Duane Evans Jr.
Duane Evans Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 September 2003 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Duane Wichman-Evans Jr. (born 5 September 2003) is a New Zealand film and television actor. He is best known for portraying Michael Hampton-Rees, a recurring character in the TVNZ 2 prime-time soap opera and medical drama series Shortland Street (2015–2017). Evans also starred as Rotxo, a secondary character in the epic science fiction films Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). He portrayed Royden in the 2020 action comedy feature film The Legend of Baron To'a, and Pahirua in the 2023 historical drama feature film The Convert. Evans starred as Rhino in the Netflix fantasy drama series Sweet Tooth (2021), as Michael, one of the main characters in the TVNZ+ young adult comedy miniseries Duckrockers (2022), and as Dacus, a recurring character in the Starz historical drama series Spartacus: House of Ashur.
Biography
Duane Wichman-Evans Jr. is a New Zealand citizen of Māori and Cook Island descent, belonging to iwi (tribes) of Ngāti Whātua and Ngāpuhi.[1][2] He grew up in Auckland, New Zealand.[3][4] His father, Apai Wichman is an older brother of Ngamau Munokoa, a Cook Islands politician, the deputy prime minister from 2003 to 2004, and a former Cabinet Minister. His mother came from the island of Aitutaki in Cook Islands.[4]
Evans begun performing at the age of 3, starring in advertisements and as a child model. His first film role was Tee in a 2011 short film titled Ebony Society directed by Tammy Davis. He also starred in the 2011 documentary film Billy T: Te Movie, in which he portrayed Billy T. James as a child.[1][4][5] In 2013, he received the award for the best male actor at the Wairoa Māori Film Festival in Nūhaka, New Zealand, for the role of Jacob in the short film I'm Going to Mum's.[4][6] Evans starred as young Pi in the 2013 family drama feature film Fantail, and as Rawri in the 2014 sports drama television film The Kick.[1][5][7] From 2015 to 2017, he portrayed Michael Hampton-Rees, a recurring character in the TVNZ 2 prime-time soap opera and medical drama series Shortland Street.[4][8][9] Evans also appeared in the television series Tatau (2015), Power Rangers Ninja Steel (2017), and The New Legends of Monkey (2018).[1][4][5] He portrayed Royden in the 2020 action comedy feature film The Legend of Baron To'a, and Pahirua in the 2023 historical drama feature film The Convert.[3][1][4] Evans also starred as Rhino in two episodes of the Netflix fantasy drama series Sweet Tooth (2021), and portrayed Michael, one of the main characters in the TVNZ+ young adult comedy miniseries Duckrockers (2022).[7][3][4] Evans starred as Rotxo, a secondary character in the epic science fiction films Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025).[10][11][12] His scenes were filmed between 2017 and 2018.[4] He also starred as Dacus, a recurring character in the Starz historical drama series Spartacus: House of Ashur.[7][13]
Private life
Evans lives in Auckland, New Zealand.[3][5] He is fluent in English and Māori, and also speaks Cook Islands Māori.[1][4] Evans is also a competitive kapa haka performer.[5]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Billy T: Te Movie | Young Billy T. James | Documentary film |
| Ebony Society | Tee | Short film | |
| 2013 | Fantail | Young Pi | Feature film |
| I'm Going to Mum's | Jacob | Short film | |
| 2014 | The Kick | Rawri | Television film |
| 2016 | Possum | Nathan | Short film |
| 2017 | Tree | Kisione | Short film |
| 2020 | Legend of Baron To'a | Royden | Feature film |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | Rotxo | Feature film |
| 2023 | The Convert | Pahirua | Feature film |
| Inside Pandora's Box | Himself | Documentary film | |
| 2025 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | Rotxo | Feature film |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Style Pasifika Fashion Awards | Himself (child model) | Television special |
| 2012 | Marae | Himself (segment host) | Talk show |
| Nothing Trivial | Billy | Episode: "Who Was Mad, Bad, and Dangerous?" | |
| Pūkana | Himself (Māori student) | Entertainment show | |
| 2014 | Himself (guest singer) | Entertainment show | |
| 2015 | Tatau | Boy | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Shortland Street | Michael Hampton-Rees | Recurring role; 194 episodes |
| 2017 | Just Cook: Annual Cooking Competition | Himself | Television special; game show |
| Power Rangers Ninja Steel | Billy | Episode: "The Royal Rival" | |
| 2018 | The New Legends of Monkey | Town boy | Episode: "The Edge of Nowhere" |
| 2021 | Sweet Tooth | Rhino | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Duckrockers | Michael | Miniseries; main role; 8 episodes |
| 2025 | Spartacus: House of Ashur | Dacus | Recurring role; 7 episodes |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Wairoa Māori Film Festival Awards | Best Male Actor | I'm Going to Mum's | Won | [6] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Duane Evans Junior". nzonscreen.com.
- ^ Michael Cugley (24 November 2022). "Māori and indigenous cultures shine in Avatar sequel".
- ^ a b c d Ricardo Simich (12 November 2022). "Spy: Kiwis actors to watch globally". nzherald.co.nz.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rashneel Kumar (8 March 2020). "'My character is blue, but what you see on the big screen is 100% me'". cookislandsnews.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Duane Evans Jr". gcm.co.nz.
- ^ a b "Duane Evans Junior. Awards". nzonscreen.com.
- ^ a b c Christy Quilliam: "Duane Evans Jr.", It's Interval, issue 1: Timeless, 2024, pp. 77–81.
- ^ "Shortland Street actor Duane Evans Jr joins Avatar sequels". nzherald.co.nz. 28 September 2017.
- ^ "Shortland St star gets to work as Avatar filming kicks off". stuff.co.nz. 28 September 2017.
- ^ Aaron Couch (27 September 2017). "'Avatar 2' Introduces 7 Young Castmembers". hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ Dino-Ray Ramos (27 September 2017). "'Avatar' Sequels: First Images Of Cast Revealed". deadline.com.
- ^ "'Wellington has done so well': thousands gather for Avatar 3 premiere". rnz.co.nz. 13 December 2025.
- ^ John Edward Betancourt (23 September 2024). "STARZ Announces Additional Cast Members for 'Spartacus: House of Ashur'". nerdsthatgeek.com.