Lee Tamahori facts for kids

Warren Lee Tamahori (born 17 June 1950 – died November 2025) was a talented film director from New Zealand. He became famous with his first big movie, Once Were Warriors (1994). This film was a huge success with both critics and audiences. Many people consider it one of the best New Zealand films ever made.

Lee Tamahori directed many different types of movies. He worked in New Zealand and also in Hollywood. Some of his well-known films include the adventure story The Edge (1997), the exciting thriller Along Came a Spider (2001), and the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002). He also directed the historical drama The Devil's Double (2011) and the New Zealand story Mahana (2016).

Lee Tamahori won the New Zealand Film Award for Best Director for Once Were Warriors. He was also nominated for the same award for his film Mahana.

About Lee Tamahori: A Film Director's Journey

Early Life and Beginnings

Lee Tamahori was born in Wellington, which is the capital city of New Zealand. His father had Māori heritage, and his mother was of British background. He grew up in a suburb of Wellington called Tawa.

He went to Tawa School and Tawa College. After finishing school, he started his career as an artist who designed things for businesses and as a photographer.

Starting in the Film World

Lee Tamahori began working in the film industry in the late 1970s. He started by working for free to gain experience. Later, he worked for Television New Zealand as a boom operator, helping to record sound. He also worked on several feature films like Skin Deep, Goodbye Pork Pie, Bad Blood, and Race for the Yankee Zephyr.

In the early 1980s, a director named Geoff Murphy saw Lee Tamahori's talent. He promoted him to be an assistant director on the film Utu. After that, Lee Tamahori worked as a first assistant director on other movies. These included The Silent One, The Quiet Earth, Came a Hot Friday, and Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence.

In 1986, Lee Tamahori helped start a company called Flying Fish. This company specialized in making television commercials. He became well-known for directing many successful commercials. One of his commercials even won an award for being the 'Commercial of the Decade'.

Directing Big Movies

Famous Films and Hollywood Work

Before making his first big movie, Lee Tamahori directed several shorter dramas for television. His first feature film was Once Were Warriors in 1994. This film told a powerful story about a Māori family facing tough challenges. It was difficult to find money to make the film at first. However, it became incredibly popular in New Zealand, breaking box office records. Around the world, the film was sold to many countries and received excellent reviews. Magazines like Time and Première even named it one of the top ten films of the year.

After this success, Lee Tamahori moved to Hollywood. There, he directed a crime drama called Mulholland Falls (1996), which didn't become very popular. Next, he directed the successful wilderness film The Edge (1997), starring famous actors Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. He also directed Die Another Day (2002), which was the twentieth James Bond film and very successful at the time. He also directed an episode of the TV show The Sopranos and the thriller Along Came a Spider (2001).

Lee Tamahori's next film was XXX: State of the Union (2005), a sequel to XXX. This movie starred Ice Cube and Willem Dafoe. In 2007, he directed Next, a science fiction action film. It was based on a short story by Philip K. Dick and featured actors like Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel. In 2011, he directed the drama The Devil's Double, starring Dominic Cooper. This film was about a person who claimed to be a look-alike for a powerful leader's son.

Later Projects and New Zealand Stories

In 2012, Lee Tamahori was set to direct an action movie called Emperor. This film was about a young woman seeking revenge for her father's execution by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Actors Adrien Brody and Sophie Cookson were cast in 2014. However, the film is still unfinished, and its release has been delayed due to legal issues.

In 2015, Lee Tamahori directed Mahana (also known as The Patriarch). This was his first feature film made in New Zealand since Once Were Warriors. The drama was set in a rural area and based on a novel by Witi Ihimaera. It starred Temuera Morrison, who had also been in Once Were Warriors. The movie premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and was released in New Zealand in March 2016.

In 2022, Lee Tamahori directed the historical drama The Convert. This film starred Guy Pearce and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne.

Lee Tamahori's Family Life

Lee Tamahori was married two times during his life. He had two sons, one from each marriage.

Lee Tamahori's Filmography

Movies Directed

• Thunderbox (1989, short film)
• Once Were Warriors (1994)
• Mulholland Falls (1996)
• The Edge (1997)
• Along Came a Spider (2001)
• Die Another Day (2002)
• XXX: State of the Union (2005)
• Next (2007)
• The Devil's Double (2011)
• Mahana (2016)
• The Convert (2023)
• Emperor (2026)

TV Shows Directed

• The Ray Bradbury Theater (1990-92, 3 episodes)
• Billions (2020, 1 episode)
• The Sopranos (2000, 1 episode, S2E3)

See also

In Spanish: Lee Tamahori para niños