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New Zealand-born vocalist, guitarist, and comedic actor Bret McKenzie shot to fame in the early-mid 2000s -- alongside his ever-present co-star, Jemaine Clement -- as one half of the "digifolk" music act Flight of the Conchords. The duo achieved recognition at comedy festivals in their native Australasian country, with touring schtick that involved singing and playing tongue-in-cheek compositions with goofy and cracked lyrics. Similar to parody music acts like Spinal Tap and Tenacious D, with an even wittier and very dead-pan edge, Flight of the Conchords caught the attention of HBO, who offered the duo their own eponymous satirical sitcom. Premiering in mid-2007, the series cut blithely back and forth between stylized music videos of song performances and an ongoing story about the men moving to Manhattan and attempting to make it there. In addition to his work with Flight of the Conchords, McKenzie also noteably appeared in a small role as an elf in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). In 2011 McKenzie had his highest profile success providing songs for The Muppets including "Man or Muppet" which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song.