‘Die Another Day’ Director Was 75

Lee Tamahori, the award-winnning director of James Bond movie Die Another Day and Once Were Warriors, has died. Tamahori was 75.

The New Zealand director died peacefully at his home surrounded by family, according to a statement from his family given to local broadcaster RNZ. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

“His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart,” read the statement. “A charismatic leader and fierce creative spirit, Lee championed Māori talent both on and off screen. He ultimately returned home to tell stories grounded in whakapapa and identity, with Mahana and his latest film The Convert, reaffirming his deep connection to Aotearoa. We’ve lost an immense creative spirit.”

Born Warren Lee Tamahori in 1950 in Wellington, New Zealand, the auteur is seen as one of New Zealand’s greatest ever directors, and a champion of Māori values and talent.

Having moved into the film industy in the late 1970s, he broke through with feature directorial debut Once Were Warriors in 1994, a tragedy film exploring the detrimental effects of the colonisation of New Zealand suffered by Māori. The pic starred Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison and Cliff Curtis.

Once Were Warriors won numerous awards including the New Zealand Film Award for Best Director and catapulted Tamahori into the mainstream. He followed up with Mulholland Falls, The Edge and Along Came a Spider before helming hit Bond movie Die Another Day starring Pierce Brosnan.

That film achieved Hollywood success, and was the final movie to star Brosnan as the British MI6 agent. Tamahori directed another six films before his death.