Cinema has always been a big part of New Zealand's cultural output. From the first screening in 1896 to modern blockbusters, the country has produced an impressive body of work on the silver screen. In addition to New Zealand's own cinema, which is as culturally diverse as the country itself, the country has provided a backdrop for massive Hollywood productions like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Avatar. It's not just the productions themselves that are from New Zealand; the country has produced many hugely successful actors. Here are just a few of them, which we've kept in alphabetical order rather than ranking them.
Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin may have been born in Winnipeg, Canada, but she was raised in Wellington. Her acting debut was in The Piano, which won her the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. She was just 11 years old when she won the Oscar, making her the second-youngest to win.
New Zealand’s film and television industry has long acted as a launchpad for international careers. Many performers began in local productions, regional theatre, or television drama before transitioning to major international projects. The country’s growing reputation as a filming location, combined with strong storytelling traditions, has helped actors develop the experience and visibility needed to succeed on a global stage.
Antonia Prebble
Antonia Prebble is an actress from Wellington, best known for her roles in Outrageous Fortune, The Tribe, and The Blue Rose. While most of her acting credits are in television, she's also appeared in films like White Lies, The Cure, Timeslow, and Pork Pie. She also appeared in Westside, the prequel to Outrageous Fortune.
Bret McKenzie
Bret McKenzie is an actor and musician best known as part of Flight of the Conchords, alongside fellow New Zealander Jemaine Clement. The comedy-music duo Flight of the Conchords also spawned an American TV series that follows a somewhat fictionalised version of the band as they try to make it in New York City. Before finding widespread fame through his band and TV series, he appeared as an extra in two of The Lord of the Rings films. In fact, though the role was minor, it became popular amongst fans following his fame with Flight of the Conchords.
Academy Awards across its three films.
Cliff Curtis
Cliff Curtis is a New Zealand actor of Maori descent who's famous for performances in many different films and TV series, including some of New Zealand's best movies like Once Were Warriors, Whale Rider, The Dark Horse, and Avatar: The Way of Water. His acting credits include some of New Zealand's best films as well as Hollywood movies like Bringing Out the Dead, Blow, Training Day, and Live Free or Die Hard. He was also in Fear of the Walking Dead, the spin-off of the hugely popular The Walking Dead.
Māori culture has played a central role in shaping modern New Zealand cinema. Through powerful performances and culturally grounded storytelling, Māori actors have brought depth and authenticity to both domestic films and international productions. Their work has helped elevate indigenous narratives while broadening representation in global film and television.
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement is the other half of Flight of the Conchords and gained international fame for the music and the accompanying TV series. As a director, he directed and starred in What We Do in the Shadows, a comedy vampire movie that he worked on with Taika Waititi, another great New Zealand actor and director. His acting credits include both live-action and voice roles, as well as his directing credits.
Karl Urban
Karl Urban is an actor from Wellington who has appeared in many film franchises and TV series, including Xena: Warrior Princess, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Trek, and The Boys. He also appeared in the film Thor: Ragnarok, which was directed by New Zealand actor and director Taika Waititi. He's also done voice acting for TV and film in productions like Ark: The Animated Series, The Sea Beast, and the 2013 Star Trek video game, based on the reboot movie series, in which he also appeared.
Keisha Castle-Hughes
Keisha Castle-Hughes was born in Donnybrook, Australia, but much like Anna Paquin, her family moved to New Zealand when she was very young. She grew up in Auckland and made her debut in the 2002 New Zealand drama film Whale Rider. She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Whale Rider. She's also appeared in movies and TV series like Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The Almighty Johnsons, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones.
KJ Apa
KJ Apa is an actor from Auckland whose first acting credits were on one of New Zealand's most popular TV shows, Shortland Street. He's gained international fame for his role in Riverdale, the American TV series based on Archie Comics, in which he plays Archie Andrews, the lead.
Lucy Lawless
Internationally, Lucy Lawless is probably one of the first big New Zealand stars. She rose to fame in the 1990s in the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. She also appeared in the Battlestar Galactica series from the 2000s and Spartacus: Blood and Sand. She's also appeared in many huge TV shows, including The Simpsons, The X-Files, Two and a Half Men, Veronica Mars, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Flight of the Conchords.
Martin Henderson
Martin Henderson is famous for roles in shows and movies like Off the Map, Grey's Anatomy, Virgin River, and The Ring. He was also in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street in the early 90s. He was born in Auckland and grew up there though after his role in Shortland Street, he moved to Australia for a few years appearing in shows like Echo Point and Home and Away. He also appeared as Britney Spears' boyfriend in the music video for her 2003 song Toxic.
Marton Csokas
Marton Csokas is an actor from Invercargill whose most famous appearances have been in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, XXX, Kingdom of Heaven, and Æon Flux. Like several other New Zealand actors on this list, he also appeared on Shortland Street. He was also in Xena: Warrior Princess, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Kangaroo Jack.
Melanie Lynskey
Melanie Lynskey was born in New Plymouth and made her film debut in Heavenly Creatures. Her film acting credits include dozens of productions, including Coyote Ugly, Up in the Air, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Don't Look Up. On television, she was famous for regularly appearing on Two and a Half Men and in episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Key & Peele, Easy, Young Sheldon, Yellowjackets, and The Last of Us.
Rachel House
Rachel House is an actress from Auckland, best known for films such as Whale Rider, Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Thor: Ragnarok. International audiences may also recognise her as the voice of Gramma Tala in the Disney movie Moana, a role she also dubbed in Maori.
Rhys Darby
Rhys Darby is an actor from Auckland who was a trained soldier before leaving the New Zealand army to pursue comedy. His most famous role internationally was as the manager of Flight of the Conchords in the TV series of the same name. He also appeared in the movie What We Do in the Shadows, directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.
Rose McIver
Rose McIver is a New Zealand actress who was also in The Piano. She's also appeared in The Lovely Bones, Predicament, Blinder, Petals on the Wind, and Daffodils. She also appeared in all three Christmas Prince Netflix movies.
For many actors, a breakout role is only the beginning. Sustaining a long career often involves moving between genres, working across film and television, and sometimes stepping into directing or producing. The most enduring performers evolve over time, balancing commercial projects with creative risks that showcase range and versatility.
Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe was born in Wellington. Though he moved to Australia when he was four, he returned to New Zealand to start a music career under the stage name Russ Le Roq. Aged 21, he returned to Australia to pursue a career in acting. Since then, he's appeared in many films and some TV shows. His most famous acting credits include Gladiator, Les Misérables, Robin Hood, and 3:10 to Yuma.
Sam Neill
Sam Neill is a New Zealand actor who was born in Omagh, Northern Ireland. He moved to New Zealand during childhood after spending time in Melbourne. His long list of acting credits includes The Hunt for Red October, The Piano, Jurassic Park, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Thor: Ragnarok. He's also appeared in TV series like The Tudors, Peaky Blinders, and The Twelve.
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi is a New Zealand director and actor from Wellington. He's famous for having directed Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor: Love and Thunder. He often has acting roles in his films and has also appeared in films like The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Lightyear, and Next Goal Wins. He's appeared in many TV series, too, including Flight of the Conchords, Rick and Morty, History of the World, Part II, and The Simpsons.
Temuera Morrison
Temuera Morrison is an actor from Rotorua famous for acting in Once Were Warriors, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, and the Star Wars franchise. In Star Wars, he plays Jango Fett and Boba Fett in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. He was also in Disney's Moana.
Zoë Bell
Zoe Bell is an actress and stuntwoman from Waiheke Island. While most of her acting credits are for stunts, standing in for Lucy Lawless in Xena: Warrior Princess and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, as an actress, she was in Lost, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Thor: Ragnarok, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Who Is Your Favourite NZ Actor?
If you dream of finding work as an actor in New Zealand, it might help to take inspiration from some of these as well as get some help from a private acting coach on Superprof!
Summarise with AI:
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
