Underappreciated Actor of Another Color #4: Taungaroa Emile

I first fell for Mr. Thang here when I saw him on Xena.  Now...I'd seen him before on Hercules, but he was a bit "young" then so he didn't quite register.  But when he showed up Xena...*shrill whistle*...talk about being all growed up!

Taungaroa Emile is a 32-year-old Maori actor born and raised in Flaxmere, New Zealand.  If you've seen his first film, Once Were Warriors (at fifteen, he played Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell's brother) or the very popular Whale Rider, then you know this man.  Don't you love these names?!  They just roll off your tongue!

He's done fairly well since his days as a child actor, and has continued to choose very good movies, but I still think Hollywood could stand to have a tall, brown sizzling hunk with that accent hanging around its sets.