---
name: "George Henare"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/george-henare"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "11 September 1945"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T21:17:52.710908+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# George Henare

Actor. Born 11 September 1945 in Gisborne.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 11 September 1945, Gisborne

## Biography

George Henare is a New Zealand actor. Born on 11 September 1945 in Gisborne, he affiliates to the Māori iwi Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Hine. He began his career in 1965 with the New Zealand Opera Company in productions such as Porgy and Bess, later working in theatre, radio, voice work and film.

Henare played Bennett, the social worker, in the 1994 film Once Were Warriors. His other screen credits include Rapa Nui (1994), The Silent One (1984), The Legend of Johnny Lingo (2003), The Dead Lands (2014) and The Rule of Jenny Pen (2025). He has also appeared in television series including Xena: Warrior Princess and Fisk.

In 1988 Henare was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to theatre. He received the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nzonscreen.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Once Were Warriors* (1994), Fi1m 82, as Bennett — [page](https://film.one/film/once-were-warriors.md)

## Also known for

- *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* (1995), Zarathustra
- *The Rule of Jenny Pen* (2025), Tony Garfield
- *Rapa Nui* (1994), Tupa
- *The Lost World* (1999), Zanga Chief, Chief Jacobs
- *The Dead Lands* (2014), Tane
- *BeastMaster* (1999), Nutoa
- *Fisk* (2021), Graham
- *The Legend of Johnny Lingo* (2003), Johnny Lingo

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/george-henare