Temuera Morrison

Temuera Derek Morrison is a New Zealand actor recognized domestically and internationally for his screen and voice performances. He initially gained prominence in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the television soap opera Shortland Street. Internationally, he achieved widespread fame through his work in the Star Wars franchise, portraying the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, his genetic clone Boba Fett, and various clone troopers across films, television shows, and video games.

Born on December 26, 1960, in Rotorua on the North Island of New Zealand, Morrison is the son of Hana Morrison and musician Laurie Morrison. He is of Māori descent, with Te Arawa and Tainui whakapapa, along with Scottish and Irish heritage. His family background includes his sister, performer Taini Morrison, and his uncle, musician Sir Howard Morrison. He completed his secondary education at Wesley College in Auckland and Western Heights High School in Rotorua.

Morrison made his feature film debut in 1973 playing the title character in Rangi's Catch, later receiving dramatic training through the New Zealand Special Performing Arts Training Scheme. After starring in the 1988 film Never Say Die, he performed on Shortland Street from 1992 to 1995. His critical breakthrough arrived in 1994 with his lead role as Jake "The Muss" Heke in the film adaptation of Once Were Warriors, a performance he reprised in the 1999 sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?.

In 2002, Morrison entered the Star Wars franchise with Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones as Jango Fett and the clone troopers. He continued voicing clone characters in Revenge of the Sith, provided updated voice tracks for Boba Fett in the 2004 re-releases of the original trilogy, and voiced characters in numerous video games. He later portrayed Boba Fett in live action during the second season of The Mandalorian, held the lead role in the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett, and appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka.

Morrison's other major film credits include playing Abin Sur in Green Lantern (2011) and portraying Tom Curry in the DC Extended Universe films Aquaman (2018), The Flash (2023), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). He provided the voice for Chief Tui in Disney's animated feature Moana (2016) and its 2024 sequel. On television, he hosted the talk show The Tem Show in 2005, appeared in the comedy show Pulp Sport, and held a recurring role in the thriller Echo 3. In 2014, he released a debut music album titled Tem.

In the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours, Morrison was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to drama. He won the best male performance award at the 1994 New Zealand Film and Television Awards for Once Were Warriors and earned the Best Actor award at the New Zealand Film Awards for its sequel. Morrison lives in New Zealand while traveling to Australia and the United States for work. He has an adult son and a daughter, and his partner is Ashlee Howden-Sadlier. He was also cast as Kahekili in the historical drama miniseries Chief of War.