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Lee Tamahori(1950-2025)

  • Director
  • Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
  • Sound Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Lee Tamahori
A clip from The Devil's Double.
Play clip1:27
"Transformation"
1 Video
16 Photos
Beginning as a commercial artist and photographer, he joined the New Zealand film industry in the late 1970s as a boom operator. He became an assistant director a decade later. Making international award-winning commercials for 10 years, he has also directed several TV series. His first feature film, Once Were Warriors (1994), won the PEN First Book Award.
BornApril 22, 1950
DiedNovember 7, 2025(75)
BornApril 22, 1950
DiedNovember 7, 2025(75)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 12 wins & 4 nominations total

Photos16

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Known for

Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Rena Owen, and Calvin Tuteao in Once Were Warriors (1994)
Once Were Warriors
7.9
  • Director
  • 1994
Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin in The Edge (1997)
The Edge
7.0
  • Director
  • 1997
Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel in Next (2007)
Next
6.2
  • Director
  • 2007
Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry in Die Another Day (2002)
Die Another Day
6.1
  • Director
  • 2002

Credits

IMDbPro

Director

  • Emperor
    • Director
    • Post-production
    • 2027
  • The Convert (2023)
    The Convert
    6.4
    • Director
    • 2023
  • David Costabile, Jeffrey DeMunn, Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Corey Stoll, Kelly AuCoin, Maggie Siff, Asia Kate Dillon, and Dola Rashad in Billions (2016)
    Billions
    8.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2020
  • Nancy Brunning and Temuera Morrison in The Patriarch (2016)
    The Patriarch
    7.1
    • Director
    • 2016
  • Dominic Cooper in The Devil's Double (2011)
    The Devil's Double
    7.0
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel in Next (2007)
    Next
    6.2
    • Director
    • 2007
  • xXx: State of the Union (2005)
    xXx: State of the Union
    4.5
    • Director
    • 2005
  • Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry in Die Another Day (2002)
    Die Another Day
    6.1
    • directed by
    • 2002
  • Morgan Freeman and Monica Potter in Along Came a Spider (2001)
    Along Came a Spider
    6.4
    • directed by
    • 2001
  • Lorraine Bracco, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Aida Turturro in The Sopranos (1999)
    The Sopranos
    9.2
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2000
  • Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin in The Edge (1997)
    The Edge
    7.0
    • Director
    • 1997
  • Melanie Griffith, Michael Madsen, Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, and Chris Penn in Mulholland Falls (1996)
    Mulholland Falls
    6.3
    • Director
    • 1996
  • Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Rena Owen, and Calvin Tuteao in Once Were Warriors (1994)
    Once Were Warriors
    7.9
    • Director
    • 1994
  • The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985)
    The Ray Bradbury Theater
    7.3
    TV Series
    • directed by
    • 1990–1992
  • Thunderbox (1989)
    Thunderbox
    5.5
    Short
    • Director
    • 1989

Second Unit or Assistant Director

  • Bruno Lawrence in Bridge to Nowhere (1986)
    Bridge to Nowhere
    5.2
    • first assistant director
    • 1986
  • Came a Hot Friday (1985)
    Came a Hot Friday
    6.4
    • first assistant director
    • 1985
  • The Quiet Earth (1985)
    The Quiet Earth
    6.7
    • first assistant director
    • 1985
  • The Silent One (1984)
    The Silent One
    6.4
    • first assistant director
    • 1984
  • Trespasses (1984)
    Trespasses
    5.7
    • first assistant director
    • 1984
  • Rebecca Gibney, Derek Hardwick, and Paul O'Shea in Among the Cinders (1984)
    Among the Cinders
    6.3
    • first assistant director
    • 1984
  • Tommy Lee Jones and Michael O'Keefe in Nate and Hayes (1983)
    Nate and Hayes
    6.1
    • first assistant director: second unit
    • 1983
  • David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, Tom Conti, Ryūichi Sakamoto, and Jack Thompson in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
    Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
    7.2
    • first assistant director
    • 1983
  • Utu (1983)
    Utu
    6.9
    • first assistant director
    • 1983
  • Wild Horses (1983)
    Wild Horses
    4.6
    • second assistant director
    • 1983

Sound Department

  • Carry Me Back (1982)
    Carry Me Back
    6.3
    • boom operator
    • 1982
  • Battletruck (1982)
    Battletruck
    5.0
    • boom operator
    • 1982
  • Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981)
    Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr
    5.6
    • boom operator
    • 1981
  • Bad Blood (1981)
    Bad Blood
    6.5
    • boom operator
    • 1981
  • Beyond Reasonable Doubt (1980)
    Beyond Reasonable Doubt
    6.4
    • boom operator
    • 1980
  • Goodbye Pork Pie (1980)
    Goodbye Pork Pie
    6.8
    • boom operator
    • 1980
  • Middle Age Spread (1979)
    Middle Age Spread
    5.9
    • sound assistant
    • 1979
  • Sons for the Return Home (1979)
    Sons for the Return Home
    5.7
    • boom operator
    • 1979
  • Skin Deep (1978)
    Skin Deep
    5.2
    • boom operator
    • 1978
  • The Governor (1977)
    The Governor
    TV Mini Series
    • boom operator
    • 1977
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

In Memoriam: Stars We Lost in 2025

In Memoriam: Stars We Lost in 2025

We pay tribute to Diane Ladd, Diane Keaton, and more stars we lost this year.
See the gallery
Production art
List

Videos1

"Transformation"
Clip 1:27
"Transformation"

Personal details

  • Official site
    • Discogs
  • Born
    • April 22, 1950
    • Wellington, New Zealand
  • Died
    • November 7, 2025
    • Auckland, New Zealand(Parkinson's disease)
  • Children
      Max
  • Parents
      Phillip Tamahori
  • Relatives
      Renaye Tamahori(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles

Did you know

  • Trivia
    His father is Maori, his mother is British.
  • Quotes
    Sex should not be in the movies and should be in the home, and violence should be in the movies and not in the home.
  • Trademark
    Progresses the film through fast-paced visuals

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