Davina Whitehouse

The late, great, Davina Whitehouse arrived in New Zealand from England in 1952, having already performed in more than 40 films. Active across multiple mediums — radio, stage, television and film — she also spent four years as an NZ Film Commission board-member. Whitehouse was still acting into her 80s.

Acting is not something to pick up for a while and dabble with, it needs a lifetime of sacrifice and devotion, it demands training, knowledge and hard, grinding work. To survive you need the thickest hide, tremendous ambition, versatility, patience, and stickability, and above all, luck. Davina Whitehouse, in her book Davina - An Acting Life