Director Lee Tamahori
Dead at 75 …
Helmed ‘Die Another Day,’ ‘Once Were Warriors’
Published
Lee Tamahori — a well-respected director with decades in the film industry — has died … his family revealed to New Zealand’s public broadcasting company on Friday.
Tamahori passed away after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease, his family told RNZ … adding, “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.”
Tamahori rose to international prominence after the release of his 1994 film “Once Were Warriors” … a film which followed a family as they struggled with the detrimental effects of European countries colonizing New Zealand.
“Once Were Warriors” won numerous awards at international film festivals and became New Zealand’s highest-grossing film at the time … though several films including “Boy” and “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.”
Lee got a shot at making a big-budget Hollywood film in 1996 when he directed “Mulholland Falls” starring Nick Nolte, Chris Penn and Melanie Griffith … though it didn’t perform well at the box office.
Tamahori directed Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry in the 2002 James Bond film “Die Another Day” … Brosnan’s last film as 007 before Daniel Craig took over the role in 2006.
Lee directed numerous other films, including “xXx: State of the Union,” “Next,” and “The Convert.” He also directed an episode of “The Sopranos” and an episode of “Billions.”
His upcoming film “The Emperor” — starring Adrien Brody — is still in post-production … unclear where exactly in the process the movie is at this point.
Tamahori was 75.
RIP
