Cliff Curtis

Actor, Producer

Birthdate: July 27, 1968 (57 Years Old)

Birthplace: Rotorua, New Zealand

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).

Movies

Known For

Avatar 5

(2031)

Avatar 4

(2029)

Avatar: Fire and Ash

(2025)

Ka Whawhai Tonu

(2025)

Last Breath

Andre Jenson (Captain) (2025)

Cliff Curtis Movies

Actor

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Previous (18)

2025 |
Last Breath
Last Breath
2025
Drama, Thriller
A true story that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crew mate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface.
asAndre Jenson (Captain)
2023 |
Meg 2: The Trench
Meg 2: The Trench
2023
Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A research team's journey into the depths of the ocean turns into chaos when a mining operation forces them into a battle for survival, facing off against Megalodons and relentless environmental marauders.
More Info
asMac
2023 |
Deep Rising
Deep Rising
2023
Documentary
The fate of the planet's last untouched wilderness, the deep ocean, is under threat as a secretive organization is about to allow massive extraction of seabed metals to address the world's energy crisis.
asMamooli
2022 |
Murina
Murina
2022
Drama
A teenage girl decides to replace her controlling father with his wealthy foreign friend during a weekend trip to the Adriatic Sea.
asJavier
2021 |
Reminiscence
Reminiscence
2021
Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, navigates the alluring world of the past when his life is changed by new client Mae. A simple case becomes an obsession after she disappears and he fights to learn the truth about her.
More Info
asCyrus Boothe
2021 |
Risen
Risen
2021
Sci-Fi, Thriller
Disaster unfolds when a meteor strikes a small town, turning the environment uninhabitable and killing everything in the surrounding area. Exobiologist Lauren Stone is called to find answers to the unearthly event. As she begins to uncover the truth, imminent danger awakens and it becomes a race against time to save mankind.
asYeshua
2019 |
Doctor Sleep
Doctor Sleep
2019
Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
Years following the events of The Shining (1980), a now-adult Dan Torrance must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.
More Info
asBilly Freeman
2018 |
The Meg
The Meg
2018
Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A rescue mission to the bottom of the ocean is terrorized by a massive prehistoric shark.
More Info
asMac
2016 |
The Dark Horse
The Dark Horse
2016
Biography, Drama
A brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion finds purpose by teaching underprivileged children about the rules of chess and life.
asGenesis
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as Tonowari
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as Tonowari
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as Tonowari
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as Javier
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as Jonah
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as Tonowari
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as Wi Toka
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as Fire Lord Ozai
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as Bowman