Mitchell Manuel

Mitchell Manuel burst onto the small screen in Mike Walker's 1981 bros-in-borstal drama Kingi's Story, playing the title role of a petty thief. Manuel followed it with acting and writing credits for acclaimed feature Kingpin (1985) and tele-movie Mark II (1986) — for which he won critical praise, and a best acting award. 

Manuel’s Kingi was the scene-stealer whenever on camera, a hawk-eyed fugitive running from a nasty bunch of heavies; brave, if bitter, at heart. Manuel had a presence that made Mark II much more than just a caper. NZ Herald writer Barry Shaw, in a November 1986 review of Mark II