Hans Edward Kruse ''OS'' (6 January 1930 – 2 October 2021) was a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

n civil servant, actor, and rugby player. Kruse was from Asau on Savai'i. He was educated at Marist Brothers Primary School in Mulivai,

Sacred Heart College, Auckland Sacred Heart College is a state-integrated secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land in Glen Innes. History The college was opened on 21 June 1903, in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers. It ...

, and Thailand University. As a young man he acted in the films '' Return to Paradise'' and ''

Pacific Destiny ''Pacific Destiny'' is a 1956 British drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Denholm Elliott, Susan Stephen and Michael Hordern. It was written by Richard Mason and Jack Lee based on the 1952 memoir ''A Pattern of Islands'' by Sir Ar ...

''. In 1953 he married Moana Meredith. In 1963 he captained the

Samoa national rugby union team The Samoa national rugby union team represents Samoa in men's international rugby union competitions. They are governed by Samoa Rugby Union and also known as "Manu Samoa", which is thought to derive from the name of a Samoan warrior. They perf ...

at the

1963 South Pacific Games The 1st South Pacific Games (), also known as Suva 1963, held from 29 August to 9 September 1963 in Suva, Fiji, was the first edition of the South Pacific Games. The multisport games were established to engender bonds of friendship amongst peopl ...

. He later worked as a civil servant, for the Public Service Commission, Customs Department, broadcasting service and as Director for the Department of Economic Development. In the private sector, he established a tobacco factory and Samoa Breweries. He then served on the board of the

Central Bank of Samoa The Central Bank of Samoa (), situated in the capital Apia beside the main government buildings, issues the Samoan currency, the Samoan tala, Samoan tālā as well as regulates and manages the exchange rate with foreign currencies. In its role as ...

. Kruse was appointed an Officer of the Order of Samoa in the

2017 Samoa Honours and Awards The 2017 Samoa Honours and Awards were appointments made by the ''O le Ao o le Malo'' of Samoa, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, to various Orders, decorations, and medals of Samoa under the Honours and Awards Act 1999. The investiture ceremony was hel ...

. On his death in 2021 he was given a state funeral.

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at ESPNscrum 1930 births 2021 deaths People from Vaisigano Officers of the Order of Samoa Samoan male film actors Samoan civil servants Samoan rugby union players Samoa international rugby union players {{Samoa-bio-stub