Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand theatre actor and director and film actor of
Samoan descent, best known for film roles in ''
The Matrix Reloaded
''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...
'', ''
The Matrix Revolutions
''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...
'' and ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' and for starring in ''
Young Hercules
''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' the originally aired on Fox Kids Network. It premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on May 14, 1999, with a total of 50 episodes over the cou ...
'' as
Chiron
In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs".
Biography
Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology ...
the
centaur
A centaur ( ; grc, κένταυρος, kéntauros; ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.
Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being ...
.
Acting career
Lees was born in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand.
He was brought up in an environment where
Samoan was commonly spoken, so he grew up thinking of himself as being Samoan. He got his first acting job because of "being brown", as the theatre required brown people running around on stage killing
Captain Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
. Part of the audition was him walking through the door, and upon doing so, he "had the job".
He is known for his role as
Captain Mifune in ''The Matrix'' trilogy and his role as "Uglúk" in ''The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''. He has also had roles on the
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
''
Young Hercules
''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' the originally aired on Fox Kids Network. It premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on May 14, 1999, with a total of 50 episodes over the cou ...
'', ''
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...
'' and ''
Xena: Warrior Princess''. He appeared in ''
30 Days of Night'' with
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor and producer. He first came to attention in 1997 for his role as Michael Fitzgerald in the television crime drama series '' Cracker''. He made his feature film debut in 1998 in th ...
. He also played Master Mao in the ''
Power Rangers
''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Entert ...
'' series ''
Power Rangers Jungle Fury
''Power Rangers Jungle Fury'' is the sixteenth season of the American television series ''Power Rangers'', and is an adaptation of ''Juken Sentai Gekiranger'', the thirty-first Japanese Super Sentai, ''Super Sentai'' series.
The season premiered ...
''. Early television appearances in New Zealand included a regular role in the 1989 series ''
Shark in the Park
''Shark in the Park'' is a New Zealand police procedural. It revolved around the professional and private lives of a group of officers at a Wellington police station under the command of Inspector Brian "Sharky" Finn. The title came from the i ...
''.
He is also well known for a long career in theatre, having received many prestigious rewards for his contribution to the arts. Lees was one of the influential actors that paved the way for Pacific theatre in New Zealand.
In 2004 he was awarded the Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Creative New Zealand
Arts Pasifika Awards
The Arts Pasifika Awards celebrate excellence in Pacific arts in New Zealand. The annual awards are administered by Creative New Zealand and are the only national awards for Pasifika artists across all artforms.
The Arts Pasifika Awards includ ...
.
Theatre director
Lees was the director of the award winning play ''Think of a Garden'' written by
John Kneubuhl
John Alexander Kneubuhl (July 2, 1920 – February 20, 1992) was an American Samoan screenwriter, playwright and Polynesian historian. He wrote for American television series such as '' The Fugitive'', ''Gunsmoke'', ''The Wild Wild West'', ''Star ...
, performed at the Watershed Theatre in 1993 in Auckland
and then again in 1995 produced by Cath Cardiff and performed at
Taki Rua Theatre in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
1995. At the prestigious
Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards
The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards.
Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, ...
1995, the play won ''Production of the Year'' and Lees was awarded ''Director of the Year.'' In 1996, he directed ''A Frigate Bird Sings'' co-written by
Oscar Kightley
Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley (born 14 September 1969) is a Samoan-born New Zealand actor, television presenter, writer, journalist, director, and comedian. He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film ''Sione's Wedding''.
Biography
Kightley ...
and
Dave Fane
David Rodney Fane (born 28 December 1966) is a New Zealand actor of Samoan descent.
Early life and education
Fane was educated at St. Pauls College in Grey Lynn.
Career
Fane got into acting quite late and trained at the New Zealand Drama ...
and produced by
Makerita Urale for the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. The set was designed by Kate Peters and
Michel Tuffery
Michael "Michel" Cliff Tuffery (born 27 May 1966) is a New Zealand artist of Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Islands descent. He is one of New Zealand's most well known artists and his work is held in many art collections in New Zealand and around ...
. The play was nominated for ''Production of the Year, Director of the Year,'' and ''Set Design'' at the 1996 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards. In 2003, Lees directed ''The Songmaker's Chair'' by
Albert Wendt.
He also directed ''Awhi Tapu'', by
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
playwright
Albert Belz.
Filmography
*''Other Halves'' (1984) – Court Clerk
*''
Death Warmed Up'' (1984) – Jackson
*''
Shaker Run
''Shaker Run'' is a 1985 New Zealand action film directed by Bruce Morrison and starring Cliff Robertson, Leif Garrett, and Lisa Harrow. It follows a stunt driver (Robertson) and his ace mechanic (Garrett) on the run from secret police in the ...
'' (1985) – Squad Commander
*''Chill Factor'' (1989) – Charles
*''
Rapa-Nui'' (1994) – Long Ear Chief
*''
Bonjour Timothy'' (1995) – Mr. Wiley
*''
The Other Side of Heaven
''The Other Side of Heaven'' is a 2001 American adventure drama film written and directed by Mitch Davis, based on John H. Groberg's autobiography ''In the Eye of the Storm''. The film stars Christopher Gorham as John Groberg and Anne Hathaway ...
'' (2001) – Kelepi
*''
The Lost World
The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century.
The g ...
'' (2001, TV Movie) – Indian chief
*''
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2002) – Uglúk
*''
The Matrix Reloaded
''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...
'' (2003) – Mifune
*''
Liquid Bridge
''Liquid Bridge'' is a 2003 Australian film starring Ryan Kwanten. The film concerns aspiring pro surfer Nick McCallum (Kwanten), who is held back from achieving fame by his disabled father. However, after being framed for smuggling drugs and ...
'' (2003) – Ogitani
*''
The Matrix Revolutions
''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...
'' (2003) – Mifune
*''
No. 2'' (2006) – Uncle John
*''
Sione's Wedding
''Sione's Wedding'' (also marketed outside New Zealand as ''Samoan Wedding'') is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.
Plot
Set in Au ...
'' (2006) – Minister
*''
The Tattooist
''The Tattooist'' is a 2007 New Zealand horror film directed by Peter Burger and starring Jason Behr, Nathaniel Lees, Michael Hurst and Robbie Magasiva among others. The film is the first in a series of official co-productions between New Zeala ...
'' (2007) – Mr. Perenese
*''
30 Days of Night'' (2007) – Carter Davies
*''
Power Rangers Jungle Fury
''Power Rangers Jungle Fury'' is the sixteenth season of the American television series ''Power Rangers'', and is an adaptation of ''Juken Sentai Gekiranger'', the thirty-first Japanese Super Sentai, ''Super Sentai'' series.
The season premiered ...
'' (2008, TV Series) – Master Mao
*''Journey to Ihipa'' (2008)
*''
Under the Mountain'' (2009) – Detective Gray
*''
Sione's 2: Unfinished Business'' (2012) – Minister
*''
Mr. Pip
''Mr. Pip'' is a 2012 film written and directed by Andrew Adamson and based on Lloyd Jones (New Zealand author), Lloyd Jones' novel ''Mister Pip''. Hugh Laurie played Mr. Watts.
Plot
In 1989, as the Bougainville Civil War rages on in Papua New ...
'' (2012) – Mr. Jaggers
*''Realiti'' (2014) – George
*''
One Thousand Ropes
''One Thousand Ropes'' is a 2017 New Zealand drama film directed by Tusi Tamasese. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. It was selected as the New Zealand entry for the Best Foreign Language Fi ...
'' (2016) – Henry Pasi
*''Everybody Else Is Taken'' (2016, Short) – Geoffrey
*''
Mortal Engines
''Mortal Engines'' is a young-adult science fantasy novel by Philip Reeve, published by Scholastic UK in 2001. The book focuses on a futuristic, steampunk version of London, now a giant machine striving to survive on a world that is runni ...
'' (2018)
*''The Other Side of Heaven II: Fire of Faith'' (2019) – Kelepi
*''
The Dead Lands
''The Dead Lands'' is a 2014 New Zealand action film directed by Toa Fraser. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival where it had its world premier on 4 September 2014. It was selected ...
'' (2020, TV Series) – Te Kaipō
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Nathaniel
New Zealand male film actors
New Zealand male television actors
Living people
People from Auckland
New Zealand people of Samoan descent
21st-century New Zealand male actors
Actors of Samoan descent
1972 births