David Fane

Bio

David Fane is one of New Zealand’s most high profile writer, actors, radio personalities, and comedians. He is a graduate of our premiere drama school: Toi Whakaari/NZ Drama School.

Fane was introduced to New Zealand television audiences playing a variety of characters in the early 1990s TV comedy sketch shows Skitz and Telly Laughs, from which his creation “Dad Semisi” evolved into the well-remembered series The Semisis in 1998. Before that, he was involved with the Pacific Contemporary Theatre group in Christchurch which produced landmark Oscar Kightley plays Fresh off the Boat and Dawn Raid. A Frigate Bird Sings, co-written by Kightley and Fane, was performed to great acclaim in the 1996 International Festival of the Arts in Wellington.

He is a founding member of the theatre company the Naked Samoans which has toured internationally with a string of successful comedy shows and is the creative team behind the Kiwi animated series bro-Town, in which Fane voiced many characters, and the 2006 feature film Sione’s Wedding, in which Dave played a lead role.

He performed in several seasons of the hugely successful television series Outrageous Fortune, playing the ‘part-time crook and full time comic relief’ character of Falani, a lead in the madcap 2009 comedy Diplomatic Immunity, and significant roles in the television drama The Market, and comedy drama The Strip.

On the big screen, his first feature film role was Herman the Henchman in 2002 comedy Tongan Ninja. And then, following Sione’s Wedding, he was cast in the 2007 Samoan-themed horror film The Tattooist – for which he was nominated a New Zealand and Television award for best supporting actor. That same year he worked with director Taika Waititi in the award winning offbeat comedy Eagle vs Shark and was also cast in Rhys Darby’s romantic comedy Love Birds.

Most recently, his credits include the feature films Next Goal Wins (Taika Waititi), Chief Gary, a recurring role on the Australian-New Zealand co-production 800 Words, Raymond the Party Host in Waititi’s television series What We Do in the Shadows, the spinoff series Wellington Paranormal, Outrageous Fortune prequel Westside, and black comedy Fresh Eggs.

David then joined the cast of Australian feature film Paper Champions –released in 2020.

David is represented by Gail Cowan Management in New Zealand.