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Artists Emerging From The Pacific Islands

Most people know that Russell Crowe, an actor best known for his starring roles in the movie “Gladiator”, and “A Beautiful Mind” is from Australia (his accent gives it away) but what many people don’t know is that he is actually of Maori (aborigines of New Zealand) descent. There are many famous and lesser known talented artists who were either born or grew up in the Pacific Islands. Two other well known actors from the Pacific are Keanu Reeves who is Hawaiian, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who is Samoan. Keisha Castle-Hughes who was the youngest actress to be nominated for best female actress is also a Maori. When you think of Hawaiian music, if you are over sixty, the singer Don Ho might come to your mind first, but for the younger crowd a singer named Israel Kamakawiwo’ole was made famous when he revitalized the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” complete with ukelele accompaniment. The pop group “The Jets” who had a couple of hits in the 1980′s are of Tongan background. Conrod Hall, famous cinematographer (“American Beauty” and “Sons of Perdition”) was Tahitian. Finally, the nature painter Robert Lyn Nelson who was not born in Hawaii but moved there in the 1970′s definitely deserves to be counted among those artists who have emerged from the beautiful Pacific Islands.