Robbie Magasiva | |
---|---|
Born | Robbie Joseph Magasiva 26 August 1972 Wellington, New Zealand |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | Anna Magasiva (m. 2006;div. 2011) |
Partner(s) | Alice Gordon Natalie Medlock (2011–2022) Kelly Mackey (2024–present) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Pua Magasiva (brother, deceased) and 4 siblings |
Robbie Joseph Magasiva (born 26 August 1972) is a Samoan-New Zealander actor who has starred in several films and as a member of the Naked Samoans comedy troupe. He has also appeared on television and in theatre, and was the co-presenter of New Zealand's Tagata Pasifika with famed athlete, Beatrice Faumuina. Magasiva is also known for his role on Shortland Street as Dr. Maxwell Avia, which he played from June 2009 to July 2012, and for his role as Will Jackson on the prison drama series, Wentworth (an adaptation of the women's prison drama Prisoner ). Magasiva is the only male actor to appear in all eight seasons; he appeared in all 100 episodes of the show.
Magasiva, born in Wellington, New Zealand, was raised in a small community west of Apia, Samoa called Tanumapua. His family moved back to New Zealand permanently when he was 10 years old. [1]
After leaving school, he tried his hand at theatre sports and acted in commercials while working as a receptionist at an advertising agency. [2]
Magasiva had his start on television during the 1990s, beginning with comedy. In 1999, he portrayed Mason Keeler in Jackson's Wharf . In 2001 he starred in his first major film, Stickmen , and joined the Naked Samoans. In 2002, he played Mauhúr in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers . He returned to television in the show The Strip , continued his work with the Naked Samoans, and made a minor appearance in Power Rangers: Ninja Storm , also starring his brother Pua as the brother of Pua's character of Shane Clarke. In 2006, Magasiva co-starred in Sione's Wedding , a comedy film that achieved commercial success in New Zealand. In 2007 he co-starred in the horror film The Tattooist .
He joined the cast of Shortland Street as Dr. Maxwell Avia in 2009. [3] The character was originally called Maxwell Novak but changed to Avia to relate to his Samoan descent. [4] He left the series in 2012; he later reprised his role for a one-off appearance in September 2015.
In October 2012, Magasiva was cast in the Australian drama series Wentworth , a re-imaging of the classic show Prisoner . He plays Officer Will Jackson. The character's background was also changed when he was cast (originally meant to be an Australian officer). [5] In 2016, he guest starred in TVNZ's Dirty Laundry. [6]
In 2021, Magasiva starred on the Paramount+ Australia original series, Spreadsheet . [7]
In 2022, Magasiva appeared alongside several members of the Wentworth cast at WentworthCon Melbourne. [8]
In 2023, Magasiva gave an extensive interview about his acting career with podcast series MandateNZ, where he revealed he almost quit acting to become a firefighter after he finished filming Wentworth. [9]
Also in 2023, Magasiva was named in the upcoming cast of NZ drama Madam. [10]
In 2024, Magasiva was cast as Sonny Jennings in the Fox lifeguard series Rescue: HI-Surf . [11] [12] Though he has been on American television before, this is his first series regular role in an American production. Magasiva later revealed that he had gone for a massage and put his phone on silent and when he walked out to check his phone he had 19 missed calls, one which was from his manager telling him he had landed the role of Jennings. [13]
Magasiva is the first son of Salafa and Taufaiula Ropati Magasiva. He has four brothers, Stevan, Miki, twins Pua and Tanu, and adopted sister Trina Magasiva. He inspired his younger brother (Pua) to become an actor, landing him an audition for an alcohol awareness commercial. [14]
Pua died aged 38 on 11 May 2019. As a result, Magasiva flew to Wellington to be with his family. [15] Later he opened up about the devastating loss of his brother and raised mental health awareness. [16]
Magasiva has two children, born in 1996 and 2000. Both reside in Auckland, and he looks after the kids week-on, week-off with their mother, Alice Gordon. [17]
In 2011, Magasiva began dating his Shortland Street co-star, Natalie Medlock. They first met in 2009 while performing in a play called Christ Almighty!. [18] Medlock recalls it was her costume that earned Magasiva's heart. [19] In 2015, the pair went on stage again with Christ Almighty! with the Wentworth cast [20] to raise money for the homeless. The couple attributed love and therapy for their long-term relationship. [21]
Previously, he was married to Anna Magasiva, whom he met while he was a receptionist. [22]
In 2024, Magasiva revealed that he had moved to the U.S. and is in a relationship with producer Kelly Mackey. [23]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Stickmen | Jack | |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Mauhúr | |
2006 | Sione's Wedding | Michael | |
In Her Line of Fire | Petelo | ||
2007 | The Ferryman | Craig (Man in Club) | |
The Tattooist | Alipati | ||
Perfect Creature | Frank | ||
2012 | Sione's 2: Unfinished Business | Michael | |
2015 | Now Add Honey | Chef Sebastian Tasi | |
2020 | Lowdown Dirty Criminals | Semo | |
2023 | Bad Behaviour | Lawrence | |
2024 | The Moon Is Upside Down | Tim | [24] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
1990–1991 | Shark in the Park | Uninformed branch | 14 episodes | |
1993–1995 | Skitz | Various characters | ||
1996–1998 | Telly Laughs | Various characters | ||
1998 | The Semisis | Lagi | ||
Tiger Country | Television film | |||
1999–2000 | Jackson's Wharf | Mason Keeler | 29 episodes | |
2002–2003 | The Strip | Adam Lima | 32 episodes | |
2003 | Power Rangers: Ninja Storm | Porter Clarke | Episode: "Eye of the Storm" | |
2005 | Mataku | Frank | Episode: "The Wild Ones - Te Uru Takariri" | |
2006 | Doves of War | Xavier Collins | 6 episodes | |
2008 | Burying Brian | Tony | 2 episodes | |
2009 | Diplomatic Immunity | Prince To'omai | 2 episodes | |
2010–2013 | Shortland Street | Maxwell Avia | Main role | |
2012 | Auckland Daze | Robbie | 3 episodes | |
2013 | Offspring | Ugly Pete | Episode: "Numbing the Pain" | |
2013–2021 | Wentworth | Will Jackson | 8 seasons, 100 episodes | |
2016 | Black Comedy | Guest cast | Episode #2.6 | |
Dirty Laundry | Jackson | 7 episodes | ||
2021 | Head High | Mitch Belsham | 8 episodes | |
Spreadsheet | Jake | 7 episodes | ||
2021–2024 | Under the Vines | Robert The Builder | 4 episodes | [25] |
2022 | My Life Is Murder | Hamish | Episode: "Silent Lights" | [26] |
Duckrockers | Ropati | 4 episodes | ||
2024 | Dark City: The Cleaner | DI Carl Schroder | 6 episodes | |
Madam | Lima | 9 episodes | [27] | |
Rescue: HI-Surf | Harlan 'Sonny' Jennings | TV series |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Wentworth: Behind the Bars | Self | TV special | |
2020 | Wentworth: Behind the Bars 2 | |||
2021 | Wentworth: Unlocked | |||
2023 | MandateNZ | Podcast series, 1 episode | [28] |
Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centring on the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital. The show was first broadcast on TVNZ 2 on 25 May 1992 and is New Zealand's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 7,900 episodes and 32 years. It is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.
Sally Erana Martin is an actress from New Zealand. She has appeared in a range of television series, including The Strip, Shortland Street and in Power Rangers Ninja Storm as Tori Hanson, the latter two co-starring with Pua Magasiva.
Pua Magasiva was a New Zealand actor of Samoan descent, best known for his roles as Shane Clarke, the Red Ranger from Power Rangers Ninja Storm, and Vinnie Kruse in the soap opera Shortland Street, both co-starring with Sally Martin. He was also one of the co-hosts of radio station Flava.
Sione's Wedding is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.
The Naked Samoans is a New Zealand comedy group made up of Polynesian entertainers, most of whom are Samoan. The group performs social humour and satire that attracts a broad audience, especially among white New Zealanders, without sacrificing the group's Pacific Island identity. The group has gained success in both television and film projects as well as in theatre, which remains their primary base in entertainment. The members of this group are David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi, Oscar Kightley, Robbie Magasiva and Iaheto Ah Hi.
Shimpal Lelisi is a New Zealand actor and TV presenter, best known as one of the members of the Naked Samoans.
Te Koha "TK" Samuels is a fictional character in New Zealand's longest-running soap opera Shortland Street, played by actor Benjamin Mitchell from early 2006 until mid 2023 one of the shows longest running characters
David Rodney Fane is a New Zealand actor.
Brooke Freeman is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, played by Beth Allen. Brooke debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 July 2008. The role was written with Allen in mind to play her. Brooke arrived as a locum GP but later advanced in her career. She is played as a manipulative female, who uses her sexuality to advance in her career. She is also characterised by her complex backstory which has resulted in her "messed up" persona. As a stylish female, Allen is required to spend longer in the dressing room with make-up artists. Brooke's style has been attributed to Katharine Hepburn, though she wears dark colours to convey her personality.
Victor John Rodger is a New Zealand journalist, actor and award-winning playwright of Samoan and Pākehā heritage. Rodger's play Sons won acclaim at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards (1998) and received the Best New Writer and Most Outstanding New New Zealand Play awards. In 2001, he won the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Other plays include Ranterstantrum (2002) and My Name is Gary Cooper (2007), produced and staged by Auckland Theatre Company and starred a Samoan cast including Robbie Magasiva, Anapela Polataivao, Goretti Chadwick and Kiwi actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
Leanne Black is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Jennifer Ludlam. Leanne debuted as the mother of established character Nicole Miller in a guest role in 2010, before reprising the role in more central positions in both 2011 and 2014. Leanne would leave to travel the world in 2023 before returning in another guest role to kill the character off in 2024.
Vainu'u "Vinnie" Kruse-Miller is a fictional character from the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, played by Pua Magasiva. Vinnie first arrived on 25 November 2003, leaving the show on 23 February 2006. He made a return to the soap after a five-year gap on 16 August 2011.
Sione's 2: Unfinished Business is a 2012 New Zealand comedy film and the sequel to the hugely successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding. It was produced by John Barnett and Paul Davis, directed by Simon Bennett, co-produced by South Pacific Pictures and New Zealand Film Commission with music by Don McGlashan and written by Oscar Kightley and James Griffin. The film stars Oscar Kightley, Shimpal Lelisi, Robbie Magasiva, Iaheto Ah Hi, Dave Fane, Teuila Blakely, Madeleine Sami, Pua Magasiva, Mario Gaoa, Nathaniel Lees, David Van Horn, Ayşe Tezel, Dimitri Baveas, Kirk Torrance and Te Kohe Tuhaka. Sione's 2: Unfinished Business was filmed at Auckland, New Zealand. The film was theatrically released on 19 January 2012, by Sony Pictures and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 13 June 2012, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film has received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $723,000 in New Zealand. This was Pua Magasiva's final film appearance seven years before his death on 11 May 2019.
Dr. Bree Hamilton is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street, portrayed by Rachael Blampied from December 2011 to September 2012. Blampied reprised the role in late 2013.
Tama Hudson is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by David Wikaira-Paul from 2001 to 2006.
Dr. Josh Gallagher is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Chris Tempest between May 2012 and January 2014. The character was mostly known for his change from friendly to villainous when he developed Hero Syndrome.
Natalie Medlock is a British-born New Zealand actress and writer best known for her role in Shortland Street as nurse Jill Kingsbury which she played from 3 February 2011 to 16 January 2012.