Cliff Curtis

'Cliff Curtis' (qv) 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 Scoula in Switzerland.After returning to New Zealand from Europe, he was cast in _The Piano (1993)_ (qv). Subsequent roles in New Zealand include the camp melodrama _Desperate Remedies (1993)_ (qv), the grueling urban drama _Once Were Warriors (1994)_ (qv), and the lighthearted comedy _Jubilee (2000)_ (qv).In Hollywood, Curtis has played a range of different roles and ethnicities in films. He plays a Colombian in _Blow (2001)_ (qv), an Arab in _Three Kings (1999)_ (qv) and _The Insider (1999)_ (qv), a Latino in _Training Day (2001)_ (qv) and _Runaway Jury (2003)_ (qv), and a drug dealer of ambiguous ethnicity in _Bringing Out the Dead (1999)_ (qv). However, he is probably best known for his role as Paikea's father Porourangi, in _Whale Rider (2002)_ (qv).::Cloned Moa