Cliff Curtis has pleaded guilty to drink driving causing injury following a car crash in Auckland, New Zealand.
The New Zealand actor, known for Hollywood projects like Avatar and Fear the Walking Dead, appeared in Auckland District Court via video link on Thursday.
The 58-year-old's Tesla crashed into a parked Toyota Prius taxi on Auckland's waterfront on 23 September, seriously injuring the taxi driver, who needed to be cut out of his vehicle.
The court heard that Curtis had 122mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system that night.
The Piano actor was originally charged with recklessly operating a motor vehicle and drink driving, but prosecutors withdrew the reckless driving charge and replaced it with the more serious charge of drink driving causing injury.
In court on Thursday, the actor's lawyer entered the guilty pleas on his behalf.
According to The New Zealand Herald, the new charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, plus a fine of up to NZ$20,000 ($11,000/£8,400) and a minimum 12-month driving ban.
The sentencing was set for February 2027 in Curtis' hometown of Rotorua, where he has been recovering from his own serious injuries at home. He was originally hospitalised with internal injuries after the crash.
The Bringing Out the Dead star asked for the sentencing to be brought forward to before Christmas to benefit the victim, Gagan Deep Singh, but no earlier dates were immediately available.
Singh was hospitalised with serious injuries, including eight broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a head wound and a lower hip fracture, and later ordered to be on bed rest for two months. He did not attend the court on Thursday.
Before the previous hearing, Curtis issued a public apology to Singh.
"I made a devastating mistake, and I'll have to live with the consequences and do what I can to address the harm caused," he said. "I am deeply sorry. My thoughts are with the injured taxi driver and his family."
