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- Andy Whitfield was born on 17 October 1971 in Amlwch, Anglesey, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for Spartacus (2010), Gabriel (2007) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011). He was married to Vashti Whitfield. He died on 11 September 2011 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
"Shall We Begin!", the battlecry of The undefeated Gaul Crixus first bought Manu Bennett's voice & acting career to international attention. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) spoke a universal language that slowly but surely captured a massive audience. The the show lost lead actor Andy Whitfield to cancer, Bennett's pivotal role, transitioning from Spartacus' nemesis to a slave rebel leader, he was credited for maintaining throughout, the heart & strength of the series. Producer/Director Peter Jackson then employed Bennett to portray Orc Leader "Azog - The Defiler". At the World Premiere of The Hobbit, Peter Jackson told press that Bennett's was the "The Breakout Performance". Although many Tolkein fans failed to recognize him beneath the CGI veneer, Bennett's looming presence, hunting down Thorin Oakenshield & culminating in the ultimate face-off, where both characters die, Bennett entered the catalogue of the great cinematic Villain Performances. DC Comic soldier of fortune, Slade Wildon aka Deathstroke had slumbered for two decades until Bennett reprised the role on the CW series Arrow. Many DC fans declared Bennett as the best villain on the hit series when he established a heartfelt dominant core relationship with Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell). The two befriended upon the Island of Lian Yu before an incident with a super-drug called Mirakuru transformed Slade into the archetypal good guy/bad guy Deathstroke. Originally penned by Marv Wolfman & illustrated by George Perez, Deathstroke has now become a hot property for the DC Universe with Tony Daniels illustrating the new series of Deathstroke comic books & a Warner Bros Deathstroke feature film pending. When MTV shifted their focus toward producing original series they selected Bennett to portray the Dark Druid Allanon in the newly acquired Shannara Chronicles Series. Bennett had just the right mix of stoicism, angst & dramatic suave sought by the Shannara producers & author Terry Brooks. Manu Bennett is of Maori, Scottish, English, French & Finish ancestry. Bennett was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Bennett's great grandfather Frederick Augustus Bennett was the first Maori Bishop of the Anglican Church in New Zealand. Bennett's namesake Manuhuia Bennett (grandfather) was also ordained an Anglican Bishop. The Bennett name has roots dating back to a French Benedictine Monastery established in Northumbria in Northern England circa 500AD. The monastery was subsequently turned into a defensive fort named Chillingham Castle. With the advent of surnames circa 1000AD, the name Bennett was derived from Benedictine.
Manu Bennett's father Charles Edward Tiwha (Ted) Bennett was a popular New Zealand singer who recorded a No.1 hit "Clap Your Hands" & several other hits in the early 1960's. Bennett's mother Jean Clark was a bikini model from Australia who paraded the very first two piece bikini for designer Paula Stafford. Bennett's parents met during the Spring Blossom Festival in Hastings New Zealand. Bennett has two older siblings, Stephen & Rachel. The Bennett family moved to Australia in 1970. Jean Bennett nee Clark, was the winner of the Miss Paradise Beach, a swimsuit title held on the Gold Coast of Australia. Bennett's first acting job was on a series titled Paradise Beach, where he played stud, surf lifesaver, iron man Kirk Barsby. Bennett's mother, Jean, died in a car accident in 1985. His brother Stephen suffered injuries in a separate car accident & died only two weeks later.
During his schooling Manu Bennett trained as a dancer & musician & well as playing Rugby Union. Bennett was selected for the First XV for Te Aute College a Maori Boy school know for their strong rugby union history. On return to Australia Bennett was selected for the NSW Schoolboys Rugby Union Team & to trial for the Australian National Team. Bennett was prevented from attending the National trial outs due to a prior commitment to a ballet production of Swan Lake in which he had to perform the male lead. In the the 90's Bennett had to choose between a ballet scholarship in New York or an acting scholarship at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Bennett decided to pursue his acting career & attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles.
Manu has appeared on various TV dramas & feature films, including multiple award winning "Lantana," opposite Anthony La Paglia. His first physical role was with appearing opposite Jon Cena on "The Marine". WWE was impressed with Bennett so gave him a role in their second feature film The Condemned starring opposite "Stone Cold" Steve Austin & Vinnie Jones. Rob Tapert cast Bennett as Marc Antony in Xena Warrior Princess, then opposite Josh Hartnett in the Vampire Horror 30 Days Of Night, then was pivotal in Bennett getting the role of Crixus in the series Spartacus.
Previous TV credits include starring roles in successful New Zealand productions "Shortland Street," "Street Legal," "Mataku," "Creature Of Quest," "Going Straight," and as Marc Antony opposite his "Spartacus" co-star Lucy Lawless in Tapert and Raimi's hit series "Xena: Warrior Princess."- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Dustin Clare is an award winning Australian actor. He made his feature debut in Fred Schepisi's The Eye of the Storm (2011), which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and screened in Special Presentation at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.
Dustin played 'Gannicus' alongside John Hannah and Lucy Lawless in the hit US action-adventure series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) for the Starz network. He also starred in Spartacus (2010).
Dustin began his career with guest roles in leading Australian television series before becoming a series regular in the popular television drama McLeod's Daughters, for which he won a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent. Dustin went on to star in the Showtime series Satisfaction for which he received a second Logie Award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor and a Golden Nymph Award nomination for Most Outstanding Actor at the 49th Monte Carlo Television Festival in Monaco. Dustin also played Chris Flannery in the critically acclaimed second series of Underbelly.
In 2013 he appeared in Mark Lamprell's musical feature, Goddess (2013), opposite Ronan Keating, Laura Michelle Kelly and Magda Szubanski. In 2014 he played Lt. Harry Moffitt on the ABC's mini-series Anzac Girls (2014), for which he received an equity ensemble award, and in the Australian feature film Love Is Now (2014), directed by Jim Lounsbury. In 2015 he appeared on the final season of the Cinemax series Strike Back (2010) and the feature film Sunday, of which he was also a producer and writer on.
Dustin graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2004.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
New Zealand icon Lucy Lawless is most known for her role as "Xena the Warrior Princess." Lucy is married to producer Rob Tapert (Robert Gerard Tapert) and resides in New Zealand. They have two sons, Julius Robert Bay Tapert and Judah Miro Tapert, who were both born in New Zealand. Lucy also has a daughter, Daisy Lawless, from her first marriage to Garth Lawless.
Lucy was born Lucille Frances Ryan in Mount Albert, Auckland, to Julie, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, a banker and the city's mayor. She was awarded an Order of Merit in the New Zealand Queen's Birthday Honor List in June 2004. Lucy, whose role as Xena in "Xena: Warrior Princess" made her a cult television star, has been involved with the Starship Foundation and has held a role on its board of trustees. She was awarded the Order of Merit for services to entertainment and the community.
In 1995, Lucy landed the role of "Xena: Warrior Princess" in the show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995), in a three-story arc, that led to her own spin-off show, Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), for six seasons.
Whilst she has been primarily known for her role on "Xena: Warrior Princess," Lucy has also appeared in the classic TV series, Battlestar Galactica (2004), in the semi-regular role of "D'anna Biers," among her other many and varied roles, including the hit Adam Sandler movie, Bedtime Stories (2008). Lucy was also in several made-for-TV movies including: Locusts (2005) and Vampire Bats (2005). She also lent her voice to the straight-to-video movies: Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) and Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2008). During 2011, Lucy appeared in the "No Ordinary Family" as the mysterious "Mrs. X" and also appeared in the prequel to Spartacus (2010), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) and "Spartacus Vengeance" as "Lucretia."
She portrayed "Caroline Platt" in Jane Campion's Top of the Lake (2013), a BBC Mini-Series in New Zealand, with Holly Hunter and Elisabeth Moss, the recurring character of "Diane Lewis" on NBC's Parks and Recreation (2009), and "Velma Kelly" in the Auckland Theatre Company's adaptation of "Chicago: The Musical," the latter from November 1-24, 2013.
As of 2019 she can be seen starring as Alexa Crowe in the light, colorful, Auckland-set mystery, "My Life is Murder."- Peter Mensah has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old, growing up in St. Albans, England, just north of London. A former engineer, Mensah came to Canada 11 years ago. He'd worked for British Gas developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay and had done theatre in school. He comes from an academic family. His father, an architect, relocated with his mother to their native Ghana. He only has two younger sisters. Mensah emigrated from Britain to see the world and it was a toss up whether his destination would be Canada or Australia. The paperwork for Canada came through first.
- Actor
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- Producer
Liam McIntyre is an Australian actor best known for playing the lead role in the Starz television series Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned. McIntyre began his career acting mainly in short films, before performing guest roles in Australia's popular television series Rush and Neighbours. McIntyre made his US television debut guest starring in an episode of the award nominated HBO mini-series The Pacific. After his 2010 diagnosis of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, original Spartacus lead actor Andy Whitfield took what was intended to be a temporary break from filming the title role for the Starz television series. Whitfield later withdrew from the role entirely when his cancer recurred, prior to his death. He was then replaced by McIntyre, who performed the title role for the remaining two seasons. Production on the second season of Spartacus resumed in the fall of 2011 and the series premiered on 27 January 2012.- Nick Emad Tarabay is a Lebanese-American actor. He is best known for portraying Ashur on the Starz TV series Spartacus. Tarabay was born in Beirut, Lebanon to a large family. His mother and father still reside in Lebanon as does his younger brother and a large extended family of cousins, uncles and aunts. He moved to New York after high school. As a clothing salesman, he worked for Hugo Boss and Gucci, while studying acting at the T. Schreiber Studio and appearing in Off-Off-Broadway plays. He moved to Los Angeles in 2004, where he studied under Larry Moss and appeared in their studio's staging of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
- Cynthia Addai-Robinson is an English-born actress. She was born in London; her mother is from Ghana and her father is an United States citizen. She moved to US when she was four, and was raised by her mother in a suburb of Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, and studied at the Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater. In addition, she trained at Lee Strasberg Theater Institute and in dance forms ballet, jazz, tap. She received Navy Seal and New Zealand Special Forces training during the filming of Spartacus: War of the Damned.
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Viva Bianca, daughter of Polish composer Cezary Skubiszewski, was born in Australia on November 17, 1983. Now a writer and filmmaker, having graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Viva began her career as an actress.
Bianca is probably best known for her role as the wealthy and devious Ilithyia in the first two seasons of the Starz original series Spartacus (2010). Staying true to her roots, she has guest starred in multiple Australian TV series, including Eugenie Sandler P.I. (2000), Marshall Law (2002), All Saints (1998), and The Strip (2008), as well as movies such as Accidents Happen (2009), Bad Bush (2009), X (2011), and The Reckoning (2014).
A passionate feminist activist, Bianca has contributed as a writer to multiple publications, spoken at UN Women conferences, and worked with non profits. Her latest film, Milkshake Girls, looks at the sex trafficking epidemic in the United States and is scheduled to begin filming in December, 2017. In 2014, Bianca co-created the online pop culture feminist blog SheRa Mag with her childhood friend, Victoria Khroundina.- Actor
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Daniel Gregory Feuerriegel (born October 29, 1981) is an Australian actor who is based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has acted in a number of Australian television series and first came to international notice with his role as a gladiator recruit "Agron" in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned.
In 1998, Feuerriegel graduated from Villanova College, a Catholic college located in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo, Queensland. He studied acting at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. He graduated in 2002.
He featured in the 2005 controversial short 'Boys Grammar' which also starred Jai Courtney and Adam J. Yeend. He joined the cast of 'Small Claims: White Wedding'. In 2006 he appeared in 'Burke & Wills' and short film True, the same year he starred as a recurring character on the hit series 'McLeod's Daughters' where he played Leo Coombes for five episodes, also appeared in the series 'Stupid Stupid Man' where he played Kim in the episode "The Reunion". He joined the cast of 'Between the Flags' (short film) in 2007. In 2008 he appeared in a recurring role on the hit series 'Home and Away' where he played the journalist Gavin Johnson. the same year he guest starred in an episode of 'The Strip', along with Aaron Jeffery. In 2009 he played Brendan in the Australian series 'All Saints', earlier, in 2006 he played Cameron "Indy" Jones in the series. In 2010 he played Agron, a gladiator recruit, in the Starz hit series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Feuerriegel continued this role in 2012 through the second season of the show, entitled Spartacus: Vengeance, and the show's third and final season, entitled Spartacus: War of the Damned, in 2013.- Actress
- Producer
Erin Cummings was born in Lafayette, LA. She traveled extensively as a child, due to her father's military career, and lived in various cities in the US as well as Seoul, Korea. After graduating from high school in Huntsville, TX, she was a member of the Kilgore College Rangerettes and received her BS in Journalism from the University of North Texas. Her studies continued at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Upon her return to the US, she starred as "Lady Macbeth" and "Queen Gertrude" in the Santa Susana Repertory Theater Company's productions of "Macbeth" and "Hamlet," respectively. Her dedication to her stage work and craft was recognized and led to her first television role: two lines as "Prostitute #1" on "Star Trek: Enterprise."
Cummings lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their collection of stray animals.- Actor
- Producer
John Hannah is the youngest child of his family, having two older sisters. Before he decided on a career as an actor, John was an apprentice electrician for four years. He gave up his work as an electrician after being accepted to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. After years of struggling, he finally got his 'big break' when he was cast as Matthew in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). He currently lives in London with his wife Joanna Roth and their two children.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Ever since she was a child growing up in South Jersey, Katrina Law had more energy than she knew what to do with. Her mother (being the brilliant mother that she is) recognized this at an early age and enrolled Katrina in a variety of activities ranging from dance and gym classes to karate lessons, soccer practice, and voice coaching. You name the activity and Katrina's mother probably had her try it at least once. When she graduated high school her yearbook was filled with photos of her on the Varsity Track team, Varsity Soccer Team, Varsity Cheerleading Squad, and even the Varsity Weightlifting Team. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and won the title of Miss New Jersey Teen USA, where she went on to represent the state at finals on national television.
This eccentric collection of interests and activities, combined with her exotic physical appearance usually means that the first question people ask her is, "What are you?"
What she is, to answer their question, is a typical small-town American Girl. Her parents met during the Vietnam War; her father being a Catholic of German and Italian decent serving in the U.S. armed forces and her mother a Buddhist living in Taiwan, working as a bartender. This combination of cultures learning to live in harmony under one roof taught Katrina tolerance, patience, understanding, and humor as a child and still guides her to this day.
After graduating with a theater degree from the Richard Stockton College of NJ, Katrina's acting education continued on in the big cities of Philadelphia and New York. There she not only deepened her understanding of acting as an art form, but she also sharpened her teeth on the business of acting. In New York City she earned her SAG eligibility on the set of Lucky Numbers (2000) with Nora Ephron and John Travolta, and finally joined SAG when she booked a guest star role on NY's Third Watch (1999). Since then, she has gone on to act in many exciting projects, including a three-episode arc as the Mord'Sith Garen in Legend of the Seeker (2008) and as the series regular Mira in the hit show Spartacus (2010).- Ioane King was an actor, known for Spartacus (2010) and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011). He died on 15 August 2022.
- Brooke Williams was born on 3 January 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She is an actress, known for Spartacus (2010), Slow West (2015) and 12 Monkeys (2015).
- Jai Courtney is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film Jack Reacher (2012). He has gone on to star in A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), I, Frankenstein (2014) and The Exception (2016).
Courtney had a recurring role as Varro in the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010). He played Eric in the science fiction action film Divergent (2014), and in 2015, he reprises the role in the sequel, Insurgent. He portrayed Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys (2015) and DC Comics villain Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad (2016) and The Suicide Squad (2021). - Actor
- Stunts
Born in Auckland and grew up in Hastings, New Zealand.
With Maori heritage from his father's side of the family, with both Ngapuhi and Waikato tribal affiliations.
Graduate of Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School (1992-1993).
Having worked on stage between 1994-2001, his theatre credits include roles in 'Te Rakau Hau O Te Wao Tapu'(Dir. Jim Moriarty, 1994) and 'Waiora'(Dir. Murray Lynch) the latter of which toured New Zealand, as well as Hawaii and UK (1996-1999).
Lives in Raglan, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.
Other than acting, Te Maioha also helps students learn the Maori language and look after the environment.- Essex boy Simon is the elder of the two acting Merrells brothers, born in 1965, three years before his sibling Jason. Though there was no acting background in the family both boys were keen to tread the boards at an early age, attending Saturday morning drama classes, then a Sylvia Young school, and, in Simon's case, drama college, though on graduation he spent some time travelling abroad, and, on return, working as a mini-cab driver to earn the money to go back to Mexico to join a girlfriend who was in the circus there. He eventually went back to acting however, and turned professional in 1994. He has been particularly prolific on stage with such prestigious organizations as the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, for whom he played Benedick to Sally Anne Triplett's Beatrice in 'Much About Nothing' and acting with Jason for the first time in fourteen years as real-life brothers in 'The Comedy of Errors', both in 2007. On television he became well-known in the British soap opera 'Family Affairs'.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Craig Parker was born on November 12th 1970 in Suva, Fiji and now lives in New Zealand. He is best know for his part as Haldir the Elf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, although he had a part in the 1993 film of Stephen King's "Tommyknockers".- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Born and raised in Cape Town South Africa, Brandt immigrated with her family to Auckland, New Zealand in her late teens. Discovered by local casting directors, Brandt took on the role of "Naevia" in the Starz hits, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" and "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena." Working with producers Steven S. D Knight and Sam Raimi, she captivated audiences with her performance and became one of the show's breakout stars.
She starred in the hit Netflix series, Lucifer which had a 6 year run, playing the fan favorite Vertigo/DC comic book character, Mazikeen. Lucifer went on the break binge records and was named the top binged show in 2021 by Forbes.
Brandt can next be seen opposite Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira in the 6 episode limited Walking Dead spin-off which airs in 2024. She is also starring opposite Jason Ritter, Anthony Carrigan and Chris Meloni in the adult animated comedy, Captain Fall which airs July 2023 on Netflix.
Lesley-Ann is now permanently based in Los Angeles.