Native American Actors of Note
There are several terms used to identify Native Americans. Originally they were called "Indians" because European explorers thought they looked like the Indian people of Asia. Even after it was long determined they were not from Asia, the term stuck, and so many people still identify them as "Indians". I do not, because it confuses them with real Indians of Asia, when conversing with people. Russel Means stated that he prefers the term "Indian", as he points out that every one born in America is a Native American. Other people call them "First Americans". Personally, I grew up calling them "Indians", but am growing used to calling them "Native Americans", as that seems to be the less confusing term.
Native Americans I have listed here, of course, must be listed in IMDb. However, that doesn't mean that actors not listed in IMDb are necessarily excluded. I don't know of any, but conceivably some Native American actors may be listed at IBDb (Internet Broadway Database) or elsewhere. Actors not listed in IMDb may be named at the bottom of this summary.
Actors in this list may or may not have majorly played Native American roles in films. But they are primarily known for being Native American. For example, Jim Thorpe is well known for being Native American, but his acting career is hardly known at all and was not related to his ancestry. On the other hand, Will Rogers is known to be part Cherokee, but his Native American ancestry is not generally known, and so is not included. But Jim Thorpe, whose ancestry is widely known, is included, despite his film career being generally unknown. Some may have only a small portion of Native American blood, but have portrayed significant Native American roles. Others may have a significant degree of Native American blood, but have played only small Native American roles. This list is a mixture of those these standards.
Actors listed here may not necessarily be of great cinematic note. Dennis Banks and Jim Thorpe are prime examples. Many Native American actors have taken up the cause of their native people in promoting their culture, language and affairs. This activity adds to their ancestral familiarity and so are included here. They may not be well known for their acting, but are better known for their activism. It's my intention to include them here, if they have played some significant film role.
Most Native American actors have been typecast as Indians. That is changing very slowly. The most successful Native American actors to escape typecasting are 1) Adam Beach, 2) Graham Greene to some degree, 3) Lou Diamond Phillips and 4) Wes Studi.
At this time I don't intend to get into other film or TV professions besides acting. I don't own or watch TV, so performances named here are primarily cinematic rolls, but I do include some TV roles if significant cinema rolls are lacking.
Native Americans I have listed here, of course, must be listed in IMDb. However, that doesn't mean that actors not listed in IMDb are necessarily excluded. I don't know of any, but conceivably some Native American actors may be listed at IBDb (Internet Broadway Database) or elsewhere. Actors not listed in IMDb may be named at the bottom of this summary.
Actors in this list may or may not have majorly played Native American roles in films. But they are primarily known for being Native American. For example, Jim Thorpe is well known for being Native American, but his acting career is hardly known at all and was not related to his ancestry. On the other hand, Will Rogers is known to be part Cherokee, but his Native American ancestry is not generally known, and so is not included. But Jim Thorpe, whose ancestry is widely known, is included, despite his film career being generally unknown. Some may have only a small portion of Native American blood, but have portrayed significant Native American roles. Others may have a significant degree of Native American blood, but have played only small Native American roles. This list is a mixture of those these standards.
Actors listed here may not necessarily be of great cinematic note. Dennis Banks and Jim Thorpe are prime examples. Many Native American actors have taken up the cause of their native people in promoting their culture, language and affairs. This activity adds to their ancestral familiarity and so are included here. They may not be well known for their acting, but are better known for their activism. It's my intention to include them here, if they have played some significant film role.
Most Native American actors have been typecast as Indians. That is changing very slowly. The most successful Native American actors to escape typecasting are 1) Adam Beach, 2) Graham Greene to some degree, 3) Lou Diamond Phillips and 4) Wes Studi.
At this time I don't intend to get into other film or TV professions besides acting. I don't own or watch TV, so performances named here are primarily cinematic rolls, but I do include some TV roles if significant cinema rolls are lacking.
List activity
9.2K views
• 6 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
38 people
- Victor Aaron was born on 11 September 1956 in Odessa, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Bulletproof (1996), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) and Dead Man's Walk (1996). He was married to Eduvina Matta. He died on 4 September 1996 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Evan Adams is from Tla'amin Nation, near the town of Powell River, BC, Canada. He stars in the Emmy-winning TV-movie "Lost in the Barrens" (1990) and its nominated sequel "Curse of the Viking Grave" (1993). Besides numerous episodics like "The Beachcombers" and "Black Stallion", he also appears in the feature film "Toby McTeague" (1986) and his on-stage highlights include the role of Edmund in Women in View's "Lear", Creature Nataways in the Arts Club Theatre's "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing", and Jamie in Headlines Theatre's "Mamu." Evan stars as Thomas Builds-The-Fire in "Smoke Signals" (1998), written by Sherman Alexie and directed by Chris Eyre. "Smoke Signals" won the coveted Audience Award for best film and the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. He also won Best Actor awards from the American Indian Film Festival, and from First Americans in the Arts, and a 1999 Independent Spirit Award for 'Best Debut Performance'. He continues to work on intermittent, high-profile projects, but is also a medical doctor in Vancouver, Canada.Evan Adams was born in 1966 in British Columbia. He is of the Sliammon First Nation. In addition to acting, Adams is also a playwright and a medical doctor.
Adams is most famous for his role in "Smoke Signals" (1998).- Actor
- Additional Crew
Dennis Banks was born on 12 April 1937 in Leech Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1992), War Party (1988) and Desert Haiku (2014). He died on 29 October 2017 in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.Dennis Banks is Chippewa-Anishinabe, born in Minnesota. Banks is not particularly known for his acting. He is more known for his activism in promoting Native American affairs & culture, being a founding member of AIM (American Indian Movement).
Banks is so well known for his activism that he has played himself in at least 10 films, documentaries and TV series. He played himself in "Thunderheart" (1992) & "Incident at Oglala" (1992). The most significant fiction role he played was a small part in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992).- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Adam Beach was born in Ashern, Manitoba, the son of Sally and Dennis Beach, and was raised on the Dog Creek First Nations Reserve, with his two brothers. A troubled childhood saw his mother killed by a drunk driver, and his alcoholic father drowned only weeks afterward. The three brothers went to live with their grandmother and then with their uncle and aunt in Winnipeg, where Adam joined drama classes and began acting in local theatre productions.
Since then he has appeared in over 60 films and television programs. His performance in the Academy Award-nominated Clint Eastwood-directed Flags of Our Fathers (2006) was phenomenal. He played Ira Hayes, a Pima Native American who was one of the six US Marines to raise the American flag on Iwo Jima and who found the resulting fame hard to handle, subsequently giving way to alcoholism. This alone would have been an emotional role for Adam to play; however, during filming, both his grandmother and best friend passed away. His role as Hayes is both realistic and heartbreaking, earning him two Best Supporting Actor Award Nominations. He stands out well above the rest of the cast.
Adam has been further nominated for three Awards for his role in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) including a Golden Globe. He has put in terrific performances in the comedy film Joe Dirt (2001) and the John Woo World War II war epic Windtalkers (2002) in which he co-starred with Nicolas Cage.
He headlined the cast in the Walt Disney production Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994), featured in John Singleton's Four Brothers (2005) and starred with Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig in the science fiction-western smash hit Cowboys & Aliens (2011). He had a starring recurring role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Big Love (2006).
In 2016, he played Christopher Weiss / Slipknot in the supervillain film Suicide Squad (2016).
Adam hopes to be appointed leader of his Lake Manitoba First Nation.- Actress
- Producer
Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is an Alaska Native actress enrolled in the Native Village of Koyuk who has played many American Indian characters in a variety of television shows and films. She is best known for her voice role as the title character in the Disney animated film "Pocahontas," and the cult-classic "Smoke Signals" as Suzy Song. She is known for bringing a powerful emotional presence to her characters.
Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska, raised primarily in Alaska, but also spent a few years as a child in Washington state. Her father was Bruce Bedard, and mother was Carol Bedard, and she is their oldest of four - Leslie Bedard, Joseph Bedard, and David Bedard are her younger siblings. She is Inupiaq and Yup'ik on her mother's side, and Cree on her father's side. She graduated from Anchorage's Dimond High School in 1985, and then earned a Musical Theatre degree from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bedard's son Quinn Wilson was born in 2003.
Her first role was as Mary Crow Dog in the television production, "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee," which depicted the 1970s standoff between police and Native Americans, many of the Pine Ridge Reservation, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. She received a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Besides the first Disney Pocahontas movie, she also voiced direct-to-video sequel "Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World." Bedard was the physical model for the character. She appeared in a different take of the Pocahontas story in Terence Malick's 2005 film "The New World," as Pocahontas's mother, Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske. In 2005, she was cast in the television mini-series Into the West, portraying the half-Lakota, half-white adult Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler. In 2011 Bedard portrayed the Messenger in the Academy Award-nominated film, "Tree of Life." In 2018, Bedard reprised her voiced role of Pocahontas for Disney's "Ralph Breaks the Internet."
Her television roles span from 1995, including Stephen Spielberg's "Into the West," "The Spectacular Spider-Man," "Longmire," "Westworld," and "FBI: Most Wanted." She has performed in two Stephen King series, 2017's "The Mist" as Kimi Lucero, and 2020's "The Stand" as Ray Rentner. In the 2017 she portrayed the future Co-President of the United States for the Jay-Z music video "Family Feud," directed by Ava Duverney.
Bedard's decades of creative work includes singing, theatre, spoken word, producing television and movies, speaking, and teaching. She fosters a passion of many creative disciplines, and is a great lover, and adopter, of animals. Bedard was chosen in 1995 as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People." She's served on the American Indian Enterprise and Business Council to the United Nations, and is involved in frequent activist work around the environmental and Indigenous issues.Irene Bedard was born in 1967 in Anchorage, Alaska. She is of Inupiat Eskimo and French Canadian/Cree descent.
Bedard acted in "Smoke Signals" (1998), but she is best known for her voice in "Pocahontas" (1995) and being the physical model on which the animation of Pocahontas was based.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Borrego studied theatre and dance at The University of Incarnate Word; he studied acting at The California Institute of the Arts. In the 1980s he attended an open audition for the TV Series "Fame" where he won the role of "Jesse Velasquez", a role he would have for three years. Borrego, however, would return to the stage appearing in productions at the noted Joseph Papp Theatre in New York City and The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. In addition to standout performances on stage and in films such as "Blood In, Blood Out" and "Follow Me Home", he began Lupita Productions in 1990. Lupita has produced theatrical productions and concerts; additionally, Lupita has produced two 16mm short films: "El Suendo de Simon" (1993) by James Borrego and "Flattime" (1995) by Jimmy Santiago Baca. At home in front of the camera, on stage, or in the producer's seat, Borrego continues to be one of the most versatile and resilient talents of our time.Jesse Borrego is of Washeeka/Mescalero Apache Indian as well as Mexican descent.
For me his most prominent role was as Tecumseh in a 1995 television film.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Actress Tantoo Cardinal is a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country's highest civilian honors. The order recognizes Cardinal for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada.
Arguably the most widely recognized Native Actress of her generation, Cardinal has appeared in numerous plays, television programs, and films, including Legends of the Fall, Dances With Wolves, Black Robe, Loyalties, Luna, Spirit of the Whale, Unnatural & Accidental, Marie-Anne, Sioux City, Silent Tongue, Mothers & Daughters, and Smoke Signals. Recent work includes the films Eden, Maina, Shouting Secrets and From Above.
Her stirring performance in Loyalties earned her a Genie nomination, American Indian Film Festival Best Actress Award, the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, plus Best Actress Awards at International Film Festivals in Zimbabwe and Portugal.
Cardinal was recently honored with the 2015 ACTRA Award of Excellence; other honors include Best Actress - Elizabeth Sterling Award in Theatre for All My Relations, and First Americans in the Arts Totem Award for her portrayal of the character Katrina in Widows at the Forum Stage in Los Angeles. She won the American Indian Film Festival's Best Actress Award as well as the first Rudy Martin Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Native American in Film for Where the Rivers Flow North, a Gemini Award for North of 60, and a Leo Award for Blackstone.
Her television credits include recurring roles on the series: Blackstone, The Killing, Arctic Air, Strange Empire, The Guard, North of 60, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, The Lightening Field, Street Legal, The Campbell's, Gunsmoke, Tom Stone, Myth Quest, Lonesome Dove, and Renegade Press.com. MOW's include Full Flood, The Englishman's Boy, Dreamkeeper and the PBS documentary Nobody's Girls.
For her contributions to the Native Artistic community, Cardinal won the Eagle Spirit Award. She has also been honored with the MacLeans' magazine Honor Roll as Actress of the Year, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Toronto Women in Film and Television, an International Women in Film Award for her lasting contribution to the arts, and induction to the CBC/Playback Hall of Fame.- Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse was born on 28 April 1976 in Rosebud Reservation, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), Into the West (2005) and DreamKeeper (2003).
- Actor
- Director
- Additional Crew
Gary Dale Farmer is a character actor with plenty of character. With over 100 Film and TV appearances attached to his resume, and plenty more in the pipeline, Gary has shown he can adapt easily to any genre when necessary. He was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, into the Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan, and studied photography and Film at both the Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University. He then began a successful career as an actor, first taking small roles in movies such as Police Academy (1984), the John Schlesinger film The Believers (1987) with Martin Sheen, the Matt Dillon vehicle, The Big Town (1987), and Renegades (1989) starring Kiefer Sutherland and Lou Diamond Phillips.
By the early 1990s, Gary was starring in more substantial roles. He portrayed Cowboy Dashee in the Robert Redford- produced thriller, The Dark Wind (1991) - again opposite Lou Diamond Phillips- and starred with Corey Feldman and
Jim Jarmusch re-prised Gary's role as the Native American spiritual guide - Nobody - for his next film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and Frank Oz cast him alongside Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro in The Score (2001). Gary continues to work steadily as an actor and has also moved behind the camera - he has directed a few projects, including an episode of the Forever Knight (1992) TV series, episode 'Father Figure' (1992).
Gary formed his own band: 'Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers'. They play the blues and have released two CDs.Gary Farmer was born in the Canadian province of Ontario. He is of Cayuga nation and Wolf Clan descent.
Farmer is known for his roles in "Dead Man" (1995) and "Smoke Signals" (1998).- Actor
- Soundtrack
Actor, author, and musician Chief Dan George was born in present-day North Vancouver as Geswanouth Slahoot (later anglicized as 'Dan Slaholt'), the son of a tribal chief on Burrard Indian Reserve Nº. 3. He is the only Aboriginal actor in Canadian history to date with the right to use the title "Chief", serving as leader of the Squamish First Nation of Burrard Inlet from 1951-63, and retained the honorary title after his term ended. His last name was changed to George when at age 5 he entered a mission boarding school where the use of his native language was discouraged, if not forbidden.
Until 1959, he had worked as a longshoreman, logger, bus driver, and itinerant musician. After spending much of his early life as a longshoreman, a construction worker, and a school-bus driver, Chief Dan George auditioned for the role of Ol' Antoine on Cariboo Country (1960), a CBC series, and won the part. He made his screen debut at age 65. On the strength of his performance in the series, and after playing the same part in Smith! (1969), a Disney adaptation of one of the show's episodes based on "Breaking Smith's Quarterhorse", a novella by Paul St. Pierre, and starring Glenn Ford, he was asked to play "Old Lodge Skins" in Little Big Man (1970). This role led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1970. He continued to appear in films and became an accomplished stage actor. He died in 1981 on the same Indian reserve where he was born in North Vancouver at age 82.- Actor
- Producer
Native American actor, Rodney Arnold Grant was born the 9th of March, 1959. After his biological parents abandoned him, his grandparents raised him from 6 months of age, up until 1982. Rodney has five adult children: three daughters from his ex-wife, all of which were raised by their mother, and two sons from previous relationships. He is now married to Lee-Anne. Over time, Rodney initially has performed in major motion pictures, as well as television appearances. One in particular CBS's Stolen Women, Captured Hearts (1997), opposite Janine Turner and Michael Greyeyes. On the big screen, Rodney is extensively known for his portrayal of "Wind in His Hair" in Dances with Wolves (1990). Inasmuch as Rodney has proven to be eclectic in his acting ability, he can "play the part" in other genus as well.
Rodney has other multitudinous ways in which he contributes to those in "need" -- especially the Native American Youth. For example, The Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne country, South Dakota, where he is on the Board of Directors. At the present time, Rodney has taken an interim from acting to bestow his time to family, charities, and independent film making.Rodney Grant is of the Omaha tribe in Northeastern Nebraska. The Omahas were one of the few Native American tribes to never have taken up arms against the US government. They were the first of the Northern Plains tribes to adopt an equestrian culture.
Grant most notably played in "Dances with Wolves" (1990) and "Geronimo: An American Legend" (1993). He also played the same character in two historical films about Genghis Kahn.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Saginaw is the Hereditary Chief and a respected member of the Sac and Fox, Iowa and Otoe-Missouria Nations.
In 1936, Saginaw Morgan Grant was born to Sarah and Austin Grant Sr. at Pawnee Indian Hospital in Pawnee, Oklahoma. He was raised on a farm in Cushing, Oklahoma with two brothers and one sister. Having a traditional upbringing by both parents, Saginaw was especially influenced by his grandparents. His grandfather Kirvin was a strong medicine man and his other grandfather Saginaw (whom he is named after) was also a very spiritual man. They taught Saginaw their customs, culture, and traditions and the importance of their way of life. As a result, Saginaw witnessed many special ceremonies and events taught to very few.
As a young adult, Saginaw experienced all situations, both good and bad, which every young person faces in today's society, yet he overcame the obstacles that challenged him, and with that he found the courage to become the man he is today.
During his life in Oklahoma he took on employment in various industries such as dry cleaning, also gaining a better understanding of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and other vocations in which he enjoyed interacting with people. This gave him the opportunity to learn about different philosophies, beliefs and religions.
He resides in the Southern California area. Where he is called upon for counseling, lectures, and family events, while also pursuing his acting career.
He adopted Actress and Activist Mariana Tosca to be his daughter and a member of the Sac and Fox, Iowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes.Born in Oklahoma, Saginaw Grant is of the Sac-n-Fox tribe. The word "Saginaw" is a Chippewa-Ojibwa word, meaning "land of the Sauks". The Sauks (or Sacs) were originally from the area around the St. Lawrence River, but were pressured by the Iroquois to migrate to Michigan, around Saginaw Bay. In wars against the French, the Sacs merged with the Fox tribe in Michigan, becoming the Sac-n-Fox tribe. Further wars & defeats with the US government thru the 1800's resulted in the Sac-n-Fox tribe migrating from Michigan to Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and majorly to Oklahoma.
Grant had a traditionally spiritual upbringing. He became culturally active by continuing to teach Native American culture. Grant had a joking relationship with Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman. His favorite & most famous role has been in this year's "The Lone Ranger" (2013). He also played in "The World's Fastest Indian" (2005). "Indian" in that title does not refer to the people, but to a make of motorcycles.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Graham Greene was born on 22 June 1952 in Six Nations Reserve, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for The Green Mile (1999), Wind River (2017) and Dances with Wolves (1990). He has been married to Hilary Blackmore since 20 December 1990. They have two children.Graham Greene is of the Oneida Indian Nation, born in Ontario. Oneida is one of the five Iroquois Nations in northern New York, before being pressured to migrate North and West.
Greene has always portrayed very smooth & mild characters. He has a very distinctive mild base voice that lends itself to narration of documentaries. His most notable films have been "The Green Mile" (1999), "Grey Owl" (1999), "Maverick" (1994), "Thunderheart" (1992) and "Dances with Wolves" (1990).- Jimmy Herman was born on 25 October 1940 in Cold Lake Reserve, Alberta, Canada. He was an actor, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), North of 60 (1992) and Reindeer Games (2000). He died on 13 September 2013 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
- Crystle Lightning, the Canadian Screen Award Winner for "Best Actress in a Drama Series" 2021, is an Indigenous Actress from the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta. She began her career at age nine when she landed her first lead role in the feature: 3 NINJAS: Knuckle Up and has been working in the industry ever since.
Crystle's film and television appearances include "Yellowstone" on Paramount +, "Outlander" on Starz, "Trickster" (series lead) on The CW, "The Good Doctor" on ABC, "Rutherford Falls" on Peacock, "Ghosts" (recurring) on CBS, and recently the #1 Series on Amazon Prime TV "Three Pines" on Prime TV. This year, you will see Lightning in "Spirit Rangers" on Netflix, George R. R. Martin's "Mary Margaret Road Grader," directed by Steven Paul Judd, "Fancy Dance," directed by Erica Tremblay and "Bass Reeves" on Paramount +.
Lightning is co-creator and star of the all-Native, hit musical "BEAR GREASE," an Indigenous twist to the 1978 Classic, "Grease," marking her directorial debut.
In addition to acting, Lightning is a Hip Hop recording artist and a member of the award- winning group "LightningCloud." She has won Power 106's "Who's Next?" and Hot 97's "Battle for the Best." Additionally, she has recorded with a myriad of artists including Cypress Hill and Timbaland and toured with legends like Kendrick Lamar, Asap Rocky and Nicki Minaj.
Now, Crystle lives in Treaty 6, Alberta with her husband, son and 3 dogs.Crystle Lightning is of Plains Cree ancestry and born in Alberta.
She has played mostly in TV movies and series since 1994. - Actress
- Producer
- Director
Georgina Lightning brings a long track record of creative experience in the film industry as an actor, producer, director and acting coach on such projects as: Dreamkeepers, Backroads, Johnny Greyeyes, Christmas in the Clouds, Tecumseh, the Oath and Smoke Signals among countless others. Lightning has also guest starred in T.V. episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger and West Wing.
Lightning's directorial debut Older Than America has won over 23 awards to date and is inspired by stories told to her by many of her family members and friends who attended the Indian Boarding schools. Most recently Lightning co-founded Tribal Alliance Productions, a production company committed to producing media that matters told from a native prospective. A long time advocate of Native Indian advancement in the film industry, Lightning also formed Native Media Network, a group dedicated to the promotion and advancement of Native Indian talent.Georgina Lightning is of Plains Cree descent and was born in Alberta.
She has played rolls in films & television since 1995.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Russell Means was born an Oglala/Lakota Sioux Indian. He was the first national director of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in which role he became prominent during the 1973 standoff with the U.S. government at Wounded Knee. In 1987, he joined the U.S. Libertarian Party and announced his candidacy for the party's presidential nomination. (He lost the nomination to Congressman Ron Paul). Since 1992, Means has appeared in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994) and other movies. He has championed the rights of indigenous peoples in other countries as well as the U.S. In a televised speech to the 2000 Libertarian Party National Convention, Means said that he prefers the label "Indian" to the more politically-correct "Native American". "Everyone who is born in America is a native American", he said.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Carmen has had an extensive career in film and television for over 25 years, with prominent roles in many fan favorite shows.
With a start in local theatre in Vancouver she quickly gained recognition with a couple of Jesse nominations. Auditions for film started a slew of guest starring and recurring roles on many popular TV series. From 2004-2005 Carmen played one of the leads, "Simone", in Vancouver's "Godiva's" and was nominated for her first Leo (BC Film/Television Awards) for her performance as the mysterious, sexy bartender. After Godiva's Carmen played the leading role of "Rebecca" in the Canadian Independent Feature Film "Unnatural & Accidental" and was honored for her performance with the Women in Film & Video Artistic Merit Award at the Vancouver Film Festival in 2006. She played the leading role of "Leona Stoney" for 5 seasons in APTN's multi-award winning Blackstone for which she won the 2011 Leo award and was nominated for a Gemini award; was nominated for another Leo in 2012 and 2015, and won the 2014 Leo Award and the 2016 Leo Award. She was nominated for a 2017 Canadian Screen Award for her performance in Blackstone's Series Finale. Carmen played "Loreen Cassway" for the 3 seasons of CBC's "Arctic Air" with Adam Beach, for which she was nominated for a Leo Award in 2012. The past few years have had her recurring on "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce", "Arrow", "iZombie", "Chesapeake Shores" and the Fox series "Second Chance" in which she played "Special Agent in Charge Sue Adair". 2018 proved to be an exciting year. She found herself overseas in Scotland running through the forest with Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe aka "Jamie and Claire" as the fierce warrior "Wahkatiiosta" in Starz hit TV series "Outlander" Season 4. Once home, she jetted off to Quebec to shoot the leading role of "Susan Russel" in the Indy feature "Rustic Oracle", the story of a Mohawk woman desperately searching for her missing teenage daughter; meeting racism, ignorance, and indifference in the years following the Oka crises. Told through the lens of her 8-year-old daughter "Ivy" played by the brilliant "Lake Delisle". With several awards from film festivals (including two for Carmen so far for her heart wrenching performance) , Rustic is set for limited theatrical release across Canada soon. She was then off again near the end of 2018...and found herself in Ireland as a recurring guest star on another hit series...which she unfortunately is under strict gag orders about...more on that to come later ;) 2020 has Carmen guest starring in CTV's 4th Season of "Cardinal" as "Shiela Gagne", MLA and mysterious wife to district attorney Robert Quillen, as well as recurring as "Hannah Gruen" on The CW's "Nancy Drew".
Carmen was honored at the 2013 UBCP/ACTRA Awards with the "Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award", for her contribution to the empowerment of women in the Vancouver Film Industry. She has producing credits on two Feature Films, "Two Indians Talking" and "White Indians Walking", as well as a short film "Not Indian Enough". Carmen made her directorial debut on the short film "Ariel Unraveling", a BravoFact award winner, in 2015. Ariel premiered in February 2016 at the Victoria Film Festival.
Her biggest and most important production to date is her son Jaden.Carmen Moore ancestry is half of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, located near Burns Lake in central British Columbia.
She has played mostly in TV movies and series. Her most notable performances have been in Blackstone and Arctic Air, both TV series.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Louis Diamond Phillips is an American actor and film director. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film La Bamba (1987). For Stand and Deliver (1988), Phillips was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won an Independent Spirit Award. Phillips made his Broadway debut with the 1996 revival of The King and I, earning a Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of King Mongkut of Siam. Phillips' other notable films include Young Guns (1988), Young Guns II (1990), Courage Under Fire (1996), The Big Hit (1998), Brokedown Palace (1999), Che (2008), and The 33 (2015). In the television series Longmire, he played a main character named Henry Standing Bear. He played New York City Police Lieutenant Gil Arroyo on Prodigal Son on FOX from 2019 to 2021.- A Native American actor of the Creek Nation, Sampson's "big break" came from his memorable role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) opposite Jack Nicholson. He was also starred opposite Clint Eastwood in the western The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). He had supporting roles in Orca (1977), The White Buffalo (1977) and Fish Hawk (1979). In 1986, he co-starred in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) as a Native American shaman. He died of complications from kidney failure and malnutrition during heart and lung replacement surgery in 1987 and was buried on the reservation where he grew up.Will Sampson (1933 - 1987) was born in Oklahoma. He is of Muskogee / Creek descent. In addition to his acting, he painted and founded the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts.
Sampson got his break and is most remembered for his role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975). He also played in "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976) with Clint Eastwood. - Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Steve was born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana. Son of Curley and Lila Reevis, he is the 4th of 6 siblings. He graduated from Flandreau High School and attended Haskell Indian Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas where he received a degree in arts. After junior college, he left the reservation in Montana to try to begin an acting career in Los Angeles. He lived on the beach in his car, a 1971 Ford Torino, for many months before he began to have a more steady income. He and his wife Macile, an artist and clothing designer, have three children.
In 1996 Steve received an award from First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) for his supporting roles in both the critically acclaimed movie Fargo and in the made for television movie Crazy Horse. In 2004 he repeated this honor for his work on the ABC series Line of Fire.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Buffy Sainte-Marie was born on 20 February 1941 in Stoneham, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Hotel Artemis (2018).Buffy Sainte-Marie was born 1941 in Saskatchewan, Canada. She is of Cree descent. Buffy is primarily known for her singing, but has also acted on TV. Her singing focuses on peaceful issues and indigenous peoples.- August Schellenberg was born on 25 July 1936 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was an actor, known for Black Robe (1991), The New World (2005) and DreamKeeper (2003). He was married to Joan Karasevich. He died on 15 August 2013 in Dallas, Texas, USA.
- Eric Schweig was born on 19 June 1967 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. He is an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Big Eden (2000) and Skins (2002). He was previously married to Leah ?.
- Jay Silverheels was born on Canada's Six Nation's Reserve and was one of 10 children. He was a star lacrosse player and a boxer before he entered films as a stuntman in 1938. He worked in a number of films through the 1940s before gaining notice as the Osceola brother in a Humphrey Bogart film Key Largo (1948). Most of Silverheels' roles consisted of bit parts as an Indian character. In 1949, he worked in the movie The Cowboy and the Indians (1949) with another "B movie" actor Clayton Moore. Later that year, Silverheels was hired to play the faithful Indian companion, Tonto, in the TV series The Lone Ranger (1949) series, which brought him the fame that his motion picture career never did.
Silverheels recreated the role of Tonto in two big-screen color movies with Moore,The Lone Ranger (1956) and The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1958). After the TV series ended in 1957, Silverheels could not escape the typecasting of Tonto. He would continue to appear in an occasional film and television show but became a spokesperson to improve the portrayal of Indians in the media.Jay Silverheels (1912 - 1980) was born in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was the son of a chief of the Mohawk First Nation.
Silverheels is by far most remembered for his role as Tonto in the series, "The Lone Ranger" (1949 - 57). Silverheels regarded the character Tonto as degrading, and it effectively typecasted him as an Indian for the balance of his career through 1974. His role in "Key Largo" (1948) brought him enough attention to win him his role as Tonto. - Eddie Spears was born on 29 November 1982 in Chamberlain, South Dakota, USA. He is an actor, known for DreamKeeper (2003), Hell on Wheels (2011) and Bone Tomahawk (2015).
- Actor
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Music Department
Born in Chamberlain, South Dakota and residing in Montana, Spears has five brothers, one sister, and is Lakota Sioux Tribe. His first role was in the film "Dances With Wolves" as Otter. Michael went on to appear in "Skins", "Into The West", "Yellow Rock", Cyril Morin's "The Activist", and had a guest role on "Longmire". He has an American Photographic Artists (APA) Award for best subject matter in a film. He co-hosted the American Indian Film Institute Awards in 2013.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
From small-town Oklahoma native to internationally acclaimed actor and musician, Wes Studi credits his passion and multi-faceted background for his powerful character portrayals that forever changed a Hollywood stereotype. Within a few years of his arrival in Hollywood, Studi caught the attention of the public in Dances with Wolves (1990). In 1992, his powerful performance as "Magua" in The Last of the Mohicans (1992) established him as one of the most compelling actors in the business.
Studi has since appeared in more than 80 film and television productions, including Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Being Flynn (2012), Avatar (2009), Comanche Moon (2008), Streets of Laredo (1995), Mystery Men (1999), Kings (TV Series), The New World (2005), Hell on Wheels (2011), Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) and Seraphim Falls (2006). He also brought Tony Hillerman's "Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn" to life in a series of PBS specials produced by Robert Redford: Skinwalkers (2002), Coyote Waits (2003), and A Thief of Time (2003).
Studi was born in Nofire Hollow, Oklahoma, the son of Maggie (Nofire), a housekeeper, and Andy Studie, a ranch hand. Studi exclusively spoke his native Cherokee language until beginning school at the age of five. A professional horse trainer, Studi began acting at The American Indian Theatre Company in Tulsa in the mid-80s.
Studi and his wife, Maura Dhu Studi, live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have a son, Kholan. Studi has a daughter, Leah, and a son, Daniel, from a previous marriage.Wes Studi was born 1947 in Oklahoma as a full-blooded Cherokee. He spoke only Cherokee until he started school. After his Army service he taught the Cherokee language and founded a newspaper. He participated in the Wounded Knee Incident in 1973 (not to be confused with the massacre in 1890 at the same location).
Studi's most memorable films are "Dances with Wolves" (1990), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), "Geronimo: An American Legend" (1993), "Heat" (1995), "Seraphim Falls" (2006), "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (2007 TV movie) and "Avatar" (2009).- Actress
- Music Department
- Writer
Cree Summer Francks is a Canadian-American voice actress and singer from Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Canadian actor and singer Don Francks. She is most well-known for voicing Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Tiff Crust and Queen Vexus (when Eartha Kitt is unavailable) from My Life as a Teenage Robot, Cleo from Clifford the Big Red Dog, Numbuh 5 from Codename: Kids Next Door, Foxxy Love from Drawn Together, Susie Carmichael from Rugrats, Cynder from The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, Elmyra Duff from Tiny Toon Adventures, Penny from Inspector Gadget and Dr. Penelope Young in Batman: Arkham Asylum.Cree Summer was born in Los Angeles, but was raised as a Plains Cree in Saskatchewan, having Cree ancestry.
She has been mostly known for rolls in television and videos since 1983.- A Sicangu Lakota (Sioux) who spent most of his life on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Ted Thin Elk saw very few movies in his lifetime, and was 72 when he got his first role as "Grandpa Samuel Reaches" in the film Thunderheart (1992). Contrary to his bad boy reputation, Val Kilmer treated the septuagenarian first-time actor with deference and helped him with his scenes in front of the camera. When the camera wasn't rolling, the two could be found discussing Native American topics in general and Lakota ones in particular.
Ted Thin Elk was accorded a "First Americans in the Arts" award in 1992, the first year the honor was awarded. He was a highly respected elder on the Rosebud Reservation and was a member of the Sicangu Treaty Council and the Grey Eagle Society.Ted Thin Elk (1919 - 1997) lived most of his life on the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation. He was a highly revered elder on the reservation. He saw very few films in his life and was 72 years old in his first film.
His most memorable role was his first in "Thunderheart" (1992). - Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Jim Thorpe is an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States. Considered one of the most versatile athletes of modern sports, he won Olympic gold medals in the 1912 pentathlon and decathlon, and played American football (collegiate and professional), baseball, and basketball. He lost his Olympic titles after it was found he had been paid for playing two seasons of semi-professional baseball before competing in the Olympics, thus violating the amateurism rules that were then in place. In 1983, 30 years after his death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) restored his Olympic medals.
Jim Thorpe grew up in Oklahoma, and attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time All-American for the school's football team. After his Olympic success in 1912, which included a record score in the decathlon, he added a victory in the All-Around Championship of the Amateur Athletic Union. In 1913, Thorpe signed with The New York Giants Baseball Team, and he played six seasons in Major League Baseball between 1913 and 1919. Thorpe joined the Canton Bulldogs American football team in 1915, helping them win three professional championships; he later played for six teams in the National Football League (NFL). He played as part of several all-American Indian teams throughout his career, and barnstormed as a professional basketball player with a team composed entirely of American Indians.
From 1920 to 1921, Thorpe was nominally the first president of the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which became the NFL in 1922. He played professional sports until age 41. He struggled to earn a living after that, working several odd jobs. He was married three times and had eight children, before suffering from heart failure and dying in 1953.
Thorpe has received various accolades for his athletic accomplishments. The Associated Press named him the "greatest athlete" from the first 50 years of the 20th century, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted him as part of its inaugural class in 1963. A Pennsylvania town was named in his honor and a monument site there is the site of his remains. Thorpe appeared in several films and was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the film Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951).Jim Thorpe (1888 - 1953) was of multiple ancestry, including the Sac-n-Fox Nation in Oklahoma, where he was born. In his own lifetime Jim Thorpe was been widely acclaimed as the greatest and most versatile athlete in the world. His most famous athletic accomplishments were winning two gold medals in the 1912 Olympics in addition to playing professional baseball & football.
Thorpe retired from sports in 1928. He started his acting career in 1931 and played mostly bit parts. Most of his parts were uncredited. He played in 69 films through 1950, but is most remembered for his athletic achievments.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Victor Daniels was given the title of "Chief" in an honorary capacity and identified himself as Cherokee although his background is vague. His application for a social security number lists his birth date as April 12, 1899, and his birth-place as Arizona. Thundercloud was the eldest of nine children born to Jesus Daniels and Tomaca Daniels (as indicated on his social security application). But on his marriage record to Mildred Turner in 1925, he said his name was "Victor Vazquez."
Raised on a ranch in Arizona, he claimed he was educated at the University of Arizona at Tucson but the Office of the Registrar checked their databases and found no attendance record for a Victor Daniels. He worked in cattle ranches and rodeos in addition as a mining foreman, boxer and guide before entering movies as a stuntman in 1929.
By 1935, Hollywood had given him the professional name of "Chief Thundercloud" and he was appearing in acting roles, many of them uncredited. For the next two decades he played strong, grim roles in such "B" westerns as Cyclone of the Saddle (1935), Ramona (1936), The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938), Young Buffalo Bill (1940), North West Mounted Police (1940), The Law Rides Again (1943), Romance of the West (1946), Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950) and Santa Fe (1951). He eventually earned screen credit for his tribe members and chiefs, typecast more as evil than good.
Chief Thundercloud is probably best known for creating the role of faithful sidekick "Tonto" in the serial The Lone Ranger (1938) and its sequel The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939). He also played the title role of Paramount Pictures' Geronimo (1939). On TV, he appeared in such programs as "Death Valley Days," "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin," "My Little Margie" and "Buffalo Bill, Jr."
Following an uncredited part as a chief in the classic western The Searchers (1956), he died at age 56 following surgery for stomach cancer in Ventura County, California on November 30, 1955. Twice married, he was survived by second wife Frances, a former singer, and their two children. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Los Angeles area.
Not to be confused with noted Chief Thunder Cloud (1856-1916), a Blackfoot tribe member and Army scout who went on to perform with P.T. Barnum and his Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.Chief Thundercloud (1899 - 1955) was born in the Muskogee region of Oklahoma. His descent is uncertain. He was either Muskogee / Creek or Cherokee. He was given the name "Chief" in Hollywood.
Thundercloud played the early versions of Tonto of "The Lone Ranger" films in 1938-39 in addition to playing Geronimo in 1939.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Michelle Thrush is a Canadian actress and First Nations activist for Aboriginal Canadians and the other Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Thrush, who is Cree, was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, by parents she admits were chronic alcoholics. She recalls being called "Squaw" at Bowness High School and bullied because of her parents' illness. In grade nine she changed schools and attended Calgary's Plains Indian Cultural Survival School. There she felt accepted for the first time. She learned about herself, her language, culture, singing and drumming. She remembers: "They filled in a lot of the voids that my soul was just begging for." Her childhood hardships affected her profoundly. Though she acted in her first film at 17 with a role of Sally Littlefeathers in Isaac Littlefeathers (1984), it did not occur to her it could be a career. She planned to become a social worker and help children. She met Gordon Tootoosis, a First Nations actor, who told her: "If [acting] is what your heart wants, you need to follow it and be true." At this point her parents were sober. With no other ties to Calgary, at age 20 she moved to Vancouver and found an agent.
Thrush has said it's been only the last 20 years that Indigenous people have been able to tell their truth through their own stories, though she credits such luminaries as Tantoo Cardinal and Graham Greene for kicking down the doors for Indigenous people in the industry.
Thrush has had a prolific career since its beginning in the 1980s. She began her acting career in film while attending high school. She got her first theatre job when she moved to Vancouver at age 20. She had a small part in the play The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. She portrayed numerous recurring and guest roles in the television series Madison (1993), Northern Exposure (1990), North of 60 (1992), Highlander (1992), Forever Knight (1992), Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy (1998), Moccasin Flats (2003) and Mixed Blessings (2007).
She has starred in many notable films throughout her career, particularly in films that deal with issues about Indigenous peoples of the Americas, ranging from Canadian Aboriginals to Native Americans/American Indians (U.S.). These include Isaac Littlefeathers (1984), Unnatural & Accidental (2006), Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007), Skins (2002), Dead Man (1995), DreamKeeper (2003) and Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian (2013).
Thrush has also won numerous awards and special recognition, including multiple Awards for her role of Gail Stoney on the dramatic series Blackstone, such as Best Performance by an Alberta Actress 2015 Rosie Awards for the role in Deeper & Deeper (2014), Best performance by an Alberta Actress at the 2014 AMPIA Awards for the role in Never Gonna Stop (2013), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role in 2011 CSA (Gemini) Awards for the role in Suffer the Children (2011) and Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series at the 2011 Leo Awards in Vancouver for the role in Arctic Air (2012).
In 2011, Thrush wrote the one-woman play Find Your Own Inner Elder. She has performed the show, most often under the title Inner Elder, across Canada. It premiered at One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo in Calgary in 2018 and has since been performed with Nightwood Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto (2019). Inner Elder is a structured monologue which recounts Thrush's personal life and experiences.
Despite the credits and the awards, her desire to help children has never faded. In fact, she says acting has opened the door to helping in a way that social work could not. For the past 10 years, Thrush has traveled to aboriginal communities and shelters across Canada to perform as Majica, a therapeutic healing clown. Majica performs for young kids and teenagers, and also has a show for parents. "Beyond film, my passion in life is working with our families and helping to defragment the damage that was done through residential schools to our families," she says. "You cannot disconnect the child from the parent without huge damage being done. When it happens generation after generation, it destroys the family system."Michelle Thrush, born 1967 and raised in Alberta, is of Plains Cree ancestry.
Her most notable films have been "Dead Man" (1995) and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (2007 TV Movie). She has played mostly in TV series and TV movies.- Actor
- Music Department
A Canadian actor of Cree and Stoney descent, Gordon Tootosis made his film debut in the western film Alien Thunder (1974) with Donald Sutherland and Chief Dan George. Tootoosis provided memorable performances in television and movies, including the role of 'One Stab' in Legends of the Fall (1994), the role of 'Growling Bear' in the Steven Spielberg produced miniseries Into the West (2005) and the role of 'Chief Red Cloud' in the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007). His television credits include guest appearances on Friday the 13th: The Series (1987), MacGyver (1985), Northern Exposure (1990), The X-Files (1993), The Magnificent Seven (1998) and Smallville (2001). Tootoosis provided the voice of 'Kekata' in Disney's animated feature Pocahontas (1995) and Sheriff Gordy in Open Season (2006).Gordon Tootoosis (1941 - 2011) was of Plains Cree and Nakoda descent. Initially he lived on reservation, until forced into Catholic schools. Afterward he became interested in his cultural traditions, becoming an accomplished native dancer and rodeo roper. He was also a popular Pow-wow announcer.
Tootoosis acted from 1974 until his death in 2011. His most memorable rolls were "Black Robe" (1991), "Call of the Wild" (1993 TV movie), "Lonesome Dove" (1994 TV series), "Legends of the Fall" (1994), "500 Nations" (1995 TV mini-series documentary), "Lone Star" (1996), "The Edge" (1997), "Reindeer Games" (2000), and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (2007 TV movie).- Actress
- Producer
Born in Keshena, Wisconsin, Tousey is a Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee Native American, raised on both the Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee reservations. A professional dancer and actress, Tousey began doing pow wows as a small child but did not perform on stage until she attended the University of New Mexico. She initially entered the university's law program, planning to specialize in federal contracts and Native American law, but later changed her major to English, and began taking theater arts courses. After graduation, Tousey enrolled in the graduate acting program at New York University's Tisch School of Arts.Sheila Tousey, born 1960 in Wisconsin, is of Menominee and Mahican (Mohican, film & novel "Last of the Mohicans" notwithstanding) descent, both tribes being part of the Algonquian tribal family.
She has acted in film & TV since 1992. Her most significant films have been "Thunderheart" (1992) and "Dreamkeeper (2003 TV movie).- Actor
- Composer
- Music Department
John Trudell was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to a Santee Sioux father and Mexican Indian mother. After a stint in the Navy (and Vietnam) from 1963 to 1969, he became involved with the American Indian Movement, becoming National Chairman in 1973. He held that position until 1979; it was then that his wife Tina, mother-in-law, and three children ages one, three, & five, were burned to death in a "fire of suspicious origin" on their Nevada reservation which was nonetheless never investigated. Beginning in the early 1980's, Trudell began to channel his anger and emotion through poetry, music, and acting.John Trudell was born 1946 in Nebraska to a Santee Sioux father. He became involved in AIM (American Indian Movement), being chairman 1973 to 1979. His family was killed in a fire in 1979 and since he has engaged in poetry, music & acting.
Trudell's most memorable roll was when he played himself in "Incident at Oglala" (1992 documentary). He also played in "On Deadly Ground" (1994) and "Thunderheart" (1992).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman was born on 17 August 1936 in Lake Traverse Indian Reservation, Roberts County, South Dakota, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Dances with Wolves (1990), Hidalgo (2004) and Dharma & Greg (1997). He was married to Rosie. He died on 13 December 2007 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman (1936 - 2007) was of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe of the Dakota Sioux. He was born on the reservation in South Dakota. He was a Native American activist and a country western singer before he became an actor. Westerman had a joking relationship with Saginaw Grant.
Westerman played rolls from 1988 till his death. His most remembered rolls are "Dances with Wolves" (1990), "500 Nations" (1995 TV documentary), "Grey Owl" (1999) and "Hidalgo" (2004).- Actor
- Producer
Roger Willie was born in 1964 in New Mexico, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Windtalkers (2002), Adaptation. (2002) and Lost Stallions: The Journey Home (2008).Roger Willie was born 1964 in New Mexico. He is of Navajo descent, though he grew up off the reservation.
Willie is most noted for his role in "Windtalkers" (2002). He speaks his native Navajo better than English, making him invaluable in that film.