Cliff Curtis

Cliff Curtis (also credited as Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis) is a New Zealand screen actor born on July 27, 1968, in Rotorua, on the North Island. Known for transformative character work and a chameleonic range, Curtis has built an international career spanning gritty dramas, studio thrillers, and prestige sci-fi.

He first drew major attention with hard-hitting New Zealand cinema, including Once Were Warriors as Bully and The Piano as Mana, before breaking widely into Hollywood with roles in Three Kings (Amir Abdullah) and Training Day (Smiley). His filmography also includes Whale Rider as Porourangi, Sunshine as Searle, Live Free or Die Hard as Deputy Director Miguel Bowman, and Blow as Pablo Escobar.

On television, Curtis has appeared in U.S. network series such as Trauma, Body of Proof, and Missing, and became a genre favorite playing Travis Manawa on AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2017). He has also earned major acclaim for The Dark Horse, winning the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor.

Beyond acting, Curtis is a co-owner of the independent New Zealand production company Whenua Films, supporting storytelling rooted in the region while continuing to work across global productions.