Cliff Curtis
- Actor
- Producer
Cliff Curtis was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, on July 27, 1968.
He is of New Zealand Maori descent (with Ngati Hauiti and Te Arawa
tribal affiliations). He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and
then the Teatro Dmitri Scuola in Switzerland.
After returning to New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in
The Piano (1993). Subsequent roles in
New Zealand include the camp melodrama
Desperate Remedies (1992), the
grueling urban drama
Once Were Warriors (1994), and
the lighthearted comedy Jubilee (2000).
In Hollywood, Curtis has played a range of different roles and
ethnicities in films. He plays a Colombian in
Blow (2001), an Arab in
Three Kings (1999) and
The Insider (1999), a Latino in
Training Day (2001) and
Runaway Jury (2003), and a drug
dealer of ambiguous ethnicity in
Bringing Out the Dead (1999).
However, he is probably best known for his role as Paikea's father
Porourangi, in Whale Rider (2002).
He is of New Zealand Maori descent (with Ngati Hauiti and Te Arawa
tribal affiliations). He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and
then the Teatro Dmitri Scuola in Switzerland.
After returning to New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in
The Piano (1993). Subsequent roles in
New Zealand include the camp melodrama
Desperate Remedies (1992), the
grueling urban drama
Once Were Warriors (1994), and
the lighthearted comedy Jubilee (2000).
In Hollywood, Curtis has played a range of different roles and
ethnicities in films. He plays a Colombian in
Blow (2001), an Arab in
Three Kings (1999) and
The Insider (1999), a Latino in
Training Day (2001) and
Runaway Jury (2003), and a drug
dealer of ambiguous ethnicity in
Bringing Out the Dead (1999).
However, he is probably best known for his role as Paikea's father
Porourangi, in Whale Rider (2002).
Go Behind the Scenes of "Fear the Walking Dead"
Go Behind the Scenes of "Fear the Walking Dead"
It's not all doom and gloom (and zombies). Revisit happier times with our gallery of "Fear the Walking Dead" behind-the-scenes photos.