Curtis sinh ra trong gia đình có 8 anh chị em, tại [[Rotorua]], [[Đảo Bắc (New Zealand)|NorthĐảo IslandBắc]], [[New Zealand]].<ref name="NZ_Herald_10367921">{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/6/story.cfm?c_id=6&ObjectID=10367921|title=Cliff Curtis, the megastar with a mortgage|author=Haines, Leah|date=12 February 2006|work=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|accessdate=24 September 2011}}</ref> Curtis là người gốc [[Người Māori|Maori]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0701/S00155.htm|title="Don't cry for me, Waititi" says Pita Sharples|website=Scoop|date=2007-01-25|accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref>