David Rodney Fane, born on 28 December 1966 in New Zealand, is an actor with roots tracing back to Samoa. He’s known for his work in television, radio, and theater.
Fane went to St. Pauls College in Grey Lynn for his education. He later pursued acting, but he started training relatively late. He attended the New Zealand Drama School Toi Whakaari. He finished his studies there in 1992 with a Diploma in Acting. Later on, in 2003, he upgraded his qualification to a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Acting.
Fane’s acting career began with television. He starred in a comedy show called SKITZ, where he worked alongside future Naked Samoans like Oscar Kightley and Robbie Magasiva. He then took on a role in a sitcom spinoff called The Semisis, where he played the father and also took the part of the minister.
In 2004, he acted in a play named Niu Sila, written by Oscar Kightley and Dave Andrews. The play was so good that it won the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for the Best New Zealand Play of the Year. Fane was one of the founders of the Naked Samoans group. He also played a main role in the movie Sione’s Wedding. He has acted in other films and TV shows like The Tattooist, bro’Town, Outrageous Fortune, and Diplomatic Immunity.
For ten years, Fane worked as a morning host on Flava 95.8, a radio station in New Zealand. He’s also a host on the TV show Island Wars on TV2.
In 2016, Fane and Oscar Kightley were given the Emerging Pacific Artist award at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards. In 2023, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to performing arts.
In 2010, at an event called Radio Roast, Fane made jokes that upset people. He was trying to be funny by saying controversial things about certain groups. Some of his remarks were about Hitler, people with HIV, and Jews. The media reported on this incident and said he was drunk when he made those remarks, but that wasn’t true. It was part of the event’s theme, which was about making edgy jokes. Fane said sorry to the New Zealand AIDS Foundation and the New Zealand Jewish Council, and they accepted his apology.
David Fane has had a long and varied career in acting, radio, and television. He’s known for his humor and has won awards for his work.