Cliff Curtis

Cliff Curtis, born on July 27, 1968, in New Zealand, is a prominent actor known for his versatile roles in both local and international films and television. Curtis, of Māori descent with affiliations to Te Arawa and Ngāti Hauiti, began his acting career after studying at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and working in local theater.
Curtis gained recognition with his role in the critically acclaimed film Once Were Warriors (1994), and further cemented his status with roles in Three Kings (1999), Blow (2001), Training Day (2001), and Whale Rider (2002). He won the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in The Dark Horse (2014). His international credits include Live Free or Die Hard (2007), Colombiana (2011), and Doctor Sleep (2019). He also appeared in The Meg (2018) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and will reprise his role in Avatar 3 (2025).
Curtis was a series regular on Fear the Walking Dead (2015-2017) and has worked in several TV dramas such as Trauma and Body of Proof. He co-owns the New Zealand production company Whenua Films, which supports indigenous filmmaking and has produced acclaimed shorts like Two Cars, One Night.