Nicholas Afoa is an Auckland-born tenor and formerly a New Zealand rugby union footballer. The 1986-born Kiwi artiste made his theatre debut in The Lion King as the lead Simba in the Sydney production between 2013 and 2016. He has performed around 860 times during that period. In May 2016, Afoa made his West End debut playing the role of Simba in the English production of The Lion King. 

Before his theatre career, Afoa was a shining rugby career playing with the All Blacks. After being sidelined by an injury, he recovered and devoted himself to the theatre. Nearly a decade later, the 30-year-old beat 400 others to the role of Simba. 

Music:

He was a soloist for Rugby World Cup Choir, performing his National Anthem at the 2003 Rugby World Cup held in Australia. In 2003, he played at Christmas in the Park in his native place. In 2014, he was in Sky City Symphony Under the Stars.