Lee Tamahori Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Lee Tamahori, the New Zealand-born director whose debut feature, the bleak Maori drama Once Were Warriors, led to a major Hollywood career, has died. He was 75. Tamahori's family on Friday said he died at home after a battle with Parkinson's disease. "His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart," they said in a statement to RNZ, the New Zealand public service broadcaster. Related Stories Movies Robert Emms on Starring in 'The Choral,' Opposite Ralph Fiennes, and His 'Andor' Experience Movies 'Decorado' Director on His Animated Dystopia Reflecting Our "Ultracapitalist World" Tamahori broke out internationally with Once Were Warriors (1994), which debuted at Cannes and offered an unflinching look at gangs, sex and domestic violence. Soon after, before a screening in Toronto, he said he'd return for a Q&A but warned the audience that they would be shell-shocked. "I find people are pretty quiet after seeing this film," he said. The success of Once Were Warriors brought him to Hollywood for such films as the survival drama The Edge (1997), written by David Mamet and starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin; the Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry James Bond pic Die Another Day (2002); the political thriller xXx: State of the Union (2005); and the Nicolas Cage starring sci-fi thriller Next (2007). Born in Wellington in 1950, Tamahori started out as a commercial artist and photographer, then operated a boom in the late 1970s. He next became an assistant director and guided commercials and TV series during the 1980s with his production banner, Flying Fish, then directed a short film, Thunderbox (1989). In a 2022 interview on the Paramount lot, Tamahori revealed that he first got interested in movies in New Zealand by skipping school to go to the local cinema, with action movies and American westerns his preference. "That's what I did in my youth, sneaked into every movie I wasn't allowed to see, and that's how I became a filmmaker," he recalled. His other film credits included Mulholland Falls (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001) and The Devil's Double (2011), plus episodes of The Sopranos and Billions. He returned to his Maori roots with The Patriarch (2016) and then The Convert (2023), a 19th century-set historical drama starring Guy Pearce as an English minister who travels to New Zealand to preach at a British settlement, only to get caught up in the violence between warring Maori tribes. "A charismatic leader and fierce creative spirit, Lee championed Maori talent both on- and offscreen," his family noted. Survivors include his wife, Justine, and his children, Sam, Max, Meka and Tané. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Zohran Mamdani 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk' Director Sepideh Farsi on Bearing Witness to Gaza's Human Cost Heat Vision 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' Trailer Released for Tarantino's New 4-Hour Version The Choral Robert Emms on Starring in 'The Choral,' Opposite Ralph Fiennes, and His 'Andor' Experience Palm Springs International Film Festival 'Jay Kelly' Star Adam Sandler to Receive Chairman's Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival Simu Liu 'In Your Dreams' Review: Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti Lead Voice Cast of Netflix's Pixar-esque Animated Charmer Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 'Decorado' Director on His Animated Dystopia Reflecting Our "Ultracapitalist World" Zohran Mamdani 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk' Director Sepideh Farsi on Bearing Witness to Gaza's Human Cost Heat Vision 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' Trailer Released for Tarantino's New 4-Hour Version The Choral Robert Emms on Starring in 'The Choral,' Opposite Ralph Fiennes, and His 'Andor' Experience Palm Springs International Film Festival 'Jay Kelly' Star Adam Sandler to Receive Chairman's Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival Simu Liu 'In Your Dreams' Review: Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti Lead Voice Cast of Netflix's Pixar-esque Animated Charmer Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 'Decorado' Director on His Animated Dystopia Reflecting Our "Ultracapitalist World"