Biography
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis, also credited as Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis, is a New Zealand actor born on 27 July 1968 in Rotorua. Of Māori descent with Te Arawa and Ngāti Hauiti affiliations, he trained at Toi Whakaari and the Teatro Dimitri Scuola in Switzerland. He began in theatre before making his film debut in The Piano (1993) and gaining early recognition in Once Were Warriors (1994).
Curtis has appeared in international films including Training Day (2001), Whale Rider (2002), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), The Meg (2018), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), Doctor Sleep (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). He portrays Tonowari in the Avatar series, including Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), and reprises the role of Mac in Meg 2: The Trench (2023). On television he played Travis Manawa in Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2017).
He is co-owner of the New Zealand production company Whenua Films. Curtis has won four New Zealand Film Awards and the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor for The Dark Horse (2014).
