Dwayne Cameron
A keen artist since childhood, Auckland-born Dwayne Cameron was planning to study art at Elam, when he got a role as boyfriend to Selma Blair in short-lived series Amazon High. After starring on a 1998 episode of anthology show A Twist in the Tale, Cameron graduated to playing eco-warrior Bray in cult TV series The Tribe (including this second episode). Over the first three seasons, he would appear in 155 more. The Tribe played on 40+ networks globally, spawning visits to international conventions, and even a tie-in album.
Post-Tribe, Cameron acted in rural drama Mercy Peak as tortured teen Gus Van Der Velter, then scored a leading role in horror movie The Locals on his 21st birthday. He co-starred with Johnny Barker (Shortland Street); the two played young friends who find themselves in a boondocks nightmare in rural Waikato. In this period Cameron also had a lead role in play Acting Genius, guested on a number of TV shows and telemovie The Possum Hunter, and directed his debut short film, Charlie Has a Face (one of a number of scripts he'd written). He also joined the final two seasons of TV's Street Legal, as hardworking lawyer James Peabody.
In 2004 Cameron headed to Los Angeles on a three year work visa. He signed with agency ICM, trained at the Stella Adler Academy and the Ivana Chubbuck Studio, and played protégé to a suicidal self-help guru in short film No Destination, opposite Deer Hunter actor John Savage.
In 2007 Cameron was back in New Zealand in time to rejoin the Power Rangers franchise, for Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. He followed it with 10 episodes of Shortland Street, a role as troubled commune-dweller Nathan Lewis on thriller series The Cult, and an appearance in Legend of the Seeker. Then he headlined in low budget Kiwi thriller Desired, as a detective hunting a serial killer.
After appearing in telefeature Strongman - The Tragedy and playing the boss in a Jesse Peach stage production of Death of a Salesman (one of many theatre credits), Cameron landed the starring role of a thief named Frostie in Brisbane-shot gangster comedy Nice Package.
In 2016 Cameron's agent rang to ask him if he was available to meet director Roger Donaldson (The World's Fastest Indian) that afternoon. When Cameron arrived, he was offered the role of motor racing icon Bruce McLaren in scenes being reenacted for the director's documentary McLaren.
In 2017 he headed to Bulgaria to play the policeman partner to Nicolas Cage's character in movie 211. The film sees the duo caught up in a bank heist.
Cameron has also acted in his own short films, including writing, directing and starring in Pleroma and amnesia tale Holding the Sun. He accompanied the latter when it screened at film market the Cannes Short Film Corner; it was nominated for Best Self-Funded Short at the 2013 NZ Film Awards. The following year he joined the cast of Agent Anna in its second season, as the bohemian boyfriend of Robyn Malcolm's character.
Profile updated on 19 January 2020
Sources include
Dwayne Cameron
Dwayne Cameron website. Accessed 19 January 2020
'Dwayne Cameron - Biography' Dwayne Cameron Art website. Accessed 19 January 2020
Ricardo Simich, 'Spy: The man who plays McLaren' (Interview) - The NZ Herald, 1 May 2016
'Dwayne Cameron plays James Peabody' ScreenWorks website. Accessed 19 January 2020