[10]

Filmography

Plays

Year	Title	Role	Notes
	The Swimming Lessons	Writer	[3]
	The Mayfly	Writer	[3]
	Space Migrant	Writer	[3]
2005	My Brother and I are Porn Stars	Co-writer, lead actress	[3]

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Eagle vs Shark	Burger Staff	Actress[11]
2008	One Shoe Short		[5]
2009	Just Like The Others		Co-producer[12]
2011	Little Red Riding Hood		Producer[12]
	Go the Dogs		Director, producer, writer[12]
	In Safe Hands		Director, writer, lead actress[13]
2014	Uphill		Director, writer, actress[14]
	What We Do in the Shadows	Jackie	[15]
2017	The Inland Road		Director, writer[16]
2018	The Breaker Upperers	Jen	Writer, co-director, actress[17]
2022	Nude Tuesday	Laura	Writer, actress

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Love Mussel	Actress	[18]
2007	Rude Awakenings	Actress	[19]
2013-2015	Best Bits	Panellist	[20]
2014	Coverband	Stacey	Actress[12][21]
	Short Poppies	Elisa	Actress[20]
2015-2018	Funny Girls	Actress	[12][21]
2016-2017	800 Words	Gloria	[21]
2018	Wellington Paranormal	Director	[12]
2019	What We Do in the Shadows	Director
2019	Educators	Robyn	Also co-creator of the TVNZ+ (formerly TVNZ OnDemand) series, which is largely improvised[22]
2024	The Office	Co-creator, director, writer and executive producer	Based on the British series of the same name

References

1. "Jackie van Beek". Auckland Actors. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
2. "Jackie van Beek | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
3. "Jackie van Beek | Playmarket". www.playmarket.org.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
4. Cronin, Aimie (19 July 2017). "Funny Girls star Jackie van Beek makes directorial debut at Film Festival". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
5. "WIFT New Zealand | Film and Television Industry News from Women in Film and Television New Zealand - Jackie van Beek". www.wiftnz.org.nz. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
6. "Jackie van Beek | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
7. "Educators". South Pacific Pictures. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
8. "Prime Video releases the official trailer Australian Amazon Original Series The Office". AU About Amazon. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
9. McKee, Hannah (2 May 2016). "Us Two: Comedian Jesse Griffin and actress Jackie van Beek". Stuff. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
10. Cardy, Tom (25 April 2002). "Ha ha ha". The Evening Post. p. 13. ProQuest 314865553. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
11. "Credits | Eagle vs Shark | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
12. "Jackie van Beek | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
13. "In Safe Hands | Short Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
14. "Uphill | Short Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
15. "Credits | What We Do in the Shadows | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
16. "The Inland Road | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
17. "The Breaker Upperers | Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
18. "Credits | Love Mussel | Television | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
19. "Rude Awakenings | Series | Television | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
20. "NZ Comedy Festival: Jonny Brugh and Jackie Van Beek". NZ Herald. 21 April 2014. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
21. "Funny Girls' Jackie van Beek: Working for fun and family". Stuff. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
22. Brooks, Sam (9 October 2020). "Review: Educators is New Zealand's darkest and funniest comedy". The Spinoff. Retrieved 28 June 2021.

External links

Jackie van Beek at IMDb