Joe Naufahu

Joe Naufahu (born Joseph Stalin Pereira Naufahu^{[citation needed]} 25 January 1978 in New Zealand) is a New Zealand actor and former professional rugby player. During his rugby career, he played for the Leicester Tigers and Glasgow Warriors, among others, and briefly coached the Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians. He began acting in 2005. Most notably, he portrayed Khal Moro in the sixth season of the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. In August 2021, it was announced that he would feature in the 2021 Season of Celebrity Treasure Island 2021.^[1]

Joe Naufahu

Birth name	Joseph Stalin Pereira Naufahu^[citation needed]
Date of birth	(1978-01-25) 25 January 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	New Zealand
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	88 kg (13 st 12 lb)
School	King’s College
Notable relative(s)	Rene Naufahu, brother Jasmine Pereira, cousin
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2004-05 Stirling County Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians 0 10 (0) (5) Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2002 2002-04 Leicester Tigers Glasgow Warriors 5 8 (0) (10) Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) Canterbury Southland () Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) Crusaders () International career Years Team Apps (Points) New Zealand U19 New Zealand U21 Coaching career Years Team Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians (Asst.)

Personal life

Naufahu has stated his grandparents were from Tonga, Samoa, Portugal and Germany,^[2] though he's also mentioned having Irish roots.^[3] His brother is actor and director Rene Naufahu.

Career

Rugby

Naufahu played rugby for his school, King’s College and played with New Zealand Schoolboys on their tour of the United Kingdom in 1995.^[4] He then joined the provincial side Canterbury and played for the New Zealand Under 19s and Under 21s.^[4] He also played for Southland^[5]

He played in the Super 12 Under 23 tournament for the Canterbury Crusaders in 2001.^[4]

He moved to the United Kingdom in 2002 and had a brief spell with Leicester Tigers starting 2 matches and making 3 appearances from the bench.^[4] From there, he signed for the Glasgow Warriors in December 2002.^[2] He worked with the then Glasgow coach Kiwi Searancke coming through the age grades in New Zealand. He was immediately put in the first team. He marked his Glasgow debut by scoring a try against rivals Edinburgh on Boxing Day 2002 at Hughenden Stadium^[5] in a 10-10 draw.^[6] He also scored a try in the return fixture in Edinburgh and Glasgow ultimately won the match 45-33.^[5][7] In season 2003-04, Naufahu suffered from a knee injury.^[8] In his rehabilitation, he played for amateur side Stirling County.^[9]

The knee injury eventually caused Naufahu to quit professional rugby but he continued playing for amateur side Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians in 2004-05.^[10] However, the injury eventually prevented him playing at an amateur level and he moved to become a coach at Glasgow Hutchesons Aloysians.^[11]

Acting

After some smaller roles, and one of the lead roles in the 2005 TV series The Market, Naufahu secured a recurring role in the sixth season of the fantasy TV series Game of Thrones in 2016 as Khal Moro.^[12]

He played Mils Muliaina in the Rugby Union movie The Kick (2014), a biography of All Black Stephen Donald who kicked New Zealand's winning penalty in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.^[13]

Fitness

Nauhafu runs a personal training business called Ludus Magnus.^[14][15]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	The Whole of the Moon	Cop
2010	Matariki	Young cop
2014	The Last Saint	Pinball
2017	Ghost in the Shell	Police Commander Johns
2019	Enemy Within	Ben Kanahele

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	The Market	Sef Lima	Main role
2009	Power Rangers RPM	Guard	Episode: "Run Ziggy Run"
2012	Spartacus: Vengeance	Liscus	4 episodes
2009 – 2012	Go Girls	Eli Fa'asalele	22 episodes
2012 – 2013	Auckland Daze	Joe	2 episodes
2014	The Kick	Mils Muliaina	Television film
2016	Game of Thrones	Khal Moro	3 episodes
2020-2021	Head High^[16]	Jesse Roberts	Main role, 2 seasons
2021	My Life Is Murder	Reuben	In Production

References

1. "Meet the contestants of Celebrity Treasure Island 2021". TheSpinoff. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
2. Tim Graham (24 December 2002). "Scottish Rugby: Naufahu grit to add bite for Glasgow". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
3. "Gains of Thrones: Joe Naufahu Trains Like a Warrior". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved 22 February 2021. Part Samoan, German, and Irish
4. "Senior Squad - Players & Coaches - The Team - Leicester Tigers - Official Website : Players : Leicester Tigers Seniors". Leicestertigers.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
5. "Glasgow Warriors - Joe Naufahu". Glasgowwarriors.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
6. "Glasgow Denied By Laney Penalty". Glasgowwarriors.org. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
7. "Glasgow's six of the best is fun for Dixon Treat for home fans at long last". Heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
8. "Glasgow Warriors - Metcalfe and Naufahu back for Glasgow". Glasgowwarriors.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
9. "Glasgow Warriors - Joe continues his recovery". Glasgowwarriors.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
10. . Gharugby.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
11. "Glasgow Warriors - Joe Naufahu forced to retire". Glasgowwarriors.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
12. "'Game Of Thrones': Joe Naufahu Of 'Spartacus' Fame Joins Season 6 Cast". Headlines & Global News. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
13. planktonrules (10 August 2014). "The Kick (TV Movie 2014)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
14. . Ludusmagnis.co.nz. Archived from the original on 17 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
15. . Treasures.co.nz. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
16. "Joe Naufahu on how his real life rugby career was cut short, only to be mirrored in his role on Head High". Newshub. Retrieved 26 August 2021.

External links

• ESPN Biography
• Glasgow Warriors fansite biography
• Tigers biography
• Joe Naufahu at IMDb