Lee Tamahori
Updated: 12/10/2025, 4:10:46 PM Wikipedia source
Warren Lee Tamahori (; 22 April 1950 – 7 November 2025) was a New Zealand film director. His feature directorial debut, Once Were Warriors (1994), was a widespread critical and commercial success. It is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made. Subsequently, he directed a variety of works both in his native country and in Hollywood, including the survival drama The Edge (1997), the Alex Cross thriller Along Came a Spider (2001), the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002), the political biopic The Devil's Double (2011), and the period drama Mahana (2016). He won the New Zealand Film Award for Best Director for Once Were Warriors, with a second nomination for Mahana, and another win for The Convert.
Infobox
Born
Warren Lee Tamahori(1950-04-22)22 April 1950Wellington, New Zealand
Died
7 November 2025(2025-11-07) (aged 75)Auckland, New Zealand
Education
Tawa College
Occupation
Film director
Years active
1976–2025
Tables
· Filmography
| Year | Title | Episode(s) | Refs. |
| 1990–1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | "Usher II" | |
| "The Long Rain" | |||
| "Silent Towns" | |||
| 2000 | The Sopranos | "Toodle-Fucking-Oo" | |
| 2020 | Billions | "The Chris Rock Test" |
References
- Stuffhttp://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/9642284/Kiwis-pick-their-favourite-movie
- NZ On Screenhttps://www.nzonscreen.com/title/once-were-warriors-1994/awards
- The New Zealand Heraldhttps://notices.nzherald.co.nz/nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/name/lee-tamahori-obituary?id=60009845
- Stuffhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360879760/once-were-warriors-james-bond-director-lee-tamahori-dies
- The Independenthttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/lee-tamahori-the-director-who-has-sympathy-with-the-devil-2333277.html
- MI6-HQhttp://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=3468
- Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/lee-tamahori-dead-once-were-warriors-james-bond-1236420990/
- "Toodle-Fucking-Oo"https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-sopranos/season-2/episode-3-toodle-fucking-oo/
- Empirehttps://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-pic-devil-double/
- Screen Dailyhttps://www.screendaily.com/lee-tamahori-signs-on-for-corsans-emperor/5037938.article
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2014/05/cannes-corsan-pairs-lee-tamahori-with-adrien-brody-for-emperor-732893/
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2014/film/news/sophia-cookson-emperor-adrien-brody-1201285251/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/emperor-producer-paul-breuls-arrested-fraud-allegations-1018677
- Stuffhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/75230724/shortland-streets-ngahuia-piripi-youve-got-to-embrace-who-you-are
- "Mahana – the NZ Story That Brought Lee Tamahori Home"http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1510/S00360/mahana-the-nz-story-that-brought-lee-tamahori-home.htm
- Stuffhttps://www.stuff.co.nz/culture/350208403/convert-lee-tamahoris-latest-very-much-film-two-halves
- Sydney Morning Heraldhttps://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/tamahoris-double-life-20060205-gdmwr0.html
- The New Zealand Heraldhttps://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/tamahori-charges-dropped-ordered-to-clean-up-hollywood/DVFUNMJJNQ7VYVNNHFI5VR2RZU/
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-feb-24-me-director24-story.html
- RNZhttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/578215/lee-tamahori-will-be-missed-but-will-definitely-be-remembered
- "E Tipu E Rea – Thunderbox"https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/e-tipu-e-rea-thunderbox-1989
- "Once Were Warriors"https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/once-were-warriors-1994
- Mulholland Fallshttps://web.archive.org/web/20161201211810/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/mulholland-falls-1970-3
- "The Edge"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-edge/
- "Along Came a Spider"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/along-came-a-spider
- "Die Another Day"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/die-another-day/
- "XXX: State of the Union"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/xxx-state-of-the-union
- "Next"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/next/
- "The Devil's Double"https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-devils-double/
- "Mahana"https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/mahana-2016
- "The Convert"https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-convert-2023
- "The Ray Bradbury Theater Episode Guide"https://www.innermind.com/myguides/guides/bradbury.htm
- Wall Street Journalhttps://www.wsj.com/articles/billions-recap-season-5-episode-2-chess-and-ayahuasca-11589162460