“Avatar” Star Cliff Curtis Hospitalized with Internal Injuries After Car Crash That Injured Taxi Driver: Reports

Tommy McArdleThu, October 1, 2026 at 4:32 PM UTC

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Cliff Curtis on Dec. 1, 2025Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty -

Avatar actor Cliff Curtis was hospitalized in New Zealand following a car crash in his home country on Wednesday, Sept. 23

Multiple outlets reported that Curtis was among three total people taken to a hospital after his Tesla collided with a parked taxi in Auckland, the country’s largest city

Curtis most recently appeared on the big screen in last year’s Avatar: Fire and Ash and in the second season of Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Cliff Curtis, the New Zealand actor who starred in James Cameron’s two most recent Avatar movies, was hospitalized after a vehicle he was in crashed into a parked taxi in his home country last week.

Multipleoutlets in New Zealand reportednews of the incident on Thursday, Oct. 1, noting that Curtis, 58, was hospitalized with “internal injuries” following the collision, which occurred in Auckland, the country’s largest city, on Wednesday, Sept. 23. It was also reported that the taxi driver was seriously injured.

“I am deeply saddened by this incident. My thoughts are with those who were hurt, and their families at this time,” Curtis told multiple outlets in a statement.

Curtis also said he assisted others who were injured in the crash until emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Multiple outlets reported that the actor was driving a Tesla that crashed into a parked taxi. Curtis was among three people taken to the hospital following the collision, according to the reports.

Curtis also said he is “collaborating fully with relevant authorities” and would not share any additional comments while an investigation is underway.

Representatives for Curtis and New Zealand police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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Cliff Curtis on Dec. 1, 2025; Cliff Curtis as Tonowari in Avatar: Fire and AshCredit: Kevin Winter/WireImage; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Moviestore/Shutterstock

Curtis has been acting onscreen since the early 1990s. He had an early role in 1993’s The Piano, which won three Academy Awards at the 1994 Oscars. He went on to appear in Hollywood movies including Training Day, Live Free or Die Hard, The Last Airbender, Colombiana, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Doctor Sleep and Meg 2: The Trench.

More recently, Curtis joined filmmaker Cameron’s Avatar franchise as Tonowari, a Na’vi clan chief introduced in 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. He reprised the role in last year’s Avatar: Fire and Ash and is expected to return for two sequels currently in the works.

Curtis has also starred on television, including as Travis Manawa on Fear the Walking Dead. In 2025, he appeared opposite Jason Momoa in the Apple TV series Chief of War, and this year, he appeared in the latest season of the streamer’s Godzilla-themed series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

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Cliff Curtis on Feb. 15, 2026Credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty

Curtis has won three New Zealand Film and TV Awards over the course of his career, for his performances in Desperate Remedies, Jubilee and Whale Rider. He and the cast of Chief of War also won Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards in February.

Beyond the two Avatar sequels currently in the works, Curtis does not appear to have any other upcoming acting projects announced.Multipleoutlets in New Zealand reportednews of the incident on Thursday, Oct. 1, noting that Curtis, 58, was hospitalized with “internal injuries” following the collision in Auckland, the country’s largest city, on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The taxi driver was also seriously injured, reports indicated.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”