Stig Eldred

Born in Sweden and raised in Los Angeles, actor and musician Stig Eldred studied theatre at California State University before moving to New Zealand in the 1980s. Known as 'The Piano Man', he quickly became a beloved local performer. He starred as pirate Long John Silver in Return to Treasure Island (1996), and had roles in The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (1992), as Greenpeace shipmate Steven Sawyer, King Kong (2005), and goldrush drama The Stolen (2017). Eldred was a voice actor on several seasons of Power Rangers. The globetrotting actor also did stints as Santa Claus at community events. Stig Eldred died in July 2024.  

He is an amazing actor and he’s got a real presence on screen . . . He played a very strong, silent menacing part and he was fabulous to work with. Merryn Corcoran, executive producer of 2017 movie The Stolen, Star News, 5 August 2024