Andy Stankovich
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Andy Stankovich | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Andrew Stankovich |
| Born | New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Entertainer, singer, metal recycling company principal |
| Years active | c. 2000 to present |
Andy Stankovich is an Elvis tribute artist from New Zealand who has been performing since the early 1990s. He is also a former boxer who along with his brother won a gold medal at the Oceania Games in Australia. He has fought in Australia and the United States. His Elvis act has taken him to countries that include Australia, Hawaii, Fiji and the United States, where he has performed in Nashville. He has also been credited with inspiring Samoan musician Alphonso Keil to become an Elvis impersonator. In his day job, he runs a scrap metal business. He has also recently been the subject of a documentary.
Stankovich is of Tarara descent which is a term given to people who are of Maori and Croatian descent. In 1920, his grandfather came to Auckland from Vrgorac, Croatia. He headed north to Ahipara to find work in the gum fields. There, he met Hiria Pene, a full blooded Maori woman who was to become Stankovich's grandmother. Stankovich's mother is half Maori and half Croatian. Being connected to the culture, his family in 2009 were attending the third Tarara Day, which was being held at a Winery Estate in the Auckland suburb of Massey. His sister was also organizing a committee for the event.[1]
He is the subject of Ursula Williams's documentary, The King, which portrays him in his roles as a scrap metal yard worker in the day and an Elvis performer at night.[2] It was chosen to screen at the Sydney Film Festival.[3] The film was one of six films selected by Lee Tamahori as a finalist for the New Zealand International Film Festival’s annual New Zealand’s Best Short Film Competition.[4]