Cliff Curtis
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor and film producer. After working in theatre, he made his film debut in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning film The Piano (1993), followed by a breakout role in the drama Once Were Warriors (1994). He has won four New Zealand Film Awards, Best Actor for Jubilee (2000) and The Dark Horse (2014)—which also earned him the Asia Pacific Screen Award—and Best Supporting Actor for Desperate Remedies (1993) and Whale Rider (2002).
Cliff Curtis

US Embassy · Public domain
- Born
- 27 July 1968
- Birthplace
- Rotorua, New Zealand
- Birth Name
- Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis
- Education
- Toi Whakaari (BFA)
- Occupation
- * Actor
- Full name
- Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis.
- Nationality
- New Zealand.
- Languages
- Māori and English.
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Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor and film producer. After working in theatre, he made his film debut in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning film The Piano (1993), followed by a breakout role in the drama Once Were Warriors (1994). He has won four New Zealand Film Awards, Best Actor for Jubilee (2000) and The Dark Horse (2014)—which also earned him the Asia Pacific Screen Award—and Best Supporting Actor for Desperate Remedies (1993) and Whale Rider (2002).
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Note VALÉORINE
Cliff Curtis (born 1968) is a New Zealand actor, film actor and film producer, among other activities. The actor was born Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis in Rotorua. Cliff Curtis studied at John Paul College, Rotorua, Toi Whakaari and Western Heights High School. Languages used include English and Māori.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 29 September 2026
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Biography
Biography
Curtis' international film credits include Three Kings, Bringing Out the Dead (both 1999), Blow, Training Day (both 2001), Collateral Damage (2002), Sunshine, Live Free or Die Hard (both 2007), Push, Crossing Over (both 2009), Colombiana (2011), Hobbs & Shaw, and Doctor Sleep (both 2019), also portraying James "Mac" Mackreides in The Meg (2018) and Meg 2: The Trench (2023) and Tonowari in the Avatar series (2022–present). He had television series roles on NBC's Trauma and ABC's Body of Proof and Missing. From 2015 to 2017, he portrayed Travis Manawa on the AMC horror drama series Fear the Walking Dead. Curtis is also the co-owner of the independent New Zealand production company Whenua Films.

Cliff Curtis at the 2011 MIPCOM, in Cannes.
Frantogian

Cliff Curtis speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Fear the Walking Dead", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America · Cliff Curtis
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 27 July 1968 • Birthplace — Rotorua, New Zealand • Birth Name — Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis • Education — Toi Whakaari (BFA) • Occupation — * Actor • producer • Years Active — 1991–present • Children — 4 • Relatives — Toby Curtis (uncle)
Early life and education
Early life and education
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis was born in Rotorua on 27 July 1968, one of eight children born into a family of Māori descent. His tribal affiliations are Te Arawa and Ngāti Hauiti. His uncle was Māori leader and educator Toby Curtis. As a child, he studied mau rākau—a traditional Māori martial art involving taiaha combat—under elder Mita Mohi on Mokoia Island. This training informed his early performances in kapa haka. He subsequently competed in breakdancing and rock 'n' roll dance competitions, winning national titles in the late 1980s. Curtis received his secondary education at Edmund Rice College, Rotorua, before enrolling at the New Zealand Drama School, Toi Whakaari, where he graduated with a Diploma in Acting in 1989.
New Zealand
New Zealand
Curtis started acting in amateur productions of musicals Fiddler on the Roof and Man of La Mancha with the Kapiti Players and the Mantis Cooperative Theatre Company, before attending the New Zealand Drama School and Teatro Dimitri Scuola in Switzerland. He worked at a number of New Zealand theatre companies, including Downstage, Mercury Theatre, Bats Theatre, and Centre Point. His stage roles include Happy End, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, The Cherry Orchard, Porgy and Bess, Weeds, Macbeth, Serious Money, and The End of the Golden Weather. • Illustration — Curtis at the 2011 MIPCOM, in Cannes His first feature film role was a small part in the Oscar-nominated Jane Campion film The Piano. He went on to win attention in Once Were Warriors, one of the most successful films released on New Zealand screens; the line "Uncle fucken Bully" referring to Curtis's character spoken by "Jake the Muss", played by Temuera Morrison, became one of New Zealand film's most memorable and quoted lines, as well as being part of the "Kiwiana" trend. He played Kahu in the short-film Kahu & Maia, a contemporary depiction of a Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Rongomaiwahine legend. He played a seducer in the melodrama Desperate Remedies. In 2000 Curtis starred as family man Billy Williams in Jubilee, before playing father to the lead character in the international hit Whale Rider. In 2004 with producer Ainsley Gardiner, Curtis formed independent film production company Whenua Films. The goals of the company are to support the growth of the New Zealand indigenous film-making scene, and support local short filmmakers. He and Gardiner were appointed to manage the development and production of films for the Short Films Fund for 2005–06 by the New Zealand Film Commission. They have produced several shorts under the new company banner, notably Two Cars, One Night, which received an Academy Award nomination in 2005, and Hawaikii by director Mike Jonathan in 2006. Both short films circulated through many of the prestigious international film festivals like the Berlinale. At the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, Miramax Films bought US distribution rights to relationship comedy Eagle vs Shark, the first feature film directed by Taika Waititi. Waititi's follow-up feature Boy, also from Whenua Films, went on to become the highest grossing New Zealand film released. In 2014, Curtis played the lead role in The Dark Horse, which the National Radio review called "one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made." The New Zealand Herald praised him for his "towering performance" as real-life Gisborne speed chess player and coach Genesis Potini, who died in 2011. Curtis studied chess and deliberately put on weight for the role.
International
International
• Illustration — Curtis at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con Curtis has appeared in the films Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Three Kings (1999), the drug drama Blow (2001) with Johnny Depp, Training Day (2001), Collateral Damage (2002) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Live Free or Die Hard (2007), Sunshine (2007), Push (2009), “10,000 B.C.” (2008) the re-make, and Colombiana (2011). In M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender (2010), he played the main villain, Fire Lord Ozai. Curtis portrayed Lt. Cortez in the film Last Knights (2015) and Jesus Christ in the film Risen (2016). In the NBC TV drama Trauma, he played daredevil flight medic Reuben "Rabbit" Palchuck. Curtis was cast as Travis Manawa, a leading male role of the AMC TV series Fear the Walking Dead, the spin-off of The Walking Dead. In 2017, Curtis was cast as Tonowari and is set to appear in the four sequels to Avatar, including Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash. In 2019, he played Jonah Hobbs, the brother of Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw; their characters are Samoan. In 2023, Curtis starred in the Netflix film True Spirit, alongside Teagan Croft and Anna Paquin, based on the journey of Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian sailor attempting a solo global circumnavigation. In 2024, Curtis starred in the Netflix series Kaos, as the Greek God Poseidon.
Personal life
Personal life
He was married in late 2009 in a private ceremony at his home, and has four children. He is Roman Catholic. When asked about being an "all-purpose ethnic" actor, he said, "It's been a real advantage, I love being ethnic, I love the colour of my skin. There are limitations in the business, that's a reality, but I've been given such wonderful opportunities."
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1991 — Undercover — Zip — Television film • 1994 — Hercules in the Underworld — Nessus • 1995 — Mysterious Island — Peter — 2 episodes • 1996 — City Life — Daniel Freeman — 4 episodes • 1998 — The Chosen — Father Tahere — Television film • 2002 — Point of Origin — Mike Camello • 2004 — Traffic — Adam Kadyrov — 3 episodes • 2004–2009 — bro'Town — Himself — 2 episodes • 2009–2010 — Trauma — Reuben "Rabbit" Palchuk — 20 episodes • 2011 — Body of Proof — FBI Agent Derek Ames — 2 episodes • 2012 — Missing — Agent Dax Miller — 10 episodes • 2014 — Gang Related — Javier Acosta — 13 episodes • 2015–2017 — Fear the Walking Dead — Travis Manawa — 21 episodes • 2016–2017 — Talking Dead — Himself — 3 episodes • 2023–present — Invincible — Paul (voice) — 12 episodes • 2024 — Swift Street — Robert — 8 episodes • 2024 — Kaos — Poseidon — 8 episodes • 2025 — Chief of War — Keōua — 3 episodes (current release) • 2026 — Monarch: Legacy of Monsters — Jason Trissop — 3 episodes
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1993 — The Piano — Mana • Desperate Remedies — Fraser • 1994 — Kahu & Maia — Kahu • Once Were Warriors — Uncle Bully • Rapa Nui — Short Ears • 1996 — Chicken — Zeke • Mananui — Mana • 1998 — Deep Rising — Mamooli • Six Days, Seven Nights — Kip • 1999 — Virus — Hiko • Three Kings — Amir Abdulah • Bringing Out the Dead — Cy Coates • The Insider — Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah — Credited as 'Clifford Curtis' • 2000 — Jubilee — Billy Williams • 2001 — Blow — Pablo Escobar • Training Day — "Smiley" • The Majestic — The Evil But Handsome Prince Khalid • 2002 — Collateral Damage — Claudio "El Lobo" Perrini • Whale Rider — Porourangi • 2003 — Runaway Jury — Frank Herrera • 2004 — Fracture — Detective Franklin • Spooked — Mort Whitman • Heinous Crime — Pizza Delivery Man • 2005 — The Pool — Husband • River Queen — Wiremu • 2006 — The Fountain — Captain Ariel • 2007 — Sunshine — Searle • Fracture — Detective Flores • Live Free or Die Hard — FBI Deputy Director Miguel Bowman • 2008 — 10,000 BC — Tic'Tic • 2009 — Push — Hook Waters • Crossing Over — Hamid Baraheri • 2010 — The Last Airbender — Fire Lord Ozai • 2011 — Colombiana — Emilio Restrepo • 2012 — A Thousand Words — Dr. Sinja • 2014 — The Dark Horse — Genesis Potini • 2015 — Last Knights — Lieutenant Cortez • 2016 — Risen — Yeshua • 2018 — The Meg — James "Mac" Mackreides • 2019 — Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw — Jonah Hobbs • Doctor Sleep — Billy Freeman • 2021 — Reminiscence — Cyrus Boothe • Murina — Javier • 2022 — Muru — Sergent "Taffy" Tawharau • Avatar: The Way of Water — Tonowari • 2023 — True Spirit — Ben Bryant • Meg 2: The Trench — James "Mac" Mackreides • 2024 — Ka Whawhai Tonu — Wi Toka • 2025 — Last Breath — Andre Jenson • Avatar: Fire and Ash — Tonowari
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Cliff Curtis”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q359325: Cliff Curtis
Unverified · Wikidata
Awards and nominations
• Year — Award — Cagegory — Work — Result — Notes • 1994 — New Zealand Film and TV Awards — Best Performance in a Supporting Role: Male — Desperate Remedies • 2000 — Best Actor — Jubilee • 2003 — Best Supporting Actor — Whale Rider • 2006 — New Zealand Screen Awards — Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role — River Queen • 2008 — New Zealand Film and TV Awards — Best Picture - Budget over $1 Million — Eagles vs Shark — Producer • 2010 — Asia Pacific Screen Awards — Best Children's Feature Film — Boy • 2011 — Razzie Awards — Worst Screen Couple/Worst Screen Ensemble — The Last Airbender • 2014 — Asia Pacific Screen Awards — Best Performance by an Actor — The Dark Horse • New Zealand Film and TV Awards — Best Actor • 2015 — Golden Space Needle Award • Asian Film Festival Barcelona — Special Mention • 2017 — MovieGuide Awards — Most Inspiring Performance in Movies — Risen • 2023 — Septimius Awards — Best Oceanian Actor — Muru • 2024 — Asia Pacific Screen Awards — FIAPF Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film — N/A • 2025 — Red Nation Film Festival — Outstanding Performance by an Actor in Leading Role — In the Fire of War
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Curtis, Clifford Vivian Devon, 1968–. National Library of New Zealand.
- 2.Haines, Leah. Cliff Curtis, the megastar with a mortgage. The New Zealand Herald. 12 February 2006.
- 3."Don't cry for me, Waititi" says Pita Sharples. Scoop. 25 January 2007.
- 4.Michael Cugley. Māori and indigenous cultures shine in Avatar sequel. teaonews.co.nz. 24 November 2022.
- 5.Nicholas, Jill. Our people: Toby Curtis. Rotorua Daily Post. 8 December 2013.
- 6.Ngā Pūmanawa e Waru Education Trust. Mita Mohi: A Gentle and Dedicated Warrior. Great Te Arawa Stories.
- 7.The Dark Horse: Cliff's Edge. The NZ Herald. 26 July 2014.
- 8.Graduate. toiwhakaari.ac.nz.
- 9."...a funny, warm-hearted comedy set in heartland New Zealand..." , New Zealand Film Commission
- 10.Whenua Films.
- 11.Wellington.scoop.co.nz. Wellington director's feature to be the highest-grossing NZ production.
- 12.Film review with Dan Slevin. Radio New Zealand National. 24 July 2014.
- 13.Baillie, Russell. Movie review: The Dark Horse. The New Zealand Herald. 31 July 2014.
- 14.Hibberd, James. 'Walking Dead' spinoff casts male lead. Entertainment Weekly. 4 December 2014.
- 15.Moore, Debi. News: See the First Teaser for AMC's Fear the Walking Dead. Dread Central. 29 March 2015.
- 16.Cliff Curtis starred as daredevil flight medic Reuben "Rabbit" Palchuck. NBC. 14 July 2010.
- 17.Prudom, Laura. The Walking Dead' Companion Series Casts Cliff Curtis as Male Lead. Variety. 2014.
- 18.Ross, Dalton. Cliff Curtis explains why Fear the Walking Dead is more than a zombie show. Entertainment Weekly. 11 August 2015.
- 19.AMC. AMC's 'Fear the Walking Dead' Begins Production in Vancouver. 11 May 2015.
- 20.MrDisgusting. 'Fear The Walking Dead' Trailer: Get Your Flu Shot!. Bloody Disgusting. 29 March 2015.
- 21.'Fear the Walking Dead' Star Cast in All Four 'Avatar' Sequels. Entertainment Weekly. 9 May 2017.
- 22.Davis, Brandon. 'Hobbs And Shaw' Casts Cliff Curtis As A Hobbs, More Brothers Revealed. ComicBook. 27 January 2019.
- 23.Cliff Curtis' NZ wedding. The New Zealand Herald. 3 January 2010.
- 24.Cliff Curtis discusses playing Jesus in new film Risen. Stuff (company). 14 March 2016.
- 25.Beale, Lewis. 'Fear the Walking Dead's' Cliff Curtis talks ethnic roles. Newsday. 1 April 2016.
- 26.New Zealand Film Commission. Ka Whawhai Tonu.
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Formation and teaching. Curtis studied at Toi Whakaari, Western Heights High School and John Paul College, Rotorua.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
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