Cliff Curtis is a New Zealand actor who was born on July 27, 1968, in Rotorua, New Zealand. He is of Māori descent, with his tribal affiliations being Te Arawa and Ngāti Hauiti.
Curtis began his acting career in New Zealand in the late 1980s, appearing in a number of local television shows and films. He gained wider recognition in the 1990s with his roles in the New Zealand films “Once Were Warriors” and “Whale Rider.”
He is also known for his roles on television, including “Trauma,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond.”
In addition to his acting career, Curtis is also involved in various philanthropic and community projects. He was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004 for his services to film.
Cliff Curtis Movies and TV Shows
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Piano | Mana | |
| 1993 | Desperate Remedies | Fraser | |
| 1994 | Kahu & Maia | Kahu | |
| 1994 | Once Were Warriors | Uncle Bully | |
| 1994 | Rapa Nui | Short Ears | |
| 1996 | Chicken | Zeke | |
| 1996 | Mananui | Mana | |
| 1998 | Deep Rising | Mamooli | |
| 1998 | Six Days, Seven Nights | Kip | |
| 1999 | Virus | Hiko | |
| 1999 | Three Kings | Amir Abdulah | |
| 1999 | Bringing Out the Dead | Cy Coates | |
| 1999 | The Insider | Sheikh Fadlallah (as Clifford Curtis) | |
| 2000 | Jubilee | Billy Williams | |
| 2001 | Blow | Pablo Escobar | |
| 2001 | Training Day | ‘Smiley’ | |
| 2001 | The Majestic | The Evil But Handsome Prince Khalid | |
| 2002 | Collateral Damage | Claudio ‘El Lobo’ Perrini | |
| 2002 | Whale Rider | Porourangi | |
| 2003 | Runaway Jury | Frank Herrera | |
| 2004 | Fracture | Detective Franklin | |
| 2004 | Spooked | Mort Whitman | |
| 2004 | Heinous Crime | Pizza Delivery Man | |
| 2005 | The Pool | Husband | |
| 2005 | River Queen | Wiremu | |
| 2006 | The Fountain | Captain Ariel | |
| 2007 | Sunshine | Searle | |
| 2007 | Fracture | Detective Flores | |
| 2007 | Live Free or Die Hard | FBI Deputy Director Miguel Bowman | |
| 2008 | 10,000 BC | Tic’Tic | |
| 2009 | Push | Hook Waters | |
| 2009 | 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 (Jesus) of Nazareth | |
| 2018 | The Meg | James ‘Mac’ Mackreides | |
| 2019 | Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw | Jonah Hobbs | |
| 2019 | Doctor Sleep | Billy Freeman | |
| 2021 | Reminiscence | Cyrus Boothe | |
| 2021 | Murina | Javier | |
| 2022 | Muru | Sergent ‘Taffy’ Tawharau | |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Tonowari | |
| 2023 | True Spirit | Ben Bryant | |
| 2023 | Meg 2: The Trench | James ‘Mac’ Mackreides | Filming |
| 2024 | Avatar 3 | Tonowari | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Under Cover | 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 |
| 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 |
| TBA | Chief of War | Keōua | Upcoming miniseri |
Cliff Curtis Age
Cliff Curtis was born on July 27, 1968. , he is 54 years old.
Cliff Curtis Height
Cliff Curtis is approximately 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall
Cliff Curtis Weight
His weight is estimated to be around 85 kg (187 lbs).
Cliff Curtis Family
Cliff Curtis’ parents are both from New Zealand. His mother is of Māori descent and his father has European and Māori ancestry. Therefore, Cliff Curtis has a mixed ethnic background that reflects his parents’ respective ancestries. He is one of eight children, the son of an amateur dancer.
Cliff Curtis got married to his long-time partner in 2009 in a private ceremony at his home. The couple has 4 children together. There were no reports of a divorce or separation, so we can safely assume that Cliff Curtis is still married.
Cliff Curtis Instagram
Cliff Curtis did not have an official Instagram account. However, he is active on other social media platforms.