Pete Smith

Peter Bruce Smith (7 August 1958 – 29 January 2022) was a New Zealand actor. He performed in important New Zealand films such as The Piano (1993) and Once Were Warriors (1995), as well working on well known television shows, including appearances on The Billy T James Show (1990) and Shortland Street in 1999. Career At the outset of his career, Smith joined a drama course run by Maori film maker Don Selwyn, and soon thereafter performed in several of Selwyn's theatre productions, among them The Gospel according to Taane (1985), The Maori Merchant of Venice (2002) and Te Whai Ao. Smith made his screen debut with a GOFTA-winning role as one of the last people on earth, in science fiction film The Quiet Earth (1985). His film credits include many notable New Zealand films, among them The Piano (1993), Once Were Warriors (1995), and the latter's sequel What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (1999). He also featured as an orc in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Additionally, he appeared in the Australian film The Boys in 1998.