Jay Laga'aia is an actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 and singer. He is best known internationally for his role as Captain Typho in the films Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series' internal chronology...

and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....

.

Career

Laga'aia is known for his part on Australian children's TV show Playschool, and also for his role as Captain Typho in the films Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series' internal chronology...

and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....

. He played the role of Draco in several episodes of the television series

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

 Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess

Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....

.

Laga'aia was a regular in Australian television shows Water Rats

Water Rats (TV series)

Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based around the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime across Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney...

, Play School

Play School (Australia)

Play School is an Australian educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running childrens show in the world. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the...

, Surprise Surprise, and a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother (Australia)

Celebrity Big Brother was a celebrity edition of Big Brother Australia, and lasted for 24 days, starting on 7 July 2002 and ending on 12 August 2002. A proportion of the profits from Eviction votes went to charities. This was the only series of Celebrity Big Brother that was made as a part of the...

in 2002 and had a guest role as Gabriel

Gabriel

In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...

 in McLeod's Daughters

McLeod's Daughters

McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...

. He is also known for his stage productions such as The Lion King

The Lion King

The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...

. Laga'aia played the role of Judas in a 1994 production of Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...

in New Zealand.

In 2003, Laga'aia appeared in the first episode of New Zealand sports comedy television show Pulp Sport

Pulp Sport

Pulp Sport was a TV show filmed in New Zealand, that mixes sport with various styles of comedy. The hosts Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce act under their respective pseudonyms Bill and Ben, performing a half hour of various sports based skits...

. Unfortunately during the basketball sketch, Laga'aia broke his knee cap in two places ending up in hospital for two days. This mishap delayed the filming of Star Wars, which Laga'aia was to film later that month.

On October 9, 2007, Laga'aia released a children's album, Come Dance and Sing. On December 24, 2008, Laga'aia performed on Carols by Candlelight

Carols by Candlelight

Carols by Candlelight is an Australian Christmas tradition that originated in southeastern Australia in the 19th century and was popularised in Melbourne in the 1930s. The tradition has since spread around the world. It involves people gathering, usually outdoors in a park, to sing carols by...

. Laga'aia narrated each of the characters on the children's show Larry the Lawnmower

Larry the Lawnmower

Larry the Lawnmower is an Australian pre-schoolers program that airs on Channel Seven in Australia, created by Tim Faircloth and is produced by Ambience Entertainment...

, which ran for 2 seasons starting in 2008. In November 2009, it was confirmed that Laga'aia had joined the cast of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

 Home and Away

Home and Away

Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...

, as Reverend Elijah Johnson

Elijah Johnson (Home and Away)

Elijah Johnson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Jay Laga'aia. When the serial created the character, they felt it was a role that would be well suited to Laga'aia and invited him to join the cast. Laga'aia accepted and filmed for a...

. Laga'aia released his second CD for children, I Can Play Anything, in August 2010.

Personal life

Laga'aia was born in South Auckland

South Auckland

South Auckland is an imprecisely defined area of Auckland, New Zealand, often stereotyped as a socio-economically disadvantaged, and sometimes rough, urban area with a relatively large Polynesian and Māori population. The name South Auckland is not an official place name but is in common use by New...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 although he is now an Australian citizen. He is of Samoan

Samoans

The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...

 descent. He has 8 brothers and sisters. One of his younger brothers, Frank Laga'aia, was a member of the ARIA award winning band, Ilanda

Ilanda

Ilanda was a 3 piece band that was formed in Melbourne, Australia. The members, however originate from Auckland, New Zealand, though their heritage is Samoan....

.

Filmography

Films

Year	Film	Role
1988	Never Say Die Never Say Die (1988 film) Never Say Die is a New Zealand action comedy starring Temuera Morrison and Lisa Eilbacher. It was written and directed by Geoff Murphy.-Plot:...	Bruce (cop)
	The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey is a 1988 feature film, an official Australian-New Zealand co-production, directed by Vincent Ward. It won numerous New Zealand and Australian awards, including the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film, and several awards at European fantasy film festivals...	Jay
1992	The Other Side of Paradise	Mana
2000	Green Sails	Maru
2002	Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones	Captain Typho
2005	Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith	Captain Typho
2006	Solo	Vincent
2008	Nim's Island Nim's Island Nim's Island is a 2008 Australian adventure-fantasy film directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin and starring Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler. The story is based on the book Nim's Island by Wendy Orr. A young girl, Nim, seeks help from the author of her favorite adventure...	Helicopter Pilot
	Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! is an American zombie comedy film directed by Jason M. Murphy, and stars Tiffany Shepis, Hollie Winnard and Jay Laga'aia...	Carpark Victim
2009	Lightwswitch	Bo
2010	Daybreakers Daybreakers Daybreakers is a 2009 science-fiction horror film written and directed by Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig. The film takes place in 2019, where a plague has turned most of the planet's human population into vampires. A vampiric corporation sets out to capture and farm the remaining...	Senator Turner
	Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole	Twilight (voice only)

TV series

Year	Series	Role	Episodes
1984–1986	Heroes	Ron	14
1993	Soldier Soldier Soldier Soldier Soldier Soldier is a British television drama series. The title comes from a traditional song of the same name.Produced by Central Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of seven series and 82 episodes from 1991 to 1997...	Sgt Bob Gilligan	2
1994	High Tide	Buck Walton	1
1995	Mysterious Island Mysterious Island (TV series) Mysterious Island is a Canadian television series based on Jules Verne's novel L'Île mystérieuse. It ran for one season in 1995.The beginning of the series is much as in the novel...	Tenape	3
1998	Tales of the South Seas	Unknown	1
1995–2000	Xena: Warrior Princess Xena: Warrior Princess Xena: Warrior Princess is an American–New Zealand supernatural fantasy adventure series that aired in syndication from September 4, 1995 until June 18, 2001....	Draco	3
1996–2001	Water Rats Water Rats (TV series) Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based around the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime across Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney...	Senior Constable Tommy Tavita	149
2000–2003	Street Legal Street Legal (2000) Street Legal is a New Zealand drama focused on the lives of a small group of lawyers. A total of 52 episodes were aired and reruns currently can be seen around the world...	David Silesi	52
2005–2006	All Saints All Saints (TV series) All Saints is an Australian medical drama which first screened on the Seven Network. The series debuted on 24 February 1998 and concluded its run on 27 October 2009...	Micheal Stevenson	2
2007	McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters McLeod's Daughters is a Logie award-winning Australian drama series that aired on the Nine Network from 2001 to 2009. It tells the story of two sisters, Claire and Tess McLeod, who are reunited after they inherit the family farm...	Gabriel	1
2008	Bed of Roses Bed of Roses (TV series) Bed of Roses is an Australian comedy / drama television series which first screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 10 May 2008...	Nick Pickering	6
2008	The Strip	Frogman	1
2008–2009	Legend of the Seeker Legend of the Seeker Legend of the Seeker is a television series based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. Distributed in U.S. by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, ABC Studios produced the series, which was its first foray into broadcast syndication, with Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and...	Chase	14
2008–2009	Larry the Lawnmower Larry the Lawnmower Larry the Lawnmower is an Australian pre-schoolers program that airs on Channel Seven in Australia, created by Tim Faircloth and is produced by Ambience Entertainment...	Narrator	65
2010–	Home and Away Home and Away Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...	Elijah Johnson Elijah Johnson (Home and Away) Elijah Johnson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Jay Laga'aia. When the serial created the character, they felt it was a role that would be well suited to Laga'aia and invited him to join the cast. Laga'aia accepted and filmed for a...	Series regular

Mini-Series

Year	Mini-Series	Role
1998	The Violent Earth	Jean-Christian

As himself

Year	Show
1987	Spot On!
1999	Look Who's Famous Now
2000	Russell Gilbert Live
2000–	Play School Play School (Australian TV series) Play School is an Australian educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running childrens show in the world. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the...
2000	Starstruck StarStruck (2000 TV series) thumb|right|StarStruck logoStarStruck was an Australian talent show that was broadcast on the Nine Network between the years 2000 and 2002. The show was originally hosted by Jo Beth Taylor, who was replaced by Jay Laga'aia after the first series....
2000–	The Big Time
2002	Celebrity Big Brother for Charity Live
2003	Pulp Sport Pulp Sport Pulp Sport was a TV show filmed in New Zealand, that mixes sport with various styles of comedy. The hosts Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce act under their respective pseudonyms Bill and Ben, performing a half hour of various sports based skits...
2006	20 to 1 20 to 1 20 to 1 is an Australian television series, currently hosted by Bert Newton that counts down an undefined "top 20" of elements or events of popular culture, such as films, songs, sporting scandals. Previously the show was hosted by Charles "Bud" Tingwell and narrated by David Reyne... -Hoaxes, Cheats and Liars
2007	Spicks and Specks -Children's Special
2010	The Circle The Circle (TV program) -Music from The Circle:Music from The Circle is a compilation album featuring 38 songs chosen by the hosts of The Circle. The album includes a special song recorded by hosts Denise Drysdale, Chrissie Swan, Yumi Stynes and Gorgi Coghlan titled "Circle Song"... 30 August
2010	Good News Week Good News Week Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
2011	Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation Talkin' 'bout your Generation Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef....

External links