At age 11, she became one of the youngest Oscar nominees in Academy Awards history for her memorable role in 2002’s Whale Rider.
And Keisha Castle-Hughes has managed to carve out a niche career in Hollywood in the 22 years since the classic family film hit screens.
While the mother of two has never made the A-list of in-demand performers since her debut, the 34-year-old New Zealander has appeared in a number of TV police procedurals including Manhunt and FBI: Most Wanted.
Still, Keisha’s career has had its ups and downs, amid personal battles, including a struggle with bipolar disorder.
While Keisha now enjoys a relatively stable career, she was once considered a troubled teenager in the mid-to-late 2000s.
At age 11, Kiesha Castle-Hughes made history when she became one of the youngest performers to be nominated for Best Actress for her role in Whale Rider. Pictured: Keisha in a scene from an iconic family film that was released in 2002.
She was even dubbed ‘New Zealand’s Lindsay Lohan’ by the tabloids after being nominated for Best Actress for Whale Rider.
At the age of 14, following her nomination and the film’s worldwide success, Keisha became the breadwinner for her family.
Under great pressure, she admitted to having taken up smoking and drinking alcohol, as well as developing an eating disorder.
Since her debut over twenty years ago, Keisha has managed to carve out a substantial career in Hollywood.
Three years after being nominated for an Oscar, Keisha became pregnant with her first daughter, Felicity, at just 16 years old.
In 2010, Keisha told New Zealand Woman’s Weekly that she had stopped drinking, after previously being photographed leaving an alcohol support meeting.
Keisha hit another low point in 2011 when she admitted being close to a “physical fight” at an Auckland nightclub that began after a patron recognized her and made a “derogatory” comment, according to the New Zealand Herald.
He said comments were made that were “pretty crude regarding Whale Rider and definitely had a sexual bias.”
After being arrested along with her boyfriend Michael Graves, Castle-Hughes was eventually released without charges being filed.
While the mother of two never made the A-list of in-demand performers, the 34-year-old New Zealander has appeared in prominent roles on hit shows like Game of Thrones and FBI: Most Wanted. (Pictured: Keisha in a scene from Whale Rider)
He later claimed that he did not drink that night.
In 2014 he made his bipolar disorder public. Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual and often sudden changes in mood and energy levels.
After her roles in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and The Nativity Story, she took a break from acting to focus on raising her daughter.
Keisha (left) reached the peak of her career as an adult when she was cast in Game of Thrones
Four years later, Keisha’s career was back on track after she was cast as Obara Sand, the eldest daughter of the ill-fated Prince Oberyn on HBO’s Game of Thrones.
After her five episodes of the megahit, she gained plaudits for her role in Discovery Channel’s acclaimed 2017 series Manhunt: Unabomber.
In 2018, she returned to Australia to star in another hard-hitting series for SBS, On the Ropes, in which the one-time ‘girlfriend’ played a tough boxer.
For over a decade, Keisha has resided in Los Angeles and currently plays a prominent role on the CBS drama FBI: Most Wanted (pictured).
Shortly after, Keisha returned to Hollywood to join the cast of the hit CBS series FBI.
He now stars in the FBI spin-off FBI: Most Wanted.
Reflecting on the low points of her career in 2012, Keisha said: “By the time I was 14, I had become the breadwinner for my entire family. Everything revolved around Keisha; it took me a long time to realize I had my own problems.” .
‘That was very difficult for (my parents) to understand.’ Why was he having this seemingly lovely life while everyone was at home not knowing if there was enough money for dinner? She completely destroyed my family.”
Keisha welcomed her second daughter, Matilda, with her husband of three years, Donny Grahamer, in 2021.
She was previously married to Jonathan Morrison, from 2013 to 2016.
The father of her first child was Bradley Hull. Castle-Hughes and Hull split in 2010 after seven years together.