Mario Gaoa is a Samoan New Zealander

Samoan New Zealander

Samoan New Zealanders are Samoan immigrants in New Zealand, their descendants, and New Zealanders of Samoan ethnic descent. They constitute one of New Zealand's most sizeable ethnic minorities...

 actor, writer and director, best known as a member of the Naked Samoans

Naked Samoans

The Naked Samoans is a famous New Zealand comedy group made up of Polynesian entertainers, most of whom are Samoan. The group is noted for performing social humour and satire that attracts a broad audience, especially among white New Zealanders, without sacrificing the group's Pacific Island identity...

 comedy group. As part of the group he has appeared in the film Sione's Wedding

Sione's Wedding

Sione's Wedding , is a 2006 comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures.- Plot :...

; provided the voices of Sione Tapili and God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

 in the animated series Bro'Town

Bro'Town

bro'Town is a New Zealand Television animated series. The show used a comedy based format, targeted at a young adult audience.The series is set amongst New Zealand's fast growing Pacific Islander community, and focuses on a central cast of five young boys...

, which he also co-writes; and acted in various Naked Samoans comedic theatre performances. He has also appeared in the film Nightmare Man and briefly in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...

.

The youngest son of Sam and Tulua Gaoa, Gaoa grew up in the Mount Roskill suburb of Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand. He attended Balmoral Intermediate School, where he met Shimpal Lelisi

Shimpal Lelisi

Shimpal Lelisi is a New Zealand actor and TV presenter, best known as one of the members of the Naked Samoans.-Biography:Born in Niue, Shimpal came to New Zealand at the age of four. He began acting at an early age, taking part in school productions...

, later to become another Naked Samoans member. The two attended Mt Albert Grammar School before joining the Pacific Theatre group. This led them to meet David Fane

David Fane

-Life and career:Fane was educated at St. Pauls College in Ponsonby.Fane got into acting quite late and trained at the New Zealand Drama School Toi Whakaari, graduating in 1991. He first appeared on television in a sketch comedy show called SKITZ alongside future Naked Samoans Oscar Kightley and...

 and Oscar Kightley

Oscar Kightley

Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley, MNZM, is a Samoan-born actor, television presenter and writer who has been a resident and citizen of New Zealand for most of his life.-Biography:He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding...

, the other founding members of Naked Samoans.

Gaoa continues to write for stage and television, delivering a dramatic piece Two Days in Dream in Auckland. The critics' reviews of his first work encouraged him to focus more on writing. Currently he is free lance directing for both Tagata Pasifika

Tagata Pasifika

Tagata Pasifika is an English language New Zealand programme which screens on TVNZ's TV ONE and on Māori Television. This programme is made to specifically meet the niche market of New Zealand's Pacific Islander population.-Content:...

 and Mai Time. He also hosts a lunchtime show named the "Beat Box" on the New Zealand Pacific radio station Niu Fm. Alongside DJ Reminise.

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