Starfest 2004 Lani Tupu

		April 16-18, 2004 Marriott Denver Tech Center I-25 & Belleview, Denver CO

Starfest 2004 Confirmed Guests ...so far

Actors: Sean Astin - Michael Shanks - Dominic Keating - Lance Henriksen - Gary Graham - Lani Tupu - Peter Mayhew - Richard Hatch - David Franklin - Matthew Helms Director: Roland Emmerich Authors: Christie Golden - Dayton Ward - Kevin Dilmore - Dave McDonnell Also: Walt Faulconer - Jeff Walker - Kevin Atkins

Lani Tupu
It isn’t common that an actor has two roles on one TV show, but that’s exactly the job that Lani Tupu filled on the prestigious Saturn Award-winning TV series Farscape. His face is instantly recognizable as that of the cranky and unpredictable Captain Crais, who vowed vengeance on the crew of the show’s leviathan ship, Moya. Ironically, he also provided the calm and ever-caring voice of Moya’s pilot (Pilot).

As the series developed, Lani’s portrayal of Captain Crais evolved from a single-minded vengeance-seeking tyrant to become a noble and independent component of the show. His character was refreshingly both complex and affectionate.

Mr. Tupu received his dramatic training at the New Zealand Drama School and after graduation worked steadily in stage work with the Theatre Corporate in Auckland. His colleagues there included Michael Hurst of Xena and Hercules fame. His second boss and Artistic Director at Mercury Theatre in Auckland was also none other than Jonathon Hardy, who provided the voice of Rygel in the Farscape series. He later performed in the title role of a doctor in Country GP for two seasons on national television in New Zealand before leaving for Australia, in 1985. His plans were to branch out across "the big pond," and see what fame and fortune might bring.

The decision to leave New Zealand for Australia is not one he regrets, "If I hadn't left NZ, I wouldn't be flying around in space with a wacky and wonderful bunch of misfits, such as the Farscape crew, and even more so, meeting an equally wild and wacky bunch of sci-fi fans.”

Lani's film credits include Lantana, The Punisher, and Liquid Bridge. On television he’s appeared in Farscape, The Lost World, Green Sails, Mission Impossible, Tales of the South Seas, Flipper (with Jessica Alba), Time Trax, Stingers, Grass Roots, Police Rescue and Tanker Incident. His most recent stage performance was in the spring of 2003 in Away by the playwright Michael Gow.

Mr. Tupu will be signing autographs on Saturday and Sunday and appear on our Main Events stage on Sunday, April 18, 2004.