A rotary hydraulic actuator includes a housing defining a chamber, a first boss, and a port block with a bore communicating with the chamber. The port block includes rotor supply and drain ports communicating with the bore, and a stator port communicating with the chamber through a stator hole in the boss. A rotor mounted in the internal chamber includes: a body with a laterally-extending arm; a first stub shaft received in the bore, the first stub shaft including base slots passing laterally therethrough; a first rotor port disposed in the arm in communication with the internal chamber, and oriented in a tangential direction relative to an axis of rotation; and internal passages which interconnect the rotor base slots and the first rotor port. Passages in the port block communicate with the bore and interconnect the rotor supply and drain ports at a first angular position of the rotor.