Showing posts with label Celebrities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celebrities. Show all posts

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Post-Mortem For Singer Amy Winehouse

The star last spoke to her security team six hours before she was found at home in Camden, North London, and medics said she'd been dead for several hours, The Sun reports.

And police sources told the paper there was no evidence of drugs in her apartment.

The paper also reported Winehouse was given the all-clear when her doctor examined her the night before her death.

Another source told The Sun: "The doctor was happy with her condition. When he left on Friday night he had no concerns."

Security guard Andrew Morris found Winehouse's body about 4pm local time, the report said.

Earlier, Sunday tabloids in the UK claimed Winehouse was seen buying drugs from a dealer in Camden just after 10.30pm. It was claimed she bought narcotics including cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine.

But the singer's family labelled the claims "nonsense", The Sun reported.

A post-mortem is being carried out today to reveal the exact cause of death.

Winehouse's heartbroken mother thought her daughter's death was "only a matter of time" when they met just 24 hours before she died.

"She seemed out of it," her mother, Janis, said. "But her passing so suddenly still hasn't hit me."

Winehouse's mother said she instead preferred to cling for comfort to her daughter's own parting words at the end of an enjoyable day they had spent together on Friday.

Meanwhile, in the few hours between her death and the sales being counted, the Mark Ronson-produced LP charted at number 59, the Official Charts Company said.
Singles from the same album - Back to Black and Rehab - were also popular with fans. The two songs originally charted at 81 and 181 respectively.
Overall, sales of Winehouse albums increased 37-fold between Friday and Saturday while singles sales increased 23 times.
Official Charts Company director Martin Talbot said: "Already the popularity of Amy's music with the British public is being demonstrated, with sales of her albums rocketing by 37 times over the past 24 hours, according to Official Charts Company data.
"While Amy has already had an impact on the Official Charts, we would expect an even bigger impact to roll through over the coming days.

Such a demonstration of her popularity is the best tribute the British public can pay to this extraordinary British talent."
Meanwhile, fans have been laying flowers and other tributes including bottles of vodka at an impromptu shrine outside her Camden house.
"Amy you touched our heart and soul - so sorry it's over," said one message. Another simply read: "Amy, you were amazing."
By mid-afternoon several hundred people had gathered opposite Winehouse's £2.5m home. Neighbours said she had only lived there for a matter of months after the house was renovated.
Paramedics were called to the soul star's house in Camden Square yesterday afternoon but she was said to be "beyond help" and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say it is too early to speculate on a cause but Sky sources believe a suspected overdose could be to blame.
Winehouse had been troubled by drink and drugs problems throughout her career but news of her death has come as a shock to many.
A spokesman for the singer said: "Everyone involved with Amy is shocked and devastated. Our thoughts are with her family and friends."
Her family said in a statement: "Our family has been left bereft by the loss of Amy, a wonderful daughter, sister, niece.
"She leaves a gaping hole in our lives. We are coming together to remember her and we would appreciate some privacy and space at this terrible time."
The Metropolitan police are currently treating her death as unexplained, but inquiries continue into the circumstances.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Bruce Hopkins

Raymond Bruce Hopkins (born November 25, 1955) is an actor from New Zealand, most famous for his portrayal of Gamling in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy by Peter Jackson.
Hopkins was born in Invercargill, the son of Colleen Marguerite and Bill Hopkins, a crayfisherman. He was a crayfisherman himself (as well as PE teacher) before dedicating himself to the performing arts. He has worked as a professional dancer, theater company actor, television and film actor, voice actor, and radio host.

Karl Urban

Karl-Heinz Urban (born August 7, 1972) is an actor from New Zealand.
He is known for playing Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 film Star Trek and Julius Caesar on Xena: Warrior Princess. He played Vaako in The Chronicles of Riddick, the Russian assassin Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, and Ghost in Pathfinder and won acclaim for his performances in New Zealand films The Price of Milk and Out of the Blue.

As well as appearing in films and television shows, Urban had various roles in theatre productions and TV advertisements. In February/March 1998, he was in a play called The Herbal Bed at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland. In August 1998, he played Mark Antony in Auckland Theatre Company's production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The following year he starred in the Auckland Theatre Company's production of the New Zealand classic Foreskin's Lament.

Urban was seen on the internationally syndicated American TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and on its spin-off Xena: Warrior Princess, in which he played the recurring roles of both Cupid and Julius Caesar from 1996 to 2001. Both shows were filmed in New Zealand. In 2001 he appeared in the offbeat rural romance The Price of Milk, for which he received his first nomination at the New Zealand Qantas Film and Television Awards. Urban later won acclaim for his portrayal of policeman Nick Harvey in Out of the Blue, a dramatisation of New Zealand's Aramoana massacre, for which he won the Qantas Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2008.

Urban's big Hollywood break came with his role in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship. Since then, Urban has worked on many high-profile films, including the second and third installments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Two Towers and The Return of the King), The Bourne Supremacy, and The Chronicles of Riddick.

The Hollywood Reporter speculated that Urban was one of several actors being considered for the part of British secret service agent 007 in Casino Royale, directed by fellow New Zealander Martin Campbell. The role eventually went to Daniel Craig.



Urban played John "Reaper" Grimm in Universal Pictures' Doom (based on the classic first-person shooter video game), which was released on October 21, 2005. In 2007 he starred in the Viking adventure Pathfinder. A longtime fan of Westerns, Urban appeared as Woodrow Call in Comanche Moon, the CBS miniseries prequel to Lonesome Dove, in January 2008.

In 2009, he played Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, a role famously originated by DeForest Kelley, in the eleventh Star Trek film. A fan of the Star Trek franchise since he was a child, Urban actively pursued a role in the film. His performance was widely embraced by the Star Trek fan community for its faithfulness to the spirit of Kelley's McCoy.


Urban married Natalie Wihongi (who was his makeup artist on The Privateers) in September 2004. Together they have two sons: Hunter (born November, 2000) and Indiana (Indy) (born January, 2005. They live in Auckland harbour-side suburb Herne Bay, New Zealand.
Urban serves as an ambassador for KidsCan, a charity which currently supports over 16,000 disadvantaged children all over New Zealand by providing them with essentials such as food, coats and shoes.

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Chunuk Bair Wellington Soldier
1998 Heaven Sweeper
1998 Via Satellite Paul
2000 The Irrefutable Truth about Demons Harry Ballard
2000 The Price of Milk Rob Nominated - Qantas Film and Television Award for Best Performance by an Actor in Film
2002 Ghost Ship Munder
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Éomer
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Éomer Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
National Board of Review Award for Best Cast
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated - Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
2004 The Chronicles of Riddick Vaako
2004 The Bourne Supremacy Kirill
2005 Doom Sgt. John 'Reaper' Grimm
2006 Out of the Blue Nick Harvey Qantas Film and Television Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Film
2007 Pathfinder Ghost
2009 Star Trek Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy Constellation Award for Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie or Miniseries
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2009 Black Water Transit Earl Pike not yet released
2010 And Soon the Darkness Michael
2010 Red William Cooper
2011 Priest Black Hat post-production
2012 Untitled Star Trek Sequel Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy announced
2012 Dredd Judge Dredd post-production

Jessica Lee Rose

Jessica Lee Rose (born April 26, 1987) is an American-New Zealand actress who first gained popularity after playing the role of lonelygirl15.
In the Summer of 2006, Rose debuted as lonelygirl15, a fictional teenage homeschooled character named Bree who appeared in many video blogs on the popular video-sharing website YouTube. The mystery surrounding the possible fictionality of her character led to an outing by the Los Angeles Times which thrust her into the mainstream spotlight. In 2007, Rose won a Webby for this role.


Rose was born in Salisbury, Maryland and moved to Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty in New Zealand when she was eight.She attended Mount Maunganui College in 2000-2003 for part of her secondary school education. Afterward she attended an acting class at Studio 111 in Auckland. In January 2004, she moved to Auckland to study at the Academy of Film and Television Make Up.

During the course of her studies, Rose's film career included doing make-up and costume work on a New Zealand short film titled Us, as well as doing extras' make-up on the set of Peter Jackson's King Kong. She played a leading role in a short film titled Dearly Beloved and played a supporting role in the short film Unleash the Fury.

The lonelygirl15 video blogs, which first appeared in mid-2006, featured Rose as a 16-year-old girl named Bree posting under the alias lonelygirl15. The videos, which seemed genuine and presented lonelygirl15 as an actual person, initially dealt with typical teenage angst issues but soon after introduced a bizarre narrative surrounding secret occult practices within her family. The series was an immediate hit and became the most subscribed channel on YouTube but suspicions arose as to whether the videos were genuine or some sort of a promotional gimmick. An investigation by the Los Angeles Times would reveal the lonelygirl15 videos as a work of fiction.[A firestorm ensued in the news media through September 2006 during which Jessica Rose and the creators of lonelygirl15 gained international attention and were interviewed by various magazines and television shows. In October 2006, the United Nations chose Rose via her character Bree to participate in an ad campaign to promote the UN's antipoverty cause


After her departure from lonelygirl15, Rose was signed by United Talent Agency and was cast in the ABC Family series 'Greek' in the role of 'Jen K' and the 2007 Chris Sivertson film I Know Who Killed Me, which starred Lindsay Lohan. She then played "Tina," an aspiring wrestler,in the award-winning sports drama Perfect Sport. In January 2009, Rose appeared in the music video for The White Tie Affair's song "Candle (Sick and Tired)," and the following October, she appeared in the Syfy television movie, Ghost Town.

On April 4, 2008, it was announced that she would star in a web television series called Blood Cell about "a young woman must race against the clock to stop a sadistic madman after receiving a disturbing late-night phone call from a friend in danger." The series was released in October 2009 through theWB.com to little media fanfare. She also starred in another web series called Sorority Forever from Big Fantastic, the creators of Prom Queen. The series followed three incoming freshman in "the hottest sorority on campus" with some Gossip Girl and Veronica Mars elements to it. Additionally, she appeared in Hooking Up, a 10 episode web series from HBO featuring other recognized faces from the web including video bloggers sxePhil and KevJumba.

2006 OpAphid Bree (voice) Episode: "Everyone Hates Cassie: What a Poor, Lonely Girl."
2006-2007 Lonelygirl15 Bree 150 episodes
2007 I Know Who Killed Me Marcia 
2007-2008 Greek Jen K 11 episodes
2008 Perfect Sport Tina 
2008 Casanovas Jess Episode: "The Strip Tease"
2008 Sorority Forever Julie Gold 39 episodes
2008 Blood Cell Julia TV series
2008 Hooking Up Meg Henley TV movie
2009 Ghost Town Chloe TV movie
2009 The Crew Map Episode: "A Pirate's Life"
Episode: "Mis-Guided"
2009-present Poor Paul Beatrice 8+ episodes
2010-present The Temp Life Tammy Roeder 3+ episodes
2010 Look at Me Elizabeth

Anna Paquin

Anna Helene Paquin, born July 24, 1982) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history. Her acting career took off almost half a decade later when she appeared in a string of successful films including She's All That, Almost Famous and the X-Men franchise.
Paquin has received critical acclaim for her role as Sookie Stackhouse in the HBO series True Blood, for which she won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Early life
Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Mary Paquin (née Brophy), an English teacher and native of Wellington, New Zealand, and Brian Paquin, a high school physical education teacher. Paquin is the youngest of three children; she has two older siblings: brother Andrew a director, born in 1977, and sister Katya, born in 1980. Paquin's family moved to New Zealand when she was four. She attended the Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School until she was eight or nine. Her musical childhood hobbies in New Zealand included playing the viola, cello and piano. She also participated in gymnastics, ballet, swimming and downhill skiing, though she did not have any hobbies related to acting.
While in New Zealand, Paquin attended Hutt Intermediate School from 1994–95. Having begun her secondary education in Wellington at Wellington Girls' College, she completed her high school diploma at Windward School in Los Angeles, where she moved with her mother following her parents' divorce in 1995.

Child actress
It was in New Zealand in 1991 that Paquin became an actress by chance. Director Jane Campion was looking for a little girl to play a key role in The Piano, set to film in New Zealand, and a newspaper advertisement was run announcing an open audition. Paquin's sister read the ad and went to try out with a friend; Paquin herself tagged along because she had nothing better to do. When Campion met Paquin—whose only acting experience had been as a skunk in a school play—she was very impressed with the nine-year-old's performance of the monologue about Flora's father, and she was chosen from among the 5000 candidates.
When The Piano was released in 1993 it was lauded by critics, won prizes at a number of film festivals, and eventually became a popular movie among a wide audience. Paquin's debut performance in the film earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the age of eleven, making her the second-youngest Oscar winner in history after Tatum O'Neal. The Piano was made as a small independent movie and wasn't expected to be widely known, and Paquin and her family did not plan to continue in the acting circles. However, she was invited to the William Morris Agency, and she kept receiving offers for new roles. She systematically refused them, but she did appear in three commercials for the phone company MCI (now Verizon) in 1994.She also appeared as a voice in an audio book entitled The Magnificent Nose in 1994.

Theatrical career


Paquin with husband and fellow True Blood cast member Stephen Moyer, 2009
Paquin made her stage debut in 2001 in a production of The Glory of Living at the MCC Theater. She won a 2001–2002 Theatre World Award for her performance. She has since appeared in a number of other plays, but only once outside the USA, when she appeared on the West End stage in London in a production of This is Our Youth in 2002.
Personal life
On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Paquin was engaged to her True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer, whom she had been dating since filming the series pilot in 2007. On August 21, 2010, Paquin and Moyer married at a private residence in Malibu, California. Through her marriage to Moyer, Paquin has a step-son, Billy, born in 2000, and a step-daughter, Lilac, born in 2002. Paquin and Moyer reside in Venice, Los Angeles.
On April 1, 2010, Paquin came out as bisexual in a public service announcement for the Give a Damn campaign as part of the True Colors Fund, an advocacy group organized by Cyndi Lauper dedicated to LGBT equality.

Filmography

Feature films
Year Film Role Notes
1993 The Piano Flora McGrath Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Supporting Actress
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
1996 Jane Eyre Jane Eyre (Young) 
1996 Fly Away Home Amy Alden Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress
1997 The Member of the Wedding Frankie Addams TV movie
Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series - Leading Young Actress
1997 Amistad Isabela II of Spain 
1998 Hurlyburly Donna 
1998 Castle in the Sky Sheeta (voice) 
1999 It's the Rage Annabel Lee TV movie
1999 She's All That Mackenzie Siler 
1999 A Walk on the Moon Alison Kantrowitz Nominated—Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress
2000 X-Men Rogue/Marie Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress — Science Fiction
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Team (with Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman and James Marsden)
2000 Almost Famous Polexia Aphrodisia Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000 Finding Forrester Claire Spence 
2001 Buffalo Soldiers Robyn Lee 
2002 Darkness Regina 
2002 25th Hour Mary D'Annunzio 
2003 X2 Rogue/Marie Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (with Shawn Ashmore)
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Shawn Ashmore)
2004 Steamboy James Ray Steam (voice) 
2005 The Squid and the Whale Lili Thorn Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2005 Joan Of Arc Joan (voice) TV movie
2006 X-Men: The Last Stand Rogue/Marie 
2006 Hannibal Rising Chamber Maid 
2007 Blue State Chloe Hamon 
2007 Mosaic Maggie Nelson (voice) 
2007 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Elaine Goodale Nominated—Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Television Film
2008 Trick 'r Treat Laurie 
2009 The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler Irena Sendler Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film
2010 Open House Jennie 
2010 The Romantics Lila 
2011 Margaret Lisa Cohen 
2011 Scream 4 Rachel Cameo appearance

Sam Neill

Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor.
He is perhaps best known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. He has also had a number of high-profile roles including: the lead in Reilly, Ace of Spies, the adult Damien in Omen III: The Final Conflict, Merlin in the miniseries Merlin, Captain Vasily Borodin in The Hunt for Red October, Lord Friedrich Hoffman in Snow White: A Tale of Terror, and Alisdair Stewart in The Piano.
Most recently he played Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the Peace Arch Entertainment production for Showtime, The Tudors.


Neill was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, the second son of Dermot Neill, a Harrow- and Sandhurst-educated army officer and third-generation New Zealander, and his English wife Priscilla. At the time of Neill's birth, his father was stationed in Northern Ireland, serving with the Irish Guards. The family owned Neill and Co., the largest liquor retailers in New Zealand.

Neill returned with his family to New Zealand in 1954 where he attended the Anglican boys' boarding school Christ's College in Christchurch. He then went on to study English literature at the University of Canterbury where he had his first exposure to acting. While at Canterbury University he resided at College House where he held the position of Chief Castigator and Crime Crusher (CCACC). He then moved to Wellington to continue his tertiary education at Victoria University from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.


After working at the New Zealand National Film Unit as a director and actor Neill was cast as the lead in the New Zealand film Sleeping Dogs. Following this he appeared in the Australian classic, My Brilliant Career (1979), opposite Judy Davis.

This appearance led to his being selected to play Damien Thorn in Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981 one of the sequels to The Omen. In the late 1970s, his mentor was the notable British actor James Mason. Neill was also one of the leading candidates to succeed Roger Moore in the role of James Bond but he lost out to Timothy Dalton.

Neill has played heroes and villains in a succession of film and television dramas and comedies. In the UK he became well-known in the early 1980s starring in dramas such as Ivanhoe and notably in the title role of Reilly, Ace of Spies. Neill is known for his leading and co-starring roles in major films including Dead Calm (1989), La Révolution française (1989) playing the famous Marquis de Lafayette, The Hunt for Red October (1990), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992), The Piano (1993), Jurassic Park (1993), Sirens (1994), In the Mouth of Madness (1995), Event Horizon (1997), The Dish (2000) and Jurassic Park III (2001).


Neill resides in Queenstown, New Zealand and also has homes in Wellington, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. He has one son, Tim (born in 1983), by New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow, and one daughter, Elena (born in 1991), by makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, whom he married in 1989. He also has a stepdaughter Maiko Spencer (born 1981) who is from Noriko Watanabe's first marriage. He is a supporter of the Australian Speak Easy Association and the British Stammering Association (BSA). Neill also supports the Australian Labor Party, the New Zealand Labour Party, Greenpeace, Oxfam and the World Wildlife Fund. He is a patron of the National Performance Conference and donated a pair of jeans to the Jeans for Genes auction; they were painted by artist Merv Moriarty and auctioned off in August 1998.
Neill's hobby is running a vineyard called the Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago on New Zealand's South Island. "I’d like the vineyard to support me but I’m afraid it is the other way round. It is not a very economic business," said Neill, "It is a ridiculously time and money-consuming business. I would not do it if it was not so satisfying and fun: and it gets me pissed once in a while.


Landfall (1975)
Ashes (1975)
Sleeping Dogs (1977)
My Brilliant Career (1979)
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)
Possession (1981)
Ivanhoe (1982)
Attack Force Z (1982)
Enigma (1983)
Blood of Others (1984)
Plenty (1985)
Robbery Under Arms (1985)
For Love Alone (1986)
The Good Wife (1987)
A Cry in the Dark (1988)
Dead Calm (1989)
La Révolution française (1989)
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Death in Brunswick (1991)
Until the End of the World (1991)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
The Rainbow Warrior (1992)
The Piano (1993)
Question of Faith (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Country Life (1994)
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)
Sirens (1994)
Victory (1995)
Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill (1995)
In the Mouth of Madness (1995)
Restoration (1995)
Children of the Revolution (1996)
Event Horizon (1997)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)
Sweet Revenge (1998)
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Merlin (1998)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
The Dish (2000)
My Mother Frank (2000)
Sally Hemmings: An American Scandal (2000)
Jurassic Park III (2001)
The Zookeeper (2001)
Dirty Deeds (2002)
Framed (2002)
Perfect Strangers (2003)
Yes (2004)
Wimbledon (2004)
Little Fish (2005)
Irresistible (2006)
Angel (2007)
Dean Spanley (2008)
Iron Road (2008)
I Am You (aka In Her Skin) (2009)
Under The Mountain (2009)
Skin (2009)
Daybreakers (2009)
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (voice only) (2010)
The Vow (2012)
A View from the Bridge

Temuera Morrison

Temuera Derek Morrison (born December 26, 1960) is a New Zealand actor. He has become one of the country's most famous stars for his roles as the abusive Jake "the Muss" Heke in 1994's Once Were Warriors and as bounty hunter Jango Fett and the Clone Troopers in the Star Wars series. He also voiced Boba Fett in the 2004 special edition of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.


Morrison was born in the town of Rotorua in the North Island of New Zealand, the son of Hana (née Stafford) and Laurie Morrison, a musician. He is of Māori, Scottish, and Irish descent. His sister was performer Taini Morrison and his uncle was musician Sir Howard Morrison. His secondary education took place at Wesley College, Auckland. Morrison lives in New Zealand, and divides his time filming there and in Australia and the United States. He has an adult son, James, from a relationship in the late 1980s with singer Kim Willoughby from the all-girl group When The Cat's Away.


In recent years, Morrison has received much popularity from his role as the bounty hunter Jango Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002). Part of the film's plot involves an army of clones created with Jango's DNA; Morrison also provided acting and voice work for the soldiers. He reappeared as a number of clones in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the final film of the series, and rerecorded the lines of the character Boba Fett (Jango's "son" and another clone) in the 2004 DVD re-releases of the original Star Wars trilogy, replacing the voice of Jason Wingreen.


Temuera returned to Shortland Street for six weeks in June/July 2008 as Dr Hone Ropata.
In 2008, Morrison also appeared on New Zealand skit comedy television show Pulp Sport where he appeared in a sketch that made fun of him being cloned.
Morrison will portray Abin Sur in the upcoming 2011 superhero film Green Lantern.


Year Title Role Notes
1972 Rangi's Catch Rangi 
1984 Other Halves Tony 
1986 Seekers Selwyn Broadhead 10 episodes
1987 Gloss Sean TV series
1987 Adventurer Maru TV series
1988 Mauri Young Cop 
1990 The Grasscutter Det. Sgt. Harris 
1990 Shark in the Park Mason, Mark Episode: "Ten-Zero, Dingo"
1990 Never Say Die Alf Winters 
1994 Once Were Warriors Jake "the Muss" Heke 
1996 Whipping Boy Jack 
1996 Barb Wire Axel 
1996 The Island of Dr. Moreau Azazello 
1996 Broken English Manu 
1997 Speed 2: Cruise Control Juliano 
1998 Six Days Seven Nights Jager 
1999 Little White Lies Tim 
1999 What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? Jake Heke 
1999 From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter The Hangman Video
2000 Vertical Limit Major Rasul 
2001 Crooked Earth Will Bastion 
2001 Ihaka: Blunt Instrument Tito Ihaka TV movie
2002 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones Jango Fett 
2004 The Beautiful Country Snakehead 
2004 Renegade Runi AKA, Blueberry
2005 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Commander Cody 
2005 River Queen Te Kai Po 
2008 Rain of the Children Rua Kenana 
2008 Shortland Street Hone Ropata 19 episodes
2009 The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake Don Sandovate TV movie
2009 Couples Retreat Briggs 
2009 The Marine 2 Damo Video
2010 Tracker Kereama 
2011 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Doctore Episode: "Past Transgressions"
Episode: "Missio"
2011 Green Lantern Abin Sur Post-production

Melanie Lynskey

Melanie Jayne Lynskey (born 16 May 1977) is a New Zealand actress best known for playing Charlie Harper's neighbor/stalker Rose on Two and a Half Men, and a range of characters in films such as Up in the Air, The Informant!, Away We Go, Flags of Our Fathers, Shattered Glass, Sweet Home Alabama, Ever After and Heavenly Creatures.


Lynskey was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on 16 May 1977. She attended New Plymouth Girls' High School.


In 1992, at the age of 15, Lynskey won her first professional acting role as Pauline Parker in the Peter Jackson film Heavenly Creatures, based on the 1954 Parker-Hulme murder, opposite Kate Winslet. Over 500 young actors auditioned for the role before Lynskey was cast with Jackson recalling "we knew if we cast an intelligent person, then they were going to hit it. Melanie's also very enigmatic. So what we were looking for was an actress who has that kind of aspect to her...where you can film somebody sitting in a room, doing nothing, and they're still fascinating to watch. We found that in Mel.

In Shattered Glass, a 2003 drama revolving around political journalism, she played a writer for The New Republic. Based on a true story, the film depicted the downfall of fraudulent Washington, D.C. journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) and received extremely positive reviews, with A. O. Scott of the New York Times referring to it as "a serious, well-observed examination of the practice of journalism", and "an astute and surprisingly gripping drama".

She also played the female lead opposite Matt Damon in the Steven Soderbergh black comedy The Informant!, based on the true story of FBI whistleblower Mark Whitacre. The film premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival with The Independent noting "sterling support comes from Melanie Lynskey as Whitacre's ever-loyal wife". Soderbergh told the Los Angeles Times, "She is so watchable, you never quite know what you're going to get, you just know it's going to be good. Her rhythms are really unusual, like her cadence and her reaction times to things, and the way she sort of lays out a sentence. It's just really, really interesting".
Lynskey's 2009 films also include Leaves of Grass, in which she co-starred with Edward Norton and Susan Sarandon, as well as Up in the Air, in which she played Julie Bingham, the younger sister of George Clooney's character.
Lynskey is set to star in the 2011 films Win Win opposite Paul Giamatti, Touchback opposite Kurt Russell, and Eye of the Hurricane opposite Campbell Scott.


In 2001 she met her future husband, American actor Jimmi Simpson, while co-starring in the Stephen King mini series Rose Red, and they became engaged in 2005.
On 14 April 2007 they married in a chapel overlooking a vineyard on Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, New Zealand. Also in attendance was her best friend and Rose Red co-star Emily Deschanel, who was one of her bridesmaids. Lynskey currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband.


Year Film Role Notes
1994 Heavenly Creatures Pauline Parker Winner — Best Actress New Zealand Film and TV Awards
1996 The Frighteners Deputy 
1998 Ever After Jacqueline De Ghent 
1999 Detroit Rock City Beth 
1999 The Cherry Orchard Dunyasha 
1999 But I'm a Cheerleader Hilary 
1999 Foreign Correspondents Melody Nominated — Best Actress, Chicago Alt.Film Fest
2000 Coyote Ugly Gloria 
2001 Snakeskin Alice Nominated — Best Actress New Zealand Film and TV Awards
2002 Shooters Marie 
2002 Abandon Julie 
2002 Sweet Home Alabama Lurlynn 
2003 Shattered Glass Amy Brand 
2005 Say Uncle Susan
2006 Park Sheryl 
2006 Flags of our Fathers Pauline Harnois 
2007 Itty Bitty Titty Committee Plastic Surgery Lady Uncredited
2008 Show of Hands Jess Nominated — Best Leading Actress Qantas Television Awards
2008 A Quiet Little Marriage Monique 
2009 Away We Go Munch Garnett 
2009 The Informant! Ginger Whitacre 
2009 Up in the Air Julie Bingham Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated — Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
2009 Leaves of Grass Colleen 
2010 Helena from the Wedding Alice 
2011 Win Win Cindy 
2011 Touchback Macy 
2011 Eye of the Hurricane Amelia Kyte 
2011 Four Saints Mairi Chrisholm

Lucy Lawless

Lucy Lawless, MNZM (born Lucille Frances Ryan; 29 March 1968) is a New Zealander actress and singer. She is best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess which ran from 1995 to 2001. She is also known for the role of D'anna Biers (Number Three) on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. Most recently she appeared on the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, playing main character Lucretia.


Born in the Mount Albert suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, Lucy is the daughter of Julie, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, who was a banker and Mount Albert mayor.The fifth of seven children, she has five brothers and one sister.


At 19, Lawless became pregnant with Garth Lawless' child. The couple married in Kalgoorlie, Australia in 1988. They returned to New Zealand and had a daughter, Daisy Lawless (born 15 July 1988). The couple divorced in 1995. On 28 March 1998, Lawless married Robert Tapert. They have two sons, Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born 16 October 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born 7 May 2002).


In 1994, Lawless appeared in "Hercules and the Amazon Women," a Pacific Renaissance Pictures made-for-television film that became the television pilot for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In that episode, she played a man-hating Amazon named Lysia. She went on to play another character, Lyla, in the first season episode "As Darkness Falls." But her key role was given to her when she was asked to play a villainous warrior woman named Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess," which aired in March 1995. (R. J. Stewart, one of Pacific Renaissance Pictures' in-house writers, had dramatised the teleplay from a story that Robert G. "Rob" Tapert had commissioned John Schulian to write.) Vanessa Angel had originally been cast in the role, but fell ill and was unable to travel to New Zealand for shooting. To differentiate between Xena and the similar Lysia, Lawless' hair, naturally ash blond, was coloured black. Xena subsequently returned in two more episodes of the first season of Hercules, which portrayed her turn from villainess to good character.

In 2007, Lawless guest-starred as herself in the cult HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. In a sub-plot of an episode entitled "The TiVo Guy", she met and flirted with Larry David. The dialogue included a notable, possibly intentional, howler when the subject of David being Jewish was mentioned and Lawless commented: "we don't have them where I'm from". (A Jewish community has existed in New Zealand for more than a century and has contributed some prominent citizens.) The story concluded with Lawless going on a date with David and leaving in disgust, after he mentioned suffering a groin injury and pointed out, presumptuously, that this would preclude them having sex.
Lawless was to appear as one of the leads in the ensemble cast of the ABC television series, Football Wives, based on the popular British series Footballers' Wives, in 2007. The series did not continue past the pilot episode, though the network did extend the options on its contracts with Lawless and the other actors slated to star in the series (Gabrielle Union, Kiele Sanchez, Ving Rhames and James Van Der Beek).

Lawless provided the voice of Goldmoon for Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a direct-to-DVD animated movie based on the novel of the same name, as well as Wonder Woman in the direct-to-video animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier.
Other appearances include:
on-stage in the Vagina Monologues;
guest starring in episodes of The Simpsons, The X-Files, Just Shoot Me!, Veronica Mars, Burn Notice, Less Than Perfect, No Ordinary Family, and bro'Town;
starring in the short-lived television series Tarzan.
cameo appearances in the movies EuroTrip, Spider-Man, and Boogeyman (2005)
the TV movie Locusts! and its sequel, Vampire Bats.


Lawless is a member of the board of trustees of the StarShip Foundation, the charity arm of the Starship Children's Health (hospital) which is part of the Auckland District Health Board. It is set up to provide additional equipment, support and help to staff, patients and families. She devotes much time and energy to fundraising for the organization. She recently sat for the New Zealand television series The Sitting, an arts series where celebrity portraits are produced during an interview session with the portraits later auctioned for charity. Lucy attended the auction where her portrait fetched the top price, with the whole event raising $39,000 for Starship. Lawless has often raised money for concerts and events, donates part of her salary in favor of the institution, and has sold some Xena costumes to contribute funds. Friday 21 September is "Lucy Lawless Feel the Love Day."The day, organised by the Official Lucy Lawless Fan Club, begins a week of charitable acts and donations by fans in honor and support of Lucy.

Filmography

Films
Year Title Role Notes
1990 Within the Law Verity 
A Bitter Song Nurse 1 
1991 The End of the Golden Weather Joe's Girl 
1992 The Rainbow Warrior Jane Redmond 
1993 Typhon's People Mink Tertius 
1994 Hercules and the Amazon Women Lysia Made for TV.
1995 Peach Peach
1997 Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen Xena 
1998 Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus Xena 
2000 Ginger Snaps Announcer on School's PA System 
2002 Spider-Man Punk Rock Girl 
2004 EuroTrip Madame Vandersexxx 
2005 Boogeyman Mary Jensen 
Locusts Maddy Rierdon Made for TV.
Vampire Bats Maddy Rierdon Made for TV.
2006 The Darkroom Cheryl 
2007 Football Wives Tanya Austin Made for TV.
2008 Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight Goldmoon 
Justice League: The New Frontier Wonder Woman voice
Bedtime Stories Aspen 
2009 Bitch Slap Mother Superior 
Angel of Death Vera

Martin Henderson

Martin Henderson (born October 8, 1974) is a New Zealand actor currently starring in the ABC TV series Off the Map.


Henderson was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He began acting when he was thirteen years old, appearing in Strangers, a local television production. He attended Westlake Boys High School and Birkenhead Primary. He starred in the drama Shortland Street, where he played the character of "Stuart Neilson" from 1992 to 1995. He subsequently appeared in a number of Australian films and television productions (such as Echo Point and Home & Away), before moving to the United States in 1997, in order to pursue a career in Hollywood films and to train in a two-year program at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City.

Henderson spent more than a year unsuccessfully auditioning for film roles in Los Angeles, but in 2001, he was finally cast in a supporting role in the John Woo-directed war film, Windtalkers. In 2002, he starred opposite actress Naomi Watts in the horror film, The Ring. Following the box office success of the film, Henderson received a role playing the character of Drew in Perfect Opposites, and subsequently was cast as the lead character in the biker film Torque, released in early 2004 to mixed reviews. In 2005, he starred opposite Indian actress Aishwarya Rai in the romantic film Bride & Prejudice, and in the award-winning Little Fish starring Cate Blanchett.


Year Title Role Notes
1988 Strangers Zane Television
1989 The Billy T. James Show Aaron Gleesby Television
1990 Betty's Bunch Television
1992–1995 Shortland Street Stuart Neilson Television
1995 Echo Point Zac Brennan Television
1996 Home and Away Geoff Thomas Television
Sweat Tom Nash Television
1997–1999 Big Sky Scotty Gibbs Television
2002 The Ring Noah Clay
Windtalkers Pvt. Nellie
2003 Skagerrak Ian/Ken
2004 Torque Cary Ford
Perfect Opposites Drew
2005 Little Fish Ray
Bride and Prejudice William Darcy
2006 Flyboys Cassidy
2007 Battle in Seattle Jay
Smokin' Aces Hollis Elmore
2009 Inside the Box Jake Fischer Television
House M.D. Jeff Television
Cedar Boys Mathew
2010 Home by Christmas Young Ed
2011 Off the Map Ben Keeton Television

Wi Kuki Kaa

Wi Kuki Kaa (16 December 1938 – 19 February 2006) was an acclaimed New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. He was from the Maori tribes of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu.


Kaa featured in many films, including the lead role of 'Iwi' in Ngati (1987), written by Tama Poata and directed by Barry Barclay. Kaa won the "Best Film Performance, Male" at the 1988 New Zealand Film and TV Awards for this role. He also played a lead role in the film Utu (1983) directed by Geoff Murphy.Kaa also acted as the ADR artist for the 2003 short film, Two Cars, One Night. Kaa featured in the music video Little Things by Wellington roots dub band Trinity Roots. In 2006, Kaa died in Wellington aged 67.


Utu (1983), Wiremu
The Bounty (1984), King Tynah
Kingpin (1985), Mr Nathan
Ngati (1987), Iwi
Linda's Body (1990), Hemi
Te Rau (1991), Rewi
The Diamond of Jeru (2001), Inghai - TV film
Turangawaewae (2002), Tiare (Koro)
Der Liebe entgegen (2002), Henry Tufare - TV film
River Queen (2005), Old Rangi
Television roles
Homicide (1971), Rollo - one episode
Spyforce (1973), various characters - four episodes
Silent Number (1974), Tony - one episode
Worzel Gummidge Down Under (1986-1987), Travelling Scarecrow Maker - four episodes
The Strip (2002), Bible Bill - one episode