Lani Tupu

Lani Tupu, sometimes credited as Larney Tupu or Lani John Tupu, is the first Samoan to have starred in a Kiwi television series; in 1985 he segued from theatre onto the screen, to play doctor David Miller on period TV drama Country GP. The New Zealand-raised Samoan then relocated to Australia, where his many screen roles include Lantana, sci fi success Farscape, and a TV reboot of Mission Impossible.

I think we’ve got a wealth of actors and actresses in this country who are world-class. People like Michael Hurst, Sarah Peirse, Philip Holder, Roy Billing, Judy Gibson. Lani Tupu, in 1984