Rangi Heremaia
| Rangi Heremaia | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Blair Strang | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1995–2001 | ||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 21 March 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 9 April 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Gavin Strawhan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Rangi Walters | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Paramedic | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Father | Joe Bennett |
|---|---|
| Mother | Hana Heremaia |
| Half-brothers |
Matt Bennett Joshua Bennett |
| Wife | Donna Heka (2000–01) |
| Sons | Toka Heremaia |
| Daughters | Natasha Heremaia |
| Uncles | Tamahae Broughton |
| Aunts |
Tui Heremaia Kiri Broughton |
| First cousins | Awhina Broughton |
Te Rangitahi "Rangi" Heremaia is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was portrayed by Blair Strang from 1995 to 2001.
The character was renowned and iconic for his absurd and unrealistic storylines. The most famous of which was a long running incest storyline with fan favourite - Donna Heka (Stephanie Tauevihi). The two eventually discovered they were in no way related and married in an iconic wedding that aired on the show's 2000th episode. Other memorable storylines for the character include his romance with Rachel McKenna (Angela Bloomfield), his two car accidents (one of which left him paralyzed), getting stabbed twice, recovering from paraplegia and losing his girlfriend as he was about to propose. The character survived the 2001 cast overhaul only for Strang to quit the show due to a "stress related illness". The character was written off in a whodunit storyline that saw his body discovered after being missing for weeks. It was eventually revealed he was murdered by his mistress' husband.
The character and his romance with Donna proved highly favourable for fans, with his absurd storylines also being remembered as iconic. Rangi's death remains known as one of the most memorable deaths on the show.
Whilst studying law, Blair Strang won the role of Rangi, who was to be a stereotypical northerner and a four-month recurring character. Strang had previously auditioned unsuccessfully for 4 or 5 other roles. Upon the soap's infamous revamp in 2000 that saw 14 characters written off, producers ensured fan favourite Rangi would stay. However Strang's girlfriend - Katrina Devine who portrayed Minnie Crozier was deeply upset as her character had been part of the axing. Strang started to clash with what he saw as poor management and decided to quit the soap shortly after the revamp. His departure was blamed on a "stress related illness" by producers.
Rangi arrived to the clinic and won the job of a paramedic alongside Sam Aleni (Rene Naufahu). He started to date Rachel McKenna (Angela Bloomfield) but was traumatized by killing a man in a car crash in 1996. The arrival of his son Toka (Redmond McCarthy) and ex-girlfriend proved poor for his relationship with Rachel but the two stayed together even when Rangi had an affair with Rebecca Frost (Luisa Burgess). However, when Rangi became paralysed after a motorbike incident, the two finally split but Rachel ended up passing out drunk in her car and nearly killing the wheelchair bound Rangi. Rangi survived and in 1997 resumed his romance with Rebecca after he miraculously regained his ability to walk. However, as Rangi prepared to propose, Rebecca suddenly died from a faulty heart valve. Rangi started to date fellow paramedic Donna Heka (Stephanie Tauevihi) but the romance was cut short following the revelation they were in fact siblings.
...
Wikipedia