Antonio Te Maioha

Antonio Te Maioha
Born 1970[1]
Occupation Actor
Years active 1998–present

Antonio Te Maioha is a television and film actor from New Zealand. He first came to international prominence when he played a gladiator named Barca in the television drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand and its prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.[2]

Background

Te Maioha was born in Auckland February 1 1970, but raised in Hastings in the Hawke's Bay Region of the North Island of New Zealand.[2] His father was of Maori descent through both the Ngapuhi tribe, the largest in New Zealand, and the Waikato tribe, also known as the "Tainui" or "Waikato-Tainui."[2]

Career

Antonio Te Maioha started his career as a street performer before gaining a place at the Toi Whakaari Drama School in 1992. He went on to work with a Maori theatre project run by actor Jim Moriarty and was in the cast of "Waiora", touring New Zealand, Hawaii and Britain.[3]

One of Antonio Te Maioha's first significant television roles was in 1998 playing Boraxis in "Hercules, The Legendary Journeys" followed by several roles in "Xena: Warrior Princess" and "Legend of the Seeker, a weekly television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind." He has also appeared in other New Zealand-based television productions, including "Shortland Street" and "The Lost World". Te Maioha has also had roles in several films, including "Te Tangata Whai Rawa O Weneti" and a short film called "Taua" (War Party)"[2] and the 2000 film "Feathers of Peace" (Ngati Tama Warrior) directed by Barry Barclay.[4]

Te Maioha has come to international attention through his supporting role as the gladiator Barca in the television drama "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"[3] and its prequel "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena".[4] Nicknamed the "Beast of Carthage", Barca is the bodyguard and hitman of a gladiator owner named Batiatus.[5] Several episodes into the show, he is showed to be in a homosexual relationship with a slave boy named Pietros.[6] He is eventually murdered when Pietros is tricked into revealing damning evidence about Barca.[7] Regarding the prominence of the homosexual relationship in the series and its acceptance by the other characters, the website Change.org commented that it was "uplifting" to see that "none of the drama arose out of anti-gay sentiment" and that "hopefully...other historical dramas will openly explore gay storylines as well."[7]

Private life

Antonio Te Maioha is married and lives in the town of Raglan on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Active in local environmentalism, he has hosted a Sustainable Futures Forum in Waikato that brought around 80 people to discuss a variety of environmental issues.[8] He has also publicly discussed his personal involvement and Raglan's leadership in recycling, citing the accomplishments of a local organization called Xtreme Waste.[9] Te Maioha is uncomfortable with being labeled as a "greenie," saying that he is just doing "stuff everybody could" and that being given such a label means that other people will "write you off...instead of actually listening to what’s being said or applying changes in their own lives."[8]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1991541
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Antonio Te Maioha Biography". poptower.com. 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Biography for Antonio Te Maioha". Internet Movie Database. 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Antonio Te Maioha". Auckland Actors. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
  5. ↑ Spartacus: Gods of the Arena website
  6. ↑ Antonio Te Maioha - The Gay Gladiator. Spartacus website.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Gay Gladiator. By Adam Amel Rogers. Change.org.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 TV star to host Waikato sustainability workshop. Environment Waikato, 30 August 2007.
  9. ↑ "Antonio Te Maioha talks about recycling in Raglan (video)". Raglan.net.nz. Raglan tourism information. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 20 November 2010.

External links