Robbie Joseph Magasiva (born 21 May 1972) is a Samoan-

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

er actor who has starred in several films and as a member of the

Naked Samoans 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 th ...

comedy troupe. He has also appeared on television and in theatre, and was the co-presenter of New Zealand's

Tagata Pasifika Tagata Pasifika is an English language New Zealand programme which screens on TVNZ's TV ONE and on Māori Television. This programme is made to specifically meet the niche market of New Zealand's Pacific Islander (Pasifika) population. Conte ...

with famed athlete,

Beatrice Faumuina Beatrice Roini Liua Faumuina (born 23 October 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a former New Zealand discus thrower. Career Faumuina was a gold medallist at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics. She has represented New Zealand in four Su ...

. Magasiva is also known for his role on '' Shortland Street'' as Dr.

Maxwell Avia The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' in 2009, by order of first appearance. Grant Marsden Grant Marsden was Brooke Freeman's (Beth Allen) fraudster father who abandoned her ...

, which he played from June 2009 to July 2012, and for his current role as Will Jackson on the prison drama series, '' Wentworth'', an adaptation of the iconic women prison drama ''

Prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

''. Magasiva is the only male actor to appear in all 8 seasons.

Biography

Magasiva, born in Wellington, New Zealand, was raised in a small community west of

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

called Tanumapua. His family moved back to New Zealand permanently when he was 10 years old. After leaving school, he tried his hand at theatre sports and acted in commercials while working as a receptionist at an advertising agency. Magasiva had his start on television during the 1990s, beginning with comedy. In 1999, he portrayed Mason Keeler in ''

Jackson's Wharf ''Jackson's Wharf'' (1999–2000) was a New Zealand television series created by Gavin Strawhan and Rachel Lang. Set in a fictional coastal town, the series told the story of a sibling rivalry between brothers Frank, the town policeman the youn ...

''. In 2001 he starred in his first major film,'' Stickmen'', and joined the Naked Samoans. In 2002, he played Mauhúr in

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

's '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''. He returned to television in the show ''

The Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city ...

'', 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 ''Sione's Wedding'' (also marketed outside New Zealand as ''Samoan 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. Plot Set in Au ...

'', a comedy film that achieved commercial success in New Zealand. In 2007 he co-starred in the horror film ''

The Tattooist ''The Tattooist'' is a 2007 New Zealand horror film directed by Peter Burger and starring Jason Behr, Nathaniel Lees, Michael Hurst and Robbie Magasiva among others. The film is the first in a series of official co-productions between New Zealan ...

''. He joined the cast of Shortland Street as Dr. Maxwell Avia in 2009. The character was originally called Maxwell Novak but changed to Avia to relate his Samoan descent. 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 new Australian drama series '' Wentworth'', a re-imaging of the classic show ''

''. He plays Officer Will Jackson. The character's background was also changed when he was cast (originally meant to be an Australian officer). In 2016, he guest starred in

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the ...

's ''Dirty Laundry''. In 2021, Magasiva stars on the Paramount+ Australia original series, ''

Spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in ...

''. Robbie in 2022 appeared alongside several members of the Wentworth cast at WentworthCon Melbourne.

Personal life

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. Pua died aged 38 on 11 May 2019. As a result, Robbie Magasiva flew to Wellington to be with his family. Later he opened up about the devastating loss of his brother and raised mental health awareness. He 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. In 2011, Magasiva began dating Shortland Street co-star, Natalie Medlock. They first met in 2009 while performing in a play called "Christ Almighty!". Medlock recalls it was her costume that earned Magasiva's heart. In 2015, the pair went on stage again with Christ Almighty with the Wentworth cast to raise money for the homeless. The couple attributes love and therapy for their long-term relationship. Previously he was married to Anna Magasiva, whom he met while he was a receptionist.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Robbie's biography
an
screenography
on

NZ On Screen NZ On Screen is a state-funded online promotional showcase of New Zealand television and film. Funded by NZ On Air, it provides free worldwide access to NZ-produced television, film and music videos. Content is streamed and the webpages provide ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Magasiva, Robbie 1972 births 20th-century New Zealand male actors 21st-century New Zealand male actors Actors of Samoan descent New Zealand expatriates in Australia New Zealand male film actors New Zealand male television actors New Zealand people of Samoan descent New Zealand television presenters Living people People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington