Temuera Morrison
Temuera Derek Morrison MNZM (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera Shortland Street. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The Muss" Heke in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors and its 1999 sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?.
Also recorded as Tem Morrison · Temuera Derek Morrison
Temuera Morrison

John Manard · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Temuera Morrison
- Birth Name
- Temuera Derek Morrison
- Born
- 26 December 1960
- Birthplace
- Rotorua, New Zealand
- Education
- * Wesley College, Auckland
- Occupation
- Actor
- Known for
- * Jake "The Muss" Heke
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Honours
- New Zealand Order of Merit
- Languages
- English · Māori
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Temuera Derek Morrison MNZM (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera Shortland Street. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The Muss" Heke in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors and its 1999 sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Temuera Morrison (born 1960) is a New Zealand actor and film actor. The actor was born in Rotorua.
Temuera Morrison studied at Wesley College and Western Heights High School. The actor worked in Australia, New Zealand and United States.
Works include The Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian. Languages used include English and Māori. Temuera Morrison received New Zealand Order of Merit.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 30 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Temuera Morrison. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q529851 · wikipedia · Temuera Morrison
In this article
Biography
Biography
Outside of New Zealand, Morrison gained international fame for his roles in the Star Wars multimedia franchise as the Mandalorian bounty hunters Jango Fett and Boba Fett, the latter being a genetic clone of the former. His first Star Wars appearance was in the 2002 film Attack of the Clones, where he played Jango as well as the original clone troopers who were also based on Jango's genetics; he later voiced Boba Fett in the 2004 re-release of The Empire Strikes Back and various Star Wars video games, before portraying Boba fully in the second season of The Mandalorian (2019–present) and its spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett (2021–2022). In 2022, he had a recurring role in the black ops thriller series Echo 3. Morrison is known for voicing Chief Tui, the father of the Moana in Disney's Moana (2016), and for playing Arthur Curry's father Tom Curry in the DCEU films Aquaman (2018), The Flash (2023), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023).
Temuera Morrison studied at Wesley College and Western Heights High School. The recorded working language is English and Māori. Places of work recorded in the authority are New Zealand, Australia and United States. Works named in the authority record are Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, The Mandalorian, Once Were Warriors and The Book of Boba Fett. Distinctions recorded are New Zealand Order of Merit.

Temuera Morrison
Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia · Temuera Morrison
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Temuera Morrison • Honorific Suffix — MNZM • Birth Name — Temuera Derek Morrison • Born — 26 December 1960 • Birthplace — Rotorua, New Zealand • Education — * Wesley College, Auckland • Western Heights High School • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1972–present • Other Names — Tem • Partner — Angela Dotchin (1997–2002) • Children — 2 • Relatives — * Taini Morrison (sister) • Sir Howard Morrison (uncle) • Atareta Maxwell (aunt) • Michael Ashton (cousin) • Known for — * Jake "The Muss" Heke • Dr. Hone Ropata • Jango Fett • Boba Fett • Clone troopers
Early life
Early life
Morrison was born on 26 December 1960 in the town of Rotorua, on the North Island of New Zealand. He is the son of Hana Morrison (née Stafford), and musician Laurie Morrison. He is Māori, of Te Arawa (Ngāti Whakaue) and Tainui (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Rarua) whakapapa, and also has Scottish and Irish ancestry. His sister was performer Taini Morrison and his uncle was musician Sir Howard Morrison. His secondary education took place at Wesley College, Auckland, and Western Heights High School, Rotorua.
2008–present: Other roles
2008–present: Other roles
Morrison returned to Shortland Street for six weeks in June and July 2008 to reprise the role of Dr. Hone Ropata. In 2008, he appeared on New Zealand skit comedy television show Pulp Sport, in a sketch that made fun of him being cloned. Morrison has appeared in several DC Comics-related films. In the 2011 film Green Lantern, he portrayed Abin Sur. In 2018 he played lighthouse keeper Tom Curry, the father of the title character, in Aquaman. Morrison reprised the role in The Flash, released in 2023, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which released in December 2023. Morrison also provided the voice of Moana's father, Chief Tui, in the 2016 animated Disney film of the same name. He reprised the role in the 2024 sequel, and also provided Tui's singing voice instead of Christopher Jackson. He portrayed Kahekili in the 2025 Hawaiian period drama miniseries Chief of War executive produced and co-starred by Jason Momoa for Apple TV+.
Personal life
Personal life
Morrison lives in New Zealand, and divides his time between filming there, Australia, and the United States. He has an adult son from a relationship in the late-1980s with singer Kim Willoughby from the all-girl group When the Cat's Away; and a daughter with Peata Melbourne. Morrison's partner is Ashlee Howden-Sadlier, who is of Māori heritage.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1986 — Seekers — Selwyn Broadhead — 10 episodes • 1987 — Adventurer — Maru — 10 episodes • 1987–1990 — Gloss — Sean — Recurring role • 1990 — Shark in the Park — Mason / Mark — Episode: "Ten-Zero, Dingo" • 1992–1995, 2008 — Shortland Street — Hone Ropata — Main role • 1995 — New Zealand at War — Narrator — Documentary miniseries • 2001–2002 — Mataku — Presenter / Host • 2005 — The Tem Show — Talk show • 2006 — Bro'Town — Himself — Voice, episode: "Know Me Before You Haunt Me" • 2011 — Spartacus: Gods of the Arena — Doctore — 2 episodes • 2012 — Missing Christmas — Jack TePania — Voice, animated Christmas special; Precursor of series The Barefoot Bandits • 2013 — The Life and Times of Temuera Morrison — Himself — Documentary miniseries • 2014 — Happy Hour — Presenter / Host • 2015 — The Barefoot Bandits — Jack TePania — Voice, main role (9 episodes) • Tatau — Anaru Vaipiti — Miniseries; Main role • 2016 — This Is Piki — Bill Mercer • 2018 — Frontier — Te Rangi — 4 episodes • 2020–2023 — The Mandalorian — Boba Fett — 4 episodes • Clone troopers — Voice, episode: "Chapter 20: The Foundling" • 2021 — Star Wars: Visions — Boba Fett — Voice, episode: "Tatooine Rhapsody"; English language dub • 2021–2022 — The Book of Boba Fett — Boba Fett — Lead role; 6 episodes • Clone troopers — Voice, episode: "Chapter 6: From the Desert Comes a Stranger"; uncredited • 2022 — Obi-Wan Kenobi — Veteran clone trooper — Episode: "Part II" • My Life Is Murder — Frankie Jones — Episode: "The Village" • Echo 3 — Roy Lennon — 2 episodes • 2023 — Spirit Rangers — Ngārara — Voice, episode: "A Tale of Tails" • Far North — Ed — Main role • Ahsoka — Captain Rex, Clone troopers — Voice, episode: "Part Five: Shadow Warrior" • 2024 — Secret Level — Old Salt — Voice, episode: "Armored Core: Asset Management" • 2025 — Chief of War — Chief Kahekili — Miniseries
Video games
Video games
• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Source • 2002 — Star Wars: Bounty Hunter — Jango Fett — Voice • 2004 — Star Wars: Battlefront — Republic infantry, republic officer — Voice • 2005 — Star Wars: Republic Commando — RC-1138 "Delta 38" — Voice • Lego Star Wars: The Video Game — Jango Fett, clone troopers — Voice; Uncredited • Star Wars: Battlefront II — Narrator, Boba Fett, Jango Fett, republic officer 1, retired clone trooper — Voice • 2006 — Star Wars: Empire at War — Boba Fett — Voice • 2015 — Star Wars Battlefront — Voice • 2017 — Star Wars Battlefront II — Voice • 2023 — Star Wars Jedi: Survivor — Voice
Work and production
Work and production
Works recorded as notable number 5: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, The Mandalorian, Once Were Warriors and The Book of Boba Fett.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2009
Temuera Morrison (2 catalogued editions) (2009) is digitised and catalogued by Open Library.
1973–2014: Film and music
1973–2014: Film and music
Morrison's film debut is the 1973 film Rangi's Catch, playing the title character. He trained in drama under the New Zealand Special Performing Arts Training Scheme. One of his earliest starring roles was in the 1988 film Never Say Die, opposite Lisa Eilbacher. After this he played Dr. Hone Ropata on the television soap opera Shortland Street from 1992 to 1995. In 1994, he received attention for his role as the violently abusive Māori husband Jake "The Muss" Heke in Once Were Warriors, a film adaptation of Alan Duff's novel Once Were Warriors. The film became the most successful local release in New Zealand, and sold to many countries. The role won him international acclaim and he received the award for best male performance in a dramatic role at the 1994 New Zealand Film and Television Awards. He reprised the role in the sequel, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, for which he received the Best Actor award from the New Zealand Film Awards. Morrison said in 2010 that he felt typecast by the role, to the point that it was "a millstone round my neck". In 1996, he appeared in the Pamela Anderson film Barb Wire. He has appeared in supporting roles in Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and The Beautiful Country (2004). In 2005, Morrison became the host of the talk show The Tem Show on New Zealand television. In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, Morrison was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to drama. He started writing an autobiography in 2009, which he hoped would inspire others to "reach for the stars". He released his debut album, Tem, through Sony Music Entertainment NZ in late November 2014. It consists of covers of songs that his father, and uncle Sir Howard Morrison, had performed at local venues when he was growing up.
2002–2023: Star Wars films, video games and television
2002–2023: Star Wars films, video games and television
Morrison became widely known outside of New Zealand with his role as bounty hunter Jango Fett in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Part of the plot involves an army of clones created with Jango's DNA, so Morrison also provided the voice acting for the clones. He reappeared as several clones in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and re-recorded the lines of the character Boba Fett (Jango's clone "son") in the 2004 DVD re-releases of the original Star Wars trilogy, replacing the voice of Jason Wingreen. Morrison has since portrayed Jango Fett and his clones in several Star Wars video games, all produced by LucasArts. He played the clone commando "Boss" in Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005), voiced all the troopers in Star Wars: Battlefront (2004), and voiced both Jango and Boba Fett in its sequel, Battlefront II (2005). Morrison reprised his role as Jango in Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002), a game centered around the character, and LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game (2005), along with his clones, but was uncredited in the latter. He voiced Boba in the 2006 game Star Wars: Empire at War, and DICE's Star Wars Battlefront (2015) and Battlefront II (2017), the latter of which were produced by EA. Morrison physically portrayed Boba Fett for the first time in the second season of The Mandalorian (2020). In the show, Morrison portrays an aged, weathered version of the character. Morrison's Fett has heavy scars on his face, and wears dark robes before reclaiming and restoring his armor. Morrison says that with the physically worn appearance, he adjusted his voice to be more gravelly, as if Boba's vocal cords were affected by his past traumas. With the role, Morrison was also able to bring a bit of his own Māori culture to Fett's portrayal. In an interview with The New York Times, he said that he "wanted to bring that kind of spirit and energy, which we call wairua, [to the role]" and used that influence in his on-screen fight scenes, both in the hand-to-hand combat and while wielding weapons. In 2020, a spinoff of the series The Mandalorian was announced, titled The Book of Boba Fett. Morrison reprises his role as Boba Fett, following Fett's life after the events of the 1983 film Return of the Jedi. The series premiered on 29 December 2021. In 2022, Morrison made a cameo appearance as a homeless veteran clone trooper in the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series. In 2023, he voiced Rex and other clones in an episode of the first season of Ahsoka.
Film
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1972 — Rangi's Catch — Rangi • 1984 — Other Halves — Tony • 1988 — Never Say Die — Alf Winters • Mauri — Young Cop • The Grasscutter — Sergeant Harris — Television film • 1994 — Once Were Warriors — Jake 'The Muss' Heke • 1996 — Barb Wire — Axel Hood • The — Azazello • Broken English — Manu • Little White Lies — Tim • Whipping Boy — Jack — Television film • 1997 — Speed 2: Cruise Control — First Officer Juliano • 1998 — Six Days, Seven Nights — Jager • 1999 — What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? — Jake 'The Muss' Heke • From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter — Mauricio / The Hangman — Direct-to-video • 2000 — Vertical Limit — Major Rasul • 2001 — Crooked Earth — Will Bastion • Ihaka: Blunt Instrument — Tito Ihaka — Television film • 2002 — Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones — Jango Fett • Clone troopers — Voice; performed by Bodie Taylor • 2004 — The — Snakehead • Blueberry — Runi • Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back DVD Special Edition — Boba Fett — Voice (replaced Jason Wingreen) • 2005 — Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith — Commander Cody • Clone troopers — Role shared with Bodie Taylor • River Queen — Te Kai Po • The Reluctant Hero — Narrator — TV documentary • 2008 — Rain of the Children — Rua Kenana — Documentary • 2009 — The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake — Don Sandovate — Television film • Couples Retreat — Briggs • The — Damo — Direct-to-video • 2010 — Tracker — Kereama • 2011 — Green Lantern — Abin Sur • 2012 — The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption — King Ramusan — Direct-to-video • Fresh Meat — Hemi Crane • 2013 — Mt. Zion — Dad • 2016 — Mahana (The Patriarch) — Grandfather Mahana • Hard Target 2 — Madden — Direct-to-video • The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One — Warden Mourdain • Moana — Chief Tui (voice) • 2018 — Occupation — Peter Bartlett • Aquaman — Thomas Curry • 2019 — The Brighton Miracle — Eddie Jones • Dora and the Lost City of Gold — Powell • Mosley — Warfield • 2021 — Occupation: Rainfall — Peter Bartlett • 2023 — The Flash — Thomas Curry — Cameo • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom • Sons of Summer — Frank • 2024 — Ka Whawhai Tonu — Rewi Maniapoto • Moana 2 — Chief Tui (voice) • 2026 — The Wrecking Crew — Governor Peter Mahoe • The Bluff — Lee Key • Denotes works that have not yet been released
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
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.Eyes on New Zealand. Temuera Morrison. 10 July 2024.
- 2.Spratt, Amanda. Howard Morrison a knight in full voice. Herald on Sunday. 23 October 2005.
- 3.Our People: Temuera Morrison. The New Zealand Herald. 9 September 2018.
- 4.Once were Warriors star Jake a millstone. Stuff. 19 August 2014.
- 5.Gleiberman, Owen. Barb Wire. Entertainment Weekly. 10 May 1996.
- 6.Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Queen's Birthday honours list 1996. 3 June 1996.
- 7.Once Were Warriors star hits write note. Stuff. 19 August 2014.
- 8.Temuera Morrison – 'Tem'. Radio New Zealand. 9 November 2014.
- 9.Capps, Kriston. Of Course There Are Black Stormtroopers in Star Wars. The Atlantic. 28 November 2014.
- 10.Couch, Aaron. 'The Mandalorian': Temuera Morrison Returns to 'Star Wars' Universe to Play Boba Fett (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. 8 May 2020.
- 11.Itzkoff, Dave. Being Boba Fett: Temuera Morrison Discusses 'The Mandalorian'. The New York Times. 7 December 2020. 0362-4331.
- 12.Hibberd, James. How 'The Book of Boba Fett' Will Shake Up 'Star Wars'. The Hollywood Reporter. 16 December 2021.
- 13.Porter, Rick. 'Mandalorian' Spinoff 'Book of Boba Fett' Gets December Date on Disney+. The Hollywood Reporter. 29 September 2021.
- 14.Kit, Borys. Two kiwi actors join "Green Lantern". Reuters. 15 March 2010.
- 15.Crumlish, Callum. Aquaman 2: Temuera Morrison on returning to DC Comics series in The Lost Kingdom. Daily Express. 13 June 2021.
- 16.Hodges, Jake. Temuera Morrison Reveals the Brutal Sequence He Fought to Change in ‘Chief of War’: "I Can't Imagine Why You Would Do That". Collider. 2025-08-07.
- 17.TV picks of the week: Morrison reality check. New Zealand Herald. 31 October 2013.
- 18.Lucasfilm. Clone Troopers. StarWars.com.
- 19.Duncan, Jody. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Love and War. Cinefex. 90. July 2002.
- 20.Temuera Morrison – 18 Character Images. Behind The Voice Actors.
- 21.Stunning New Star Wars: Visions Trailer Debuts. StarWars.com. 17 August 2021.
- 22.Young, Bryan. The Book Of Boba Fett Delivers Expected Surprises In 'From The Desert Comes A Stranger'. /Film. February 2, 2022.
- 23.Opie, David. Obi-Wan Kenobi's sneaky cameo is more important than you realise. Digital Spy. 27 May 2022.
- 24.Joey Clift. Spirit Rangers Season 2 comes out May 8th and we just announced a bunch of our voice cast!! It was so fun working with all of these Native and Indigenous superstars and I can't wait for ya'll to hear them in the new episodes! #SpiritRangers. 1653839455986536449. May 3, 2023.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,589 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Telma HopkinsPerson
- Tembi LockePerson
- Temitope DukerPerson
- Tempe PigottPerson
- Temur BabluaniPerson
- Tengai AmanoPerson
- Tengiz AbuladzePerson
- Tengiz AmirejibiPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Temuera Morrison?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.