He will be playing Tonowari, the leader of the Metkayina, which is the reef people clan. He was married in late 2009[19] in a private ceremony at his home, and has three children. He played Kahu in the short-film Kahu & Maia, a contemporary depiction of a Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Rongomaiwahine legend. Check out the full list of winners. Curtis never forgot his roots, returning most notably in 2002's Oscar-nominated Whale Rider, in which he played a Maori father trying to understand his young daughter. He started his career acting in roles in amateur productions of musicals like Man of La Mancha and Fiddler on the Roof.He went on to work at several New Zealand theater companies and had roles in productions of Othello, The Cherry Orchard, Macbeth, The End of Golden Weather, Weeds, and others. "For us, Cliff wasn't an immediate fit, physically speaking, for the role," says Napier Robertson. Clifford Vivian Devon "Cliff" Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor. | (Photo: screengrab) To become Jesus Christ, Cliff Curtis shut out his wife and family to live alone for 30 days. 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). Both of his parents are of Māori and European descent. Cliff Curtis (full name Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis) was born in 1968, on July 27 in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.His father was a dancer. His film credits include Once Were Warriors (1994), Three Kings (1999), Blow (2001), Training Day (2001), Whale Rider (2002), Sunshine (2007), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and The Dark Horse (2014), for which he won the Best Performance by an Actor award at the 2014 Asia Pacific Screen Awards. He is also co-owner of independent film production company Whenua Films. Today in Slate, June Thomas talks to Cliff Curtis, a Maori from New Zealand who has played just about every ethnicity Hollywood was willing to … Not many actors are. He is of New Zealand Maori descent (with Ngati Hauiti and Te Arawa tribal affiliations). Cliff Curtis is a New Zealand actor born in Rotorua, New Zealand on July 27, 1968. In a recent interview by Slate, with Cliff Curtis, June Thomas the reporter asks him about how he feels about playing a different ethnicity in Hollywood. They were from Rotoiti, Rotorua. The city is renowned for its beauty, having won most beautiful New Zealand city, blessed with 18 lakes, three major rivers, densed forest, and mounting biking trails. Cliff Curtis is a Māori actor from New Zealand. In the new Fox drama Gang Related, which premieres on Thursday, May 22, Cliff Curtis plays Javier Acosta, the leader of Los Angelicos, a Chicano gang that’s heavily involved in the drug trade. Cliff’s paternal grandparents likely were Thomas Tame Pikikotuku Curtis and Makarena Anahera Tukuru/Tu Kuru. It's been great to see him get larger roles like Whale Rider and Sunshine recently. He is one of eight children, the son of an amateur dancer. He played Miguel Bowman in Live Free or Die Hard. "[21], "AMC's 'Fear the Walking Dead' Begins Production in Vancouver", "Cliff Curtis, the megastar with a mortgage", "Cliff Curtis: My real life tragedy, violence and triumph", "...a funny, warm-hearted comedy set in heartland New Zealand...", "Wellington director's feature to be the highest-grossing NZ production", "News: See the First Teaser for AMC's Fear the Walking Dead", "Cliff Curtis starred as daredevil flight medic Reuben "Rabbit" Palchuck...", "The Walking Dead' Companion Series Casts Cliff Curtis as Male Lead", "Cliff Curtis explains why Fear the Walking Dead is more than a zombie show", "Cliff Curtis discusses playing Jesus in new film Risen", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cliff_Curtis&oldid=1017850180, People educated at John Paul College, Rotorua, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 14 April 2021, at 23:18. He is affiliated with the Ngāti Pikiao and Te Arawa. See the fabulous presenters and gracious winners at this year's Oscars. Cliff Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor who has had major roles in film, including The Piano, Whale Rider, and Blow, and most recently has appeared in NBC's television series Trauma. Curtis later performed as a breakdancer and competitively in rock 'n' roll dance competitions. There are limitations in the business, that's a reality, but I've been given such wonderful opportunities. After returning to New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in The Piano (1993). He is married and has three children. [12], In the NBC TV drama Trauma,[13] he played daredevil flight medic Reuben "Rabbit" Palchuck. Cliff Curtis Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis, (born July 27, 1968) better known as Cliff Curtis, is a New Zealand actor. Cliff Curtis, from New Zealand is one of few actors in Hollywood that has the ability to play every ethnicity. 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