Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell (born 1978) is a former New Zealand actress.

Biography

Her breakthrough role as Grace Heke in the

Lee Tamahori Warren Lee Tamahori (; born 17 June 1950) is a New Zealand film director. His feature directorial debut, ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994), was a widespread critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films eve ...

film, ''

Once Were Warriors ''Once Were Warriors'' is New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling first novel, published in 1990. It tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and portrays the reality of domestic violence in New Zealand. It was the basis of a 1 ...

'', based on the book of the same name by

Alan Duff Alan Duff (born 26 October 1950) is a New Zealand novelist and newspaper columnist. He is best known as the author of the novel '' Once Were Warriors'' (1990), which was made into a film of the same name in 1994. Biography Alan Duff was bo ...

, was as a "sixteen-year-old newcomer hen Kerr-Bellwas discovered by casting director

Don Selwyn Don Charles Selwyn (22 November 1935 – 13 April 2007) was a Māori actor and filmmaker from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film '' Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori ...

while accompanying a friend to the auditions for ''Once Were Warriors''. She had never acted before but when Selwyn asked her if she'd like to read, she accepted and instantly won over

Rena Owen Maria Makarena Owen (born 22 July 1962), known professionally as Rena Owen, is a New Zealand actress in theatre, television and film. Owen is best known for her leading role as Beth Heke in Lee Tamahori's '' Once Were Warriors'' and as Taun We ...

and

Temuera Morrison Temuera Derek Morrison (born 26 December 1960) is a New Zealand actor who first gained recognition in his home country for playing Dr. Hone Ropata on the soap opera ''Shortland Street''. He garnered critical acclaim for starring as Jake "The M ...

, who play her character's parents. About her role she says, "Some things I had to pretend but other things I could relate to quite well. I know a lot of people whose father would beat them and their mother and I could relate to Grace helping her mother bring up the kids because I have a little brother and two baby sisters." Director Tamahori says she "was just a natural. I was astounded by what she had behind her eyes and the sheer timeless beauty of her face. She looked both old and young and I had seen faces like that in a lot of research I'd done. She seemed to carry a lot of history with her and it was a haunting face". In 2014 she recalled her 1994 role for a documentary made on the film's 20th anniversary. She now lives in

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

, Australia and works in real estate; she has no immediate plans to return to acting.

Filmography

*''"Mataku" - The Sisters'' (2002) TV Episode .... Nola *''Staunch'' (2000) (TV) *''"Duggan" - Last Resort'' (1999) TV Episode .... Private Kate Ngarimu *''

Shortland Street ''Shortland Street'' is a New Zealand Prime time, 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, be ...

'' (1992) TV Series .... Tania Rikihana (1997) *''

(1994) ....'' Grace Heke

References

About the Once Were Warriors Cast
- Fine Line Features. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr-Bell, Mamaengaroa 1978 births Living people New Zealand film actresses New Zealand television actresses People from Whangārei New Zealand Māori actresses Ngāpuhi people Ngāti Hine people New Zealand soap opera actresses 20th-century New Zealand actresses 21st-century New Zealand actresses New Zealand expatriates in Australia