Lee Tamahori , the New Zealand -born director whose debut feature, the bleak Maori drama Once Were Warriors , led to a major Hollywood career, has died. He was 75.

Tamahori’s family on Friday said he died at home after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“His legacy endures with his whānau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart,” they said in a statement to RNZ , the New Zealand public service broadcaster.

Lee Tamahori , the New Zealand -born director whose debut feature, the bleak Maori drama Once Were Warriors , led to a major Hollywood career, has died. He was 75.

Tamahori’s family on Friday said he died at home after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“His legacy endures with his

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