Keilani Elizabeth Rose

Rose was born and raised in Lheidli, the traditional territory of the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation, Prince George, British Columbia. Through her matrilineal lineage, she belongs to the Lheidli T'enneh nation and has intersectional Indigenous heritage with the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) diaspora.^[1] She also carries British, Chinese, and Black ancestry.^[2] Rose is a direct descendant of Granny Seymour, known as The Matriarch of the North, and the great-granddaughter of Captain Owen Forrester Browne.^[3] Her mother was a hula dancer, which inspired her to pursue dance as an initial career with training in both traditional cultural dances and classical dance.^[4] She received the Governor General's Award for academic excellence and attended the University of Northern British Columbia.

Rose began her career as a dancer, performing with Disney Cruise Line and appearing in productions for Disney and ABC.^[5] She later transitioned to acting, appearing in television series including Lucifer, Once Upon a Time, Six, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.^[2] In 2020, Rose played Katie Hamilton in the thriller film The Sinners (also known as The Color Rose).^[6] In 2021, she starred in and choreographed the short film Within the Silence, which won Best Choreography for Rose at the World Film Festival in Cannes.^[7] In 2023, she won Best Actress (Short Film) at the Cine Paris Film Festival for the short film Breathe.^[8]

Rose has portrayed Miigwan (nicknamed "Miig") in the Crave/Hulu comedy series Shoresy, a spinoff of Letterkenny, since 2022. Her character serves as an assistant manager for the Sudbury Bulldogs hockey team. The show was noted for its contemporary representation of Indigenous characters. Rose worked with the production team to include Indigenous elements, including beadwork by Toronto artist Jori Brennon and displaying the Lheidli T'enneh nation's logo with permission from the band council.^[9] In Season 4, she choreographed a dance scene for the series.

Rose is also the founder and executive director of Two Rivers & a Rose Filmworks, a production company dedicated to amplifying messages of equity and diversity.^[10]

On July 4, 2022, Rose was shot in the chest outside her apartment in Hollywood, Los Angeles. After surgery and recovery, she returned to work on Shoresy in 2023.^[11] Rose advocates for Indigenous water rights and serves as president of the Northern Indigenous Arts Council.^[12]