2016
Hawaii Five-0
Appeared as Kanoa Tupuola in the television series.
FLM.REDSAM
PUEFUA
แซม ปูเอฟัว
From American Samoa to screen roles and stories of Pacific identity.
Sam Puefua is a Samoan actor whose credits include Hawaii Five-0, Young Rock and Moana.
Finding a place in the story
Sam Puefua is a Samoan actor who grew up in American Samoa before moving to California. In an interview with The Coconet, he described early experiences with singing and performance, and credited a high-school drama class with helping him decide to pursue acting.
Puefua has appeared in Hawaii Five-0 and Criminal Minds. He also described directing a short film, MAMBA, as an opportunity to work with friends on the other side of the camera.
In Young Rock he portrayed a younger Peter Maivia, the wrestler and grandfather of Dwayne Johnson. Puefua told The Coconet that he researched Maivia before auditioning and valued the opportunity to portray him.
Puefua appears as a village fisherman in Disney’s live-action Moana. The film adds a Pacific-set adventure to a body of work that includes television drama and independent projects.
The films below are those available on FLM.RED, not his complete filmography.
Selected work
2023
Young Rock
Portrayed a younger Peter Maivia.
2026
Moana
Played a village fisherman in the live-action film.
Performance readings are FLM.RED editorial interpretation.
Films in FLM.RED
Titles in this collection; not a complete filmography.
Sources & image notes
Portrait illustration: FLM.RED.