Cliff Curtis was born in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand on July 27, 1968.
Of New Zealand Maori descent (Ngati Hauiti, Te Arawa) he spent time when young learning the traditional Maori fighting styles of mau rakau. He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and then the Teatro Dmitri Scoula in Switzerland.
After returning to Aotearoa New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in "The Piano (1993)" ... show all
Cliff Curtis was born in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand on July 27, 1968.
Of New Zealand Maori descent (Ngati Hauiti, Te Arawa) he spent time when young learning the traditional Maori fighting styles of mau rakau. He enrolled at the New Zealand Drama School, and then the Teatro Dmitri Scoula in Switzerland.
After returning to Aotearoa New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in "The Piano (1993)". Subsequent roles in New Zealand include the camp melodrama "Desperate Remedies (1993)", the gruelling urban drama "Once Were Warriors (1994)", in which he plays a child rapist, and the lighthearted comedy "Jubilee (2000)".
In Hollywood, Cliff Curtis has played a range of different roles and ethnicities in films. He plays a Columbian in "The Blow (2001)", an Arab in "Three Kings (1999)" and "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)". hide
Genres:Drama | Romance Countries:Australia | France | New Zealand Directors:Jane Campion Actors:Holly Hunter | Harvey Keitel | Sam Neill | Anna Paquin | Kerry Walker | Geneviève Lemon | Tungia Baker | Ian Mune | Peter Dennett | Te Whatanui Skipwith | Pete Smith | Bruce Allpress | Cliff Curtis | Carla Rupuha | Mahina Tunui
It is the mid-nineteenth century. Ada is a mute who has a young daughter, Flora. In an arranged marriage she leaves her native Scotland accompanied by her daughter and her beloved piano. Life in the rugged forests of New Zealand's South Island is not all she may have imagined and nor is her relationship with her new husband Stewart. She suffers torment and loss when Stewart sells her piano to a neighbour, George. Ada learns from George that she may earn back her piano by giving him piano lessons, but only with certain other conditions attached. At first Ada despises George but slowly their relationship is transformed and this propels them into a dire situation.
Genres:Drama | Thriller Countries:USA Directors:Gary Fleder Actors:John Cusack | Gene Hackman | Dustin Hoffman | Rachel Weisz | Bruce Davison | Bruce McGill | Jeremy Piven | Nick Searcy | Stanley Anderson | Cliff Curtis | Nestor Serrano | Leland Orser | Jennifer Beals | Gerry Bamman | Joanna Going
When a day trader is shot in cold blood at his workplace, his widow sues a major gun manufacturer. Holding them responsible for his death, she dispatches idealistic lawyer Wendell Rohr to oversee the case. A good man of principle, Wendell takes charge. On the defense team, another man will take charge: Rankin Fitch, a powerful and ruthless jury consultant riding high on his frequent successes. But in the middle of it all is the jury, which both Wendell and Rankin are determined to sway. But what they're about to discover, is that one man and one woman stand in their way. Nicholas Easter is one of the jurors and he's the one collaborating with Marlee, his girlfriend, on the final outcome of the case. But as the case progresses, questions arise as to what the motives are of all those involved, and what some will do to secure the final outcome. Download:
Genres:Crime | Drama | Thriller Countries:USA Directors:Newton Thomas Sigel Actors:Ray Liotta | John Leguizamo | Colm Feore | Cliff Curtis | Ling Bai | Illeana Douglas | Ronny Cox | Trent Gill | Ingrid Rubio | Ryan B. Adams | Graham Beckel | Mike Camello | Joe Colligan | Shashawnee Hall | Marshall Manesh
Based on a true story, this twisting psychological thriller focuses on a serial arsonist whose terrifying six-year crime spree is juxtaposed with the increasingly desperate efforts of investigators to bring him to justice. Charged with investigating many of these fires is Captain John Orr (Ray Liotta), a legendary figure in the Glendale Fire Department, possessed with an uncanny ability to pinpoint the origins of a fire, as well as the devices by which an arsonist may have carried out the crime. Through a fingerprint left at the scene of one crime and a series of surprise revelations focusing on arsons set in several towns, the task force is able to close in on an unlikely suspect. . . and ultimately crack the case. Download:DVDDivXiPodPDA
Genres:Drama | Family Countries:Germany | New Zealand Directors:Niki Caro Actors:Keisha Castle-Hughes | Rawiri Paratene | Vicky Haughton | Cliff Curtis | Grant Roa | Mana Taumaunu | Rachel House | Taungaroa Emile | Tammy Davis | Mabel Wharekawa | Rawinia Clarke | Tahei Simpson | Roi Taimana | Elizabeth Skeen | Tyronne White
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny. Download:DVDDivXPDA
Genres:Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller Countries:France | Germany | Japan | UK | USA Directors:John Bruno Actors:Jamie Lee Curtis | William Baldwin | Donald Sutherland | Joanna Pacula | Marshall Bell | Sherman Augustus | Cliff Curtis | Julio Oscar Mechoso | Yuri Chervotkin | Keith Flippen | Olga Rzhepetskaya-Retchin | Levani Outchaneichvili | David Eggby
After losing their payload the ramshackle, sinking, ocean-going salvage tug "Sea Star" takes refuge in the eye of a typhoon in an attempt to make repairs. Whilst trying to find help the tug, captained by Robert Everton ('Donald Sutherland' (qv)), discovers a Russian science vessel adrift in the eye. The crew believes their troubles are over and they are set for life when the captain informs them of the value of salvaging this apparent ghost-ship. However, the navigator Kit Foster ('Jamie Lee Curtis' (qv)) and the chief engineer Steve Baker ('William Baldwin' (qv)) are not convinced that it will be that easy. Once power is restored to the ship strange things start to happen and the crew mysteriously disappear one by one. It isn't until the discovery of the last remaining Russian crew member, the chief science officer Nadia Vinogradiya ('Joanna Pacula' (qv)), that the crew realise the enemy ranged against them isn't the Russians but something far more malevolent... Download:DVDDivXPDA
Genres: Drama | Romance
