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1-50 of 319
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Dean Robert Stockwell grew up in North Hollywood, the son of Broadway performers Harry Stockwell and Elizabeth "Betty" Stockwell (née Veronica). His vaudevillian father was a replacement Curly in the original production of "Oklahoma!". He was also a decent tenor whose voice was used for the part of Prince Charming in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Dean's mother was a one-time Broadway chorine who used the stage moniker "Betty Veronica." His older brother was the actor Guy Stockwell.
At the age of seven, Dean made his stage debut in a Theater Guild production of Paul Osborn's The Innocent Voyage, in which his brother was also cast. The play ran for nine month. Dean was eventually spotted by a talent scout, and, on the strength of his performance, was signed by MGM in 1945. Under contract until 1947 (and again from 1949 to 1950), Stockwell became a highly sought-after child star in films like Anchors Aweigh (1945), with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, The Green Years (1946) and Song of the Thin Man (1947). His impish, dimpled looks and tousled brown hair combined with genuine acting talent kept him on the box office front line for more than a decade. Having won a Golden Globe Award as Best Juvenile Actor for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) (on loan-out to 20th Century Fox), Stockwell went on to play the title role in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1950). He came to admire his co-star Errol Flynn as a sort of role model. Thereafter, Stockwell segued into television for several years until resurfacing as a mature actor in Richard Fleischer's Compulsion (1959), (based on the infamous Leopold & Loeb murder case), co-starring with Bradford Dillman as one of the two young killers, and Orson Welles. He had already played the part on Broadway in 1957, on this occasion partnering Roddy McDowall. His last film role of note in the early 60s was as Edmund Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962). Despite developing a drinking problem on the set (for which he was chastised by Katharine Hepburn), Stockwell gave a solid performance which he later described as a career highlight.
Stockwell dropped out of show biz for some time in the 60s to join the hippie scene at which time he befriended Neil Young and Dennis Hopper. Later in the decade, he made a gleeful comeback in low budget psychedelic counterculture (Psych-Out (1968)) biker films (The Loners (1972)) and horror comedies (The Werewolf of Washington (1973)). Keeping a considerably lower profile during the 70s, he became a frequent TV guest star in popular crime dramas like Mannix (1967), Columbo (1971) The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Police Story (1973). By the early 80s, work opportunities had become scarcer and Stockwell was compelled to briefly sideline as a real estate broker. He nonetheless managed to make a comeback with a co-starring role in the Wim Wenders road movie Paris, Texas (1984). New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby wrote of his performance "Mr. Stockwell, the former child star, has aged very well, becoming an exceptionally interesting, mature actor." Stockwell subsequently enjoyed high billing in David Lynch's noirish psycho-thriller Blue Velvet (1986) and received an Oscar nomination for his Mafia don Tony "The Tiger" Russo in Married to the Mob (1988). His television career also flourished, as cigar-smoking, womanizing rear admiral Al Calavicci in the popular science fiction series Quantum Leap (1989). The role won him a Golden Globe Award in 1990 and a new generation of fans. When the show ended after five seasons, Stockwell remained gainfully employed for another decade, still frequently seen as political or military authority figures (Navy Secretary Edward Sheffield in JAG (1995), Defence Secretary Walter Dean in Air Force One (1997)) or evil alien antagonists (Colonel Grat in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), humanoid Cylon John Cavil in Battlestar Galactica (2004)).
Outside of acting, Stockwell embraced environmental issues and exhibited works of art, notably collages and sculptures. In 2015, he was forced to retire from acting after suffering a stroke. Stockwell died on November 7, 2021 due to natural causes at the age of 85.- Pua Magasiva was born on August 10, 1980 in Apia, Samoa. He was an actor, known for 30 Days of Night (2007), Samoan Wedding (2006) and Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003) and Power Rangers DinoThunder (2004). He was married to Lizz Sadler and Kourtney Magasiva. He died on May 11, 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Geoff Murphy was born on 12 October 1938 in Wellington, New Zealand. He was a director and actor, known for The Quiet Earth (1985), Dante's Peak (1997) and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995). He was married to Merata Mita, Pat Robins and Diane Kearns. He died on 3 December 2018 in Wellington, New Zealand.- Bruce Allpress was born on 25 August 1930 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Water Horse (2007) and Klynham Summer (1982). He died on 23 April 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
This New Zealander's oddly diverse talents made him a character star and cult icon there and in Australia in his relatively short life. Born in Sussex, England, on February 12, 1941, Bruno Lawrence (real name David Charles Lawrence) and his family settled in New Zealand when he was just a pre-schooler. He developed an early interest in the drums, formed a dixie-land band at age 15, and made the various school and church dance rounds where he picked up the nickname Bruno.
He veered quickly toward jazz and, from 1961 on, made a living as a session artist playing drums for a slew of "Down Under"-based jazz and pop groups. He also tossed out his own singles here and there before slowly moving into the TV music scene. This, in turn, led to acting roles first on TV and in short films. Despite his subsequent acting success, the drums would always remain his first love.
The dark, balding, brooding, highly complex man began strongly focusing on acting in the 70's, impressing audiences with a number of strange, oddly compelling fellows in largely independent features. After scoring early notice as Burglar Bill in the TV comedy series Percy the Policeman (1974), Bruno made his full-length movie debut as the title conman in the film Wild Man (1977), which he co-wrote and produced. Once branded a "young Marlon Brando, he continued to impress in such films as A Woman of Good Character (1980) and made his first major impact as an amateur racer and junkyard owner in the social drama Smash Palace (1981) (and co-wrote).
Other superbly-designed showcases followed with such superb turns as the revengeful 1860's New Zealand War settler in Utu (1983); the lone scientist in the "last man on earth" story The Quiet Earth (1985) (and co-wrote); and the poor ranch hand who falls for his incestuous boss's daughter in Heart of the Stag (1984) (and co-wrote). Other NZ films would include Bridge to Nowhere (1986) and the horror opus Jack Be Nimble (1993) starring a pre-transgender Alexis Arquette.
Bruno eventually branched out into Australian filming where he starred in or was featured in a number of quality films -- An Indecent Obsession (1985) starring Wendy Hughes; a starring role as a diner customer who comes upon otherworldly aliens in As Time Goes by (1988); a murderous, cold-blooded cop in Grievous Bodily Harm (1988) with Colin Friels; The Delinquents (1989); The Efficiency Expert (1991) starring Anthony Hopkins; and his final film Gino (1994). On TV, he produced, co-wrote and starred as a traveling musician in the comedy series Blerta (1976), and is perhaps best-remembered for his role as sneaky, golf-obsessed TV producer Brian Thompson in the 1990s satire program Breaking News (1994) (aka "Frontline.")
In early 1995, while working on a new film project, Cosi (1996) with Toni Collette, Bruno suffered severe chest pains, was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, and forced to quit the film. Returning to his New Zealand homeland, he died within months on June 10, 1995. A wife and five children survived him. A biography entitled Bruno: The Bruno Lawrence Story was published posthumously in 1999 by Roger Booth.- Director
- Art Director
- Art Department
British director Don Chaffey began his career in the film industry in the art department at Gainsborough Pictures. He began directing in 1951, often working on films aimed at children. He branched out into television in the mid-'50s, turning out many of the best episodes of such classic series as Danger Man (1960), The Prisoner (1967) and The Avengers (1961). Although he worked in many film genres, his best work is generally acknowledged to be the crackerjack fantasy Jason and the Argonauts (1963). On the other hand, he was also responsible for the lugubrious, box-office disaster The Viking Queen (1967), one of the few productions from Hammer Films that lost money. In the late 1970s Chaffey traveled to the US and worked primarily there, often in made-for-TV movies.- Noel Appleby was born on 5 April 1933. He was an actor, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988). He died on 17 May 2007 in New Zealand.
- Pete Smith was born in 1959 in New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Quiet Earth (1985), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Piano (1993). He was married to Mona Papali'i. He died on 29 January 2022 in Kaitaia, Far North District, New Zealand.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Martyn Sanderson was born on 24 February 1938 in Granity, New Zealand. He was an actor and writer, known for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Flying Fox in a Freedom Tree (1989) and The Harp in the South (1987). He was married to Wanjiku Kiare. He died on 14 October 2009 in Otaki, Manawatu, New Zealand.- Elizabeth Moody was born on 29 October 1939 in Worthing, Sussex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Dead Alive (1992), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and Heavenly Creatures (1994). She was married to Terence Moody. She died on 12 January 2010 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Alistair has been working as an actor and stage-director for 43 years, in New Zealand, Australia and England. He has won seven awards for acting and one for for directing. He trained at Theatre Corporate and the Mercury Theatre in Auckland, NZ and went on to play Hamlet and many other Shakespeare and classic roles, as well as comedies, modern dramas and musicals in theaters around New Zealand, and then in the countries above. He then began an ongoing career in film and television. He continues to work to this day, based in Auckland, NZ.
- Grant McFarland was born in 1947. He was an actor, known for Power Rangers DinoThunder (2004), Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud (2011) and Power Rangers Ninja Storm (2003). He died on 20 November 2018 in Whangapoua, New Zealand(undisclosed).
- Writer
- Producer
David Seidler was born on 13 July 1937 in London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for The King's Speech (2010), Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). He was married to Mary Ann Tharaldsen, Huia Newton and Jacqueline Feather. He died on 16 March 2024 in New Zealand.- Peta Rutter was born on 31 December 1959 in New Zealand. She was an actress, known for Young Hercules (1998), Strange Behavior (1981) and Power Rangers Mystic Force (2006). She was married to Carl Bland. She died on 20 July 2010 in New Zealand.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
Nancy Brunning was born in 1971. She was an actress and director, known for What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999), The Strength of Water (2009) and The Patriarch (2016). She died on 16 November 2019 in Wellington, New Zealand.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Don Selwyn was born on 22 November 1935 in New Zealand. He was an actor and producer, known for The Maori Merchant of Venice (2002), Once Were Warriors (1994) and The Feathers of Peace (2000). He died on 13 April 2007 in Auckland, New Zealand.- Actress
- Writer
Liddy Holloway was born on 27 March 1945 in Wellington, New Zealand. She was an actress and writer, known for Without a Paddle (2004), Shortland Street (1992) and Fracture (2004). She died on 29 December 2004 in Auckland, New Zealand.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Menacing-looking Kiwi character actor John Karlsen had a prolific career in Italian films, where he spent much of his professional life. He arrived in Italy in the late 1950s, making his film debut with an uncredited role in the Rome-shot Mamie Van Doren vehicle Le bellissime gambe di Sabrina (1958). A member of Federico Fellini's regular company, he appeared in four of the director's projects between 1963 and 1973. He's best known to American audiences for his role as an evil 14th-century duke in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), which was partially shot in Italy. He also appeared in several other international productions shot in Italy. At some point he returned to his native New Zealand, where he passed away in 2017.- Best known in New Zealand for playing the Senile Grandfather Ted West on Outrageous Fortune. This role won him a best supporting actor award at the Air NZ Screen Awards in 2007. He also appeared in Vigil and many other New Zealand and Australian Productions. He died of Cancer on Febuary 13th 2011
- Peter Vere-Jones was born on 21 October 1939 in Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Dead Alive (1992), Bad Taste (1987) and Meet the Feebles (1989). He died on 26 January 2021 in New Zealand.
- Davina Craig was born on 20 April 1914 in Bedford Park, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Ghost Camera (1933), Girl in the Street (1937) and The Black Abbot (1934). She died on 19 July 1983 in Opotiki, New Zealand.
- Noel Trevarthen was born on 10 January 1938 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for Carson's Law (1983), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) and The Rovers (1969). He died on 3 December 1999 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- After a childhood punctuated by petty theft Norman Rewiri made the mistake of trying to rob a betting shop at gun point; he was sent to prison where he finally began to educate himself. On release he took a new name, and started a new life as a union organizer & arbitrator. "Utu" director Geoff Murphy saw him on the news and asked him to play the lead in his film, starting him on a third career.
- Bryan Southcombe was born on 10 December 1937 in Nelson, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Man with Two Heads (1972). He was married to Charlotte Rampling. He died on 7 March 2007 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Ngaio Marsh was born on 23 April 1895 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She was a writer, known for The Philco Television Playhouse (1948), Crown Court (1972) and Detective (1964). She died on 18 February 1982 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Vera Tørresø was born on 8 October 1934 in Odense, Denmark. She was an actress, known for Tre finder en kro (1955), Mor skal giftes (1958) and The Big Run (1952). She died on 25 March 2013 in New Zealand.
- Actress
Larger than life leading lady on stage and television, latterly familiar on television in serials such as The Flying Doctors (1985) and Close to Home (1975). Born Patricia Blamires in 1924, she delighted audiences for more than five decades in her native country and Australia. Active on stage until failing eyesight in her early seventies forced her to retire from the profession.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Ellen Umlauf was born on 17 August 1925 in Vienna, Austria. She was an actress and director, known for Nabuli (1988), Isar 12 (1961) and Salome (1971). She was married to Albert Rueprecht. She died on 19 February 2000 in Rotorua, New Zealand.- William Johnson was born in May 1924 in Hebden Bridge, Great Britain. He was an actor, known for King Kong (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Water Horse (2007). He was married to Merle. He died on 23 September 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Eddie Campbell was born in 1949 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for King Kong (2005), Slow West (2015) and The Power of the Dog (2021). He died on 16 October 2020 in New Zealand.- Actor
- Sound Department
Wi Kuki Kaa was born on 16 December 1938 in New Zealand. He was an actor, known for The Bounty (1984), Ngati (1987) and Homicide (1964). He died on 19 February 2006 in Wellington, New Zealand.- Actor
- Producer
Jonathan Blick was born on 22 January 1969. He was an actor and producer, known for The Frighteners (1996), Atomic Twister (2002) and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995). He died on 3 September 2014 in New Zealand.- Richard Poore was born on 19 May 1939 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for Wild Horses (1983), Second Time Lucky (1984) and UFO (1970). He died on 23 May 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Bandleader, conductor, trumpeter, composer, arranger and songwriter, educated at San Francisco State Teachers College and in private music study with Edmund Ross, Ernst Toch, Albert Coates, Ernst Krenek and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He was a trumpeter in dance bands and composed, conducted and arranged for record companies and for NBC, where he was on the staff for four years. Joining ASCAP in 1957, his popular-song compositions include the instrumental "Adventures in Emotion".- Visual Effects
- Editorial Department
- Sound Department
Grant Kronfeld was born on 5 October 1966 in New Zealand. He is known for Spartacus (2010), The Price of Milk (2000) and The Vector File (2002). He died on 13 September 2012 in New Zealand.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Pete O'Herne was born in 1961. He was an actor, known for Bad Taste (1987), God of Vampires (2010) and The Valley (1976). He died on 14 December 2010 in Wellington, New Zealand.- Angela D'Audney was born on 26 August 1944 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Section 7 (1972), Loose Enz (1982) and Two Network News (1975). She was married to Haddo D'Audney and Haddy D'Audney. She died on 6 February 2002 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Jonah Lomu was born on 12 May 1975 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was married to Nadene Quirk, Fiona Taylor and Tanya Rutter. He died on 18 November 2015 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Billy T. James was born on 17 January 1948 in Waikato, New Zealand. He was an actor and director, known for Came a Hot Friday (1985), The Leading Edge (1987) and Billy T James: Alive and Gigging (1990). He died on 7 August 1991 in New Zealand.- Edmund Hillary was born on 20 July 1919 in Tuakau, Auckland, New Zealand. He was married to June Mulgrew and Louise Mary Rose. He died on 11 January 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Ray Henwood was born on 15 January 1937 in Swansea, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), Heavenly Creatures (1994) and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995). He was married to Carolyn. He died on 26 August 2019 in New Zealand.
- Davina Whitehouse was born on 16 December 1912 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Dead Alive (1992), Sleeping Dogs (1977) and Homicide (1964). She was married to Archie. She died on 25 December 2002 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Eric Woofe was born on 31 July 1941 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was an actor, known for Mystery and Imagination (1966), The Strauss Family (1972) and The Avengers (1961). He was married to Marilyn Taylerson and Louise Pajo. He died on 21 February 2013 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Producer
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
Robert Bruning was born on 27 May 1928 in Dongara, Western Australia, Australia. He was a producer and actor, known for The Territorians (1996), Blue Heelers (1994) and Sunday Too Far Away (1975). He died on 4 March 2008 in Wellington, New Zealand.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
David Stevens was born on 22 December 1940 in Tiberias, Palestine. He was a director and writer, known for The Sum of Us (1994), Breaker Morant (1980) and Merlin (1998). He died on 17 July 2018 in Whangarei, New Zealand.- Aloysius Pang was born on 24 August 1990 in Singapore. He was an actor, known for C.L.I.F. (2011), Beijing to Moscow (2019) and C.L.I.F. 2 (2013). He died on 23 January 2019 in Hamilton, New Zealand.
- Alba was an actor, known for Julius Caesar (1970), The Queen's Traitor (1967) and Privilege (1967). He died in 1997 in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Director
- Writer
Brad McGann grew up in New Zealand and studied at the University of Otago and the Swinburne Film and Television School in Melbourne. He directed the drama It Never Rains (1996) and the documentary Come As You Are (co-director, 1996) for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He also directed the award-winning short film Possum (1996). In My Father's Den (2004) is his first feature.- Sound Department
- Editorial Department
Mike Hopkins was born on 12 August 1959 in Greytown, New Zealand. He is known for King Kong (2005), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). He was married to Nicci. He died on 30 December 2012 in Waiohine River, Wellington Region, New Zealand.- Dene O'Kane was born on 24 February 1963 in Christchurch, New Zealand. He died on 14 May 2024 in Waiheke Island, New Zealand.