Pana Hema Taylor (born 1989) is a New Zealand television actor, best known for his roles in Spartacus, The Brokenwood Mysteries and Westside.
Pana Hema Taylor | |
---|---|
Born | (1989-09-14) 14 September 1989 (age 33)[citation needed] Auckland, New Zealand |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2007 – present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Pana Hema Taylor grew up in the town of Wairoa, where he became involved with the New Zealand street gang, Mongrel Mob.[1][better source needed] In order to keep him from becoming a gang member, his parents, who had split up awhile before, decided that he should live with his father in Christchurch, New Zealand[1] where he attended Aranui High School.[2] In 2007, he won best actor for his role as Mercutio in the school's production of Romeo and Juliet.[3]
Hema Taylor was first seen on TV in 2007 on the Māori language educational series Whanau.[2] He has since worked on various New Zealand feature films including Boy and Kawa. Hema Taylor is best known for his work in the Starz television series Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned, playing the role of the Syrian rebel Nasir.[4] In 2014 he was cast as Mana in the New Zealand action film The Dead Lands.[5]
He starred as Jared in The Brokenwood Mysteries Series 1–6, and as Bert in Westside.
In 2009, 20-year-old Hema Taylor met 38-year-old actress Danielle Cormack when she was the costume/set designer on a play he was in. The two have a son, Te Ahi Ka, born 19 March 2010.[6] They divorced in 2013.
In March 2015, Taylor and his partner Naomi Campbell had a daughter.[7]
Hema Taylor is of Māori (Ngāti Kahungunu) heritage.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Whanau | Harley | |
2007 | Ebony Society | uncredited | Short film |
2010 | Redemption | Zig | Short film |
2010 | Boy | Juju | |
2010 | Kawa | Sebastian | |
2011 | Good for Nothing | Young Native American | |
2012 | The Most Fun You Can Have Dying | David | |
2014 | The Dead Lands | Mana | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Spartacus: Vengeance | Tiberius / Nasir | Series regular: 9 episodes | |
2013 | Spartacus: War of the Damned | Nasir | Series regular: 10 episodes | |
2014–present | The Brokenwood Mysteries | Jared Morehu | Series regular: Series 1-6 | |
2015–2020 | Westside | Bert Thompson | Main role | |
2016 | Dirty Laundry | Tane | [8] | |
2017 | Resolve | Chris Crean | ||
2019–present | The Gulf | Rory | Series regular | [9] |
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