Classically trained New Zealand actor Lani Tupu originally auditioned for the role of D�Argo.

The natty goatee he sported at the time, grown for another project, may have helped their decision to cast him as Captain Crais, but he certainly proved them right over the first three years of the programme.

After getting the part of Crais, Tupu then auditioned, and was cast, as the voice of Pilot � a world away from his passionate on-screen character. Playing two characters at the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum is a challenge Tupu has often said he relishes.

An experienced theatre actor and a teacher in screen skills for actors, Tupu appeared in TV shows such as Water Rats and Time Trax before Farscape. He also founded an Australian theatre group, called Walkers and Talkers, now sadly defunct.

Outside Farscape, his most recent screen role was in the critically acclaimed relationship drama Lantata.

Tupu has Polynesian ancestry, and his name is Samoan in origin. His hobbies include painting and movie watching, and he has been active on the convention circuit recently.

Read our character profiles of Pilot and Bialar Crais.