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Graham Greene | |
|---|---|
 Greene in 1998 | |
| Born | June 22, 1952 Six Nations Reserve, Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | September 1, 2025 (aged 73) Stratford, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1976–2025 |
| Spouse | Hilary Blackmore (m. 1990) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Gary Farmer (second cousin once removed) |
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Graham Greene CM (June 22, 1952 – September 1, 2025) was a Canadian First Nations (Oneida) actor and recording artist, active in film, television and theatre in a career spanning over 50 years. He achieved international fame for his role as Kicking Bird (Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves (1990), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His other notable films include Thunderheart (1992), Maverick (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), The Green Mile (1999), Skins (2002), Transamerica (2005), Casino Jack (2010), Winter's Tale (2014), The Shack (2017), and Wind River (2017).
In addition to his Oscar nomination, Greene was a Grammy Award, Gemini Award, Canadian Screen Award, and a Dora Mavor Moore Award winner. In 2025, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.
Early life and early career
Greene was an Oneida born on June 22, 1952, in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, the son of John, a paramedic and maintenance man, and Lillian Greene.[1][2] He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, as a young man.[3] He was a second cousin once removed of fellow actor Gary Farmer.[4] Before moving into acting, Greene worked as a draftsman, civil technologist, steelworker, and rock-band crew member.[5]
He worked as an audio technician for Toronto rock bands and in a recording studio in Ancaster, Ontario.[6][7] He later related that musician Kelly Jay repeatedly encouraged him to try out for a play.[7]
David Godkin, in a 2012 interview of Greene, stated that contrary to other reports, Greene did not attend the Toronto-based Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School program, but rather "helped run it, as executive director of a school-supporting local arts organization."[8] The New York Times obituary for Greene, however, states that he graduated from the Centre in 1974.[9] By the 1970s, he began performing in professional theatre in Toronto and England and in 1976 he participated in the University of Western Ontario's touring workshop performance of James Reaney's Wacousta.[10]
His television debut was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979,[11] and his film debut was in 1983 in Running Brave.[12] On viewing his first television role, Greene stated that it was "awful", and that it prompted him to start learning to act as a profession.[7]
Career
Theatre
Greene frequently worked at the Native Earth Performing Arts, and was well known for his performance in Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing as the affable drunk Pierre St. Pierre.[13][7] He also performed in The Crackwalker and History of the Village of the Small Huts.[14][15]
At the 2007 Stratford Festival, he portrayed Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Lennie in Of Mice and Men.[16][17][18]
Television
Greene's television career began with a role in the CBC series Spirit Bay (1984, 1986), where he played Pete "Baba" Green. The show was among the first to depict Indigenous life and cultural interactions.[19]
Throughout the 1990s, Greene was a frequent guest star. He portrayed the shaman Leonard Quinhagak on Northern Exposure, a character whose traditional practices often conflicted with modern medicine.[20] He also took on the role of the explosives-loving Edgar "K.B." Montrose on The Red Green Show, a character he would revisit periodically until 2006.[21] His other notable roles from this era include playing Ishi in the HBO film The Last of His Tribe (1992)[22] and the beloved Mr. Crabby Tree in the children's series The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (1994).[7] He also made a guest appearance on the sketch comedy show Royal Canadian Air Farce in 1994.[23]
From 1997 to 2001, Greene hosted the forensic science documentary series Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science.[24] He later starred in the short-lived series Wolf Lake (2001) and co-starred in two TV movies attempting to revive The Beachcombers (2002, 2004).[25]
In the 2000s and 2010s, Greene continued to take on diverse guest roles. He presented the documentary The War that Made America (2006),[26] appeared on shows like Numb3rs,[27] and had a recurring role as Dr. Arthur on Being Erica (2010–2011).[28] A notable comedic turn saw him parody pain reliever commercials on Rick Mercer Report.[29] From 2012 to 2017, he played the villainous Malachi Strand on Longmire.[30]
More recently, Greene appeared as Spotted Eagle in the 1883 series (2022).[27] He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the miniseries Echo (2024).[31] In 2023, he guest-starred in critically acclaimed series such as Reservation Dogs and The Last of Us.[32] He most recently guest-starred in a 2024 episode of Tulsa King as a medicine man named "Old Smoke".[33]
Movies
Greene's Academy Award–nominated role as Kicking Bird (Lakota: Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves showcased his talents to audiences beyond his native Canada.[34] In an interview with CineMovie, Greene recounts a story of being tossed from a horse during production. When director Costner asked if he wanted a break, the actor retorted that he was more interested in finding the horse for payback.[35] He stated that it was difficult for him to learn how to speak the Lakota language properly. Having not grown up speaking a native language, he said "... I couldn't figure out how they ordered their language. Its structure is totally foreign to English or French."[7]
He appeared in the contemporary action-mystery film, Thunderheart (1992), playing Walter Crow Horse, a gruff, savvy local cop living on an Indian reservation. He was quick to sign up for the movie, saying, "I love the Badlands. My agent said, 'I got a film for you. It's in South Dakota. And you have to ride a motorcycle.' I said, 'I'm in.' 'Want to read it?' 'Don't have to.'"[30]
In 1994's Maverick, Greene elicited good reviews as the sidekick to Mel Gibson. At a screening of the movie the Los Angeles Times noted that Greene, "[as a] thoroughly modern Native American who exploits his position as a tourist attraction for Russian adventurers", got the most laughs.[36]
Greene also acted alongside Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in the 1995 film Die Hard with a Vengeance, where he played Detective Joe Lambert.[33]
Greene was featured as Arlen Bitterbuck who was convicted of murder, awaiting execution on death row in the Oscar-nominated The Green Mile (1999). The character was an elder of the Washita Tribe, and a member of a Cherokee Council,[37] his nickname was "The Chief".[38] The character's execution is the first witnessed in the movie, and is depicted from start to finish and is noted as being a fairly accurate portrayal of the procedure.[39]
Greene co-starred as Slick Nakai with Adam Beach and Wes Studi in the films A Thief of Time (2004) and Coyote Waits (2003), both adapted from Tony Hillerman novels of the same names and produced by Robert Redford.[40]
In 2005, he played the potential love interest of the female lead in Transamerica. A review of the movie praises Greene's performance as having "charming earthiness" but also notes that his character is allowed to find the transgender character attractive as "he's allowed to be open-minded because he's a Navajo – in other words, a spiritually open-minded outsider, as opposed to your typical Middle American."[41]
Greene worked with Aaron Sorkin on Molly's Game in 2017. In his role as a judge, the actor recalled "Aaron [Sorkin], the director, was looking at me sitting behind the bench. I had a puzzled look on my face. He said, 'Are you all right?' I said, 'Yeah. I've just never seen the bench from this side before.'"[30]
Other work
Greene provided the pre-recorded narration for Tecumseh!, the highly acclaimed outdoor show held in Ohio, based upon the life of the illustrious Shawnee chief of the same name. He portrayed Sitting Bull in a short Historica vignette.[42]
In 2018, Greene acted as the beleaguered Native-American elder Chief Rains Fall in the western-themed video game Red Dead Redemption 2.[43]
Personal life
Greene and his wife Hilary Blackmore lived outside of Toronto with a "small army of cats".[15] He had one daughter with actor Carol Lazare.[44] He enjoyed writing, building boats, and playing golf, and noted: "I just want to go and play, I don't care who's looking. It's a game where you get to play against yourself."[45][15] He stated that he had no interest in migrating south to California for roles. "There's no reason to live there. A working actor can live anywhere as long as you have a phone, a fax, and know where the airport is."[7] Regarding his time playing Mr. Crabby Tree (and the follow-up role in the pre-teen show Eric's World) he noted "I spent a year paying penance doing kids' shows."[7]
When discussing Native people in film, Greene noted that he would like to see depictions of "his people" as more than stoic, saying "My people are very funny."[35]
In June 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University.[46]
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in the 2015 Canadian honours.[47][48]
Greene died in Stratford, Ontario, on September 1, 2025, at the age of 73.[49]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Running Brave | Eddie Mills[50] | |
| 1985 | Revolution | Ongwata[17] | |
| 1989 | Powwow Highway | Vietnam veteran[50] | |
| 1990 | Dances With Wolves | Kicking Bird[50] | |
| 1991 | Clearcut | Arthur[17] | |
| 1992 | Thunderheart | Walter Crow Horse[50] | |
| Rain Without Thunder | Author on history[17] | ||
| 1993 | Benefit of the Doubt | Sheriff Calhoun[51] | |
| 1994 | Camilla | Hunt Weller[52] | |
| Savage Land | Skyano[17] | ||
| Maverick | Chief Joseph[53]: 208 | ||
| North | Alaskan father[54] | ||
| Rugged Gold | Samuel Smith[17] | ||
| 1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeance | Detective Joe Lambert[50][55] | |
| 1996 | Sabotage | Tollander[17] | |
| 1997 | The Education of Little Tree | Willow John[17] | |
| 1998 | Shattered Image | Detective and store owner (two roles)[50] | |
| 1999 | Grey Owl | Jim Bernard[17] | |
| The Green Mile | Arlen Bitterbuck[56] | ||
| Misery Harbour | Burly[17] | ||
| 2000 | Desire | Detective Connor[17] | |
| 2001 | Lost and Delirious | Joe Menzies[17] | |
| Christmas in the Clouds | Earl[57]: 133 | ||
| 2002 | Duct Tape Forever | Edgar K.B. Montrose[17] | |
| Snow Dogs | Peter Yellowbear[17] | ||
| Skins | Mogie Yellow Lodge[50] | ||
| 2004 | Phil the Alien | Wolf[17] | |
| 2005 | Transamerica | Calvin[17] | |
| Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story | Lloyd Blackburn[17] | Canadian TV movie | |
| 2007 | All Hat | Jim Burns[17] | |
| Just Buried | Henry Sanipass[17] | ||
| Breakfast with Scot | Bud Wilson[17] | ||
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Lost Land Shaman / Elder #1[17] | Voice role |
| 2009 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Harry Clearwater[17] | |
| 2010 | Casino Jack | Bernie Sprague[57]: 129 | |
| Gunless | Two Dogs (N'Kwala)[58] | ||
| 2013 | Chasing Shakespeare | Mountain[59] | |
| Atlantic Rim[53]: 228 | Admiral Hadley | Direct to video | |
| Maïna[53]: 228 | Mishte-Napeu | ||
| 2014 | Winter's Tale | Humpstone John[60] | |
| Corner Gas: The Movie | Fisherman[61] | ||
| 2017 | Wind River | Tribal police chief Ben Shoyo[62] | |
| The Shack | Male Papa[63] | ||
| Molly's Game[53]: 228 | Judge Dustin Foxman | ||
| 2018 | Through Black Spruce | Leo[64] | |
| 2019 | Astronaut | Len[65] | |
| 2020 | A Dark Foe | The Cradle[66] | |
| 2021 | Antlers | Warren Stokes[67] | |
| Defining Moments | Dr. Kelly[68] | ||
| The Wolf and the Lion | Joe[69][70] | ||
| 2023 | Squealer | ||
| 2024 | Seeds[71] | ||
| The Birds Who Fear Death | Chief Ed[72] | ||
| The Great Salish Heist | Chief Roy[73] | ||
| King Ivory | Holt Lightfeather[74] | ||
| 2025 | Sweet Summer Pow Wow | M.C.[75] | |
| The Protector | Brand | ||
| Trail of Vengeance | Hoko[76] | ||
| Protectors of the Land | Grant Strongbow | ||
| Paige Darcy: Reluctant Detective | Mayor[77] | ||
| TBA | Ice Fall | Post-production, posthumous release[27] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Read All About It! | John Norton[17] | 1 episode |
| 1986 | Spirit Bay | Pete ("Baba")[78] | |
| 1986–1988 | The Campbells | Iroquois man[17] | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future | Cherokee[17] | 1 episode |
| Street Legal | Paulo[17] | ||
| 1988 | 9B | Dan Jackson[17] | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 1989 | Where the Spirit Lives | Komi's father[17] | Television film |
| 1990 | Lost in the Barrens | Mawasin[17] | |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | David Wauneka[79] | 1 episode |
| 1992; 1994 | Murder, She Wrote | Sheriff Sam Keeyani / Peter Henderson[17] | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Last of His Tribe | Ishi[50] | Television film |
| 1992–1993 | Northern Exposure | Leonard Quinhagak[17] | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Cooperstown | Raymond Maracle[17] | Television film |
| North of 60 | Rico Nez[17] | 1 episode | |
| The Broken Chain | Peace Maker (Spirit)[57]: 398 | Television film | |
| 1994–1997 | The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon | Mr. Crabby Tree[53]: 228 | Recurring role, 17 episodes |
| 1994–2006 | The Red Green Show | Edgar K.B. Montrose[17] | Recurring role, 27 episodes |
| 1994 | Lonesome Dove: The Series | Red Hawk[17] | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Brown Bear[17] | Voice role, 1 episode |
| Liberty Street | Mr. Jones[17] | 1 episode | |
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Chief Weapons Officer[17] | |
| The Pathfinder | Chingachgook[17] | Television film | |
| 1997–2001 | Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science | Host[17] | Main role, 65 episodes |
| 2000 | Big Wolf on Campus | Ferryman[17] | 1 episode |
| 2000–2001 | Cover Me | Michael Nighthorse[17] | 4 episodes |
| 2001–2002 | Wolf Lake | Sherman Blackstone[17] | Main role, 9 episodes |
| 2002 | The New Beachcombers | Colin Reid[17] | Television film |
| 2003 | Mister Sterling | Senior Senator Jackson[17] | 1 episode |
| Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion | Elijah Cobb | Miniseries, 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | The Collector | George[17] | 1 episode |
| Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story | Lloyd Blackburn[17] | Television film | |
| Into the West | Conquering Bear[17] | Miniseries, 1 episode | |
| Numb3rs | Chief James Clearwater[17] | 1 episode | |
| Buffalo Dreams | John Blackhorse[17] | Television film | |
| 2006 | This is Wonderland | Paul Hilliard | 1 episode |
| 2010–2011 | Being Erica | Dr. Arthur[28] | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Family Tree | Chief Running Bull[80] | 1 episode |
| 2013–2015 | Defiance | Rafe McCawley[62] | Main role, 28 episodes |
| 2014–2017 | Longmire | Malachi Strand[50] | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
| 2018 | Riverdale | Thomas Topaz[62] | 1 episode |
| The Detour | Narvin | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | Project Blue Book | David | 1 episode |
| Goliath | Littlecrow[81] | Recurring role, 7 episodes | |
| 2020 | Blue Ridge | Cliff McGrath[82] | Television film |
| 2021 | American Gods | Whiskey Jack | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | 1883 | Spotted Eagle[27] | Miniseries, 1 episode |
| 2023 | The Last of Us | Marlon[83] | Episode: "Kin" |
| Reservation Dogs | Maximus[84] | 3 episodes | |
| 2024 | Echo | Skully[27] | Main role, miniseries |
| Tulsa King | Old Smoke[33] | Episode: "Triad" S2E9 |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rains Fall[27] | Voice and motion capture |
Awards and nominations
| Years | Award | Category | Production | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dora Mavor Moore | Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Leading Role | Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing. | Won | [85] |
| 1991 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Dances with Wolves | Nominated | [86] |
| 1994 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon | Won | [87] |
| Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress | North of 60 | Nominated | [88] | ||
| 1997 | Indspire Awards | National Aboriginal Achievement Award | Won | [89] | |
| 2000 | Grammy Awards | Best Spoken Word Album for Children | Listen to the Storyteller | Won | [90] |
| 2004 | Gemini Awards | Earle Grey Award | Lifetime Achievement | Won | [91] |
| 2006 | Reelworld Film Festival | Award of Excellence | Won | [92] | |
| 2016 | RNCI Red Nation Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Longmire | Nominated | [93] |
| 2025 | Governor General's Performing Arts Award | Won | [94] | ||
| 2025 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film | Seeds | Won | [71] |
See also
References
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Graham Greene, a Native American actor from Canada whose long screen career was highlighted by an Academy Award nomination for his performance as a Lakota medicine man in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning 1990 film, “Dances With Wolves,” died on Monday in Stratford, Ontario. He was 73.
His death was confirmed by Gerry Jordan, his agent in Canada. Mr. Jordan did not specify a cause or say where in Stratford Mr. Greene died.
Over a career that spanned nearly a half century, Mr. Greene accumulated almost 200 acting credits in film and television.
In “Maverick” (1994), a western comedy based on a 1950s television series and starring Mel Gibson as a card-shark con artist, Mr. Greene brought wry humor to his role as the title character’s henchman Joseph, “a smooth-operating Indian who masquerades as a me-want-wampum type of guy,” as the critic Caryn James wrote in a review for The New York Times.
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He played a New York City police detective in “Die Hard With a Vengeance” (1995), the third installment of the “Die Hard” films starring Bruce Willis, and turned in a harrowing performance in the Oscar-nominated film “The Green Mile” (1999) as Arlen Bitterbuck, a Native American inmate condemned to the electric chair.
He was also in five episodes of the TV series “Northern Exposure” in 1992 and 1993.
While he became one of Hollywood’s most visible Indigenous actors, he pushed back on ethnic pigeonholing. “I’ve played old Jewish men, New York police officers, French soldiers,” he said in a 2018 interview with Reader’s Digest Canada. “I’m a fan of diverse casting. I hate that phrase, ‘Graham Greene, Native actor.’ You don’t hear people say, ‘Denzel Washington, Black actor,’ or ‘Kevin Costner, white actor.’”
Although he was born and raised in Canada, Mr. Greene did not consider himself a Canadian actor either. As a product of the Six Nations, an Iroquois-speaking confederacy, he simply called himself North American.
“We don’t recognize the 49th parallel as a border,” he said in a 1990 television interview.
Laconic and deadpan, he did not claim the mantle of racial trailblazer. Even so, he brought dignity and grace to “Dances With Wolves,” a film intended as a rebuke to the cowboys-and-Indians tradition of Hollywood.
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Based on a 1988 novel by Michael Blake, the film tells the tale of a Union officer, John Dunbar (Mr. Costner), who, after being cited for bravery in the Civil War, is reassigned to a remote post on the sweeping plains that are now part of South Dakota. He slowly earns the trust of a Lakota Sioux community, especially Kicking Bird (Mr. Greene), and helps them defend themselves against an enemy Pawnee force as well as white soldiers.
The film was a blockbuster, winning seven Oscars, including best picture and best director (for Mr. Costner, in his first directorial effort), and groundbreaking for its many sequences using dialogue in the Lakota language, with subtitles.
For an actor of a different Native background, this proved a daunting feat, Mr. Greene said in a 2014 interview with the Canadian television host George Stroumboulopoulos: “It took three months to learn the language. I was working at it eight hours a day.”
He also had to learn to ride horses bareback, at a healthy gallop, while shooting arrows, also daunting. When asked in another interview if he had had any experience riding, he responded, “Only on buses.”
He overcame those obstacles to become only the second North American Indigenous person to be nominated for an Oscar. The first was Chief Dan George, also from Canada, who was nominated for his role in the Dustin Hoffman film “Little Big Man” (1970), another notable cinematic attempt to explode the racist clichés of Hollywood westerns.
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Not that he seemed to revel in the triumph. “Everybody else is more excited than I am,” Mr. Greene said of the honor in a 1991 interview with The Toronto Star. “ It’s nothing special. It’s like somebody saying after opening night that you were good. You’ve still got to get up the next morning and go back to work — and be better.”
Graham Greene was born on June 22, 1952, in Ohsweken, a community on the Six Nations Reserve in southwestern Ontario. He was the son of John Greene, a paramedic and maintenance worker, and Lillian Greene.
As a young man, he settled in Hamilton, Ontario, where he worked as a welder, an audio engineer, a carpenter — “anything to stay afloat,” he later said.
He got his first taste of acting when a friend was looking for Native actors to workshop a script he had written, he told The Toronto Star in 1989. At first, Mr. Greene said, he had no interest, but his friend kept pestering him. “Finally, I said, ‘Look, we’ll cut the cards. If I win, you don’t bother me any more. If you win, I’ll do the workshop.’ I pulled the two of clubs.”
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He gained experience with the Center for Indigenous Theater in Toronto and soon was performing in stage productions in both Canada and Britain. In 1989, he earned a Dora Mavor Moore Award, administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, for his performance in the tragicomedy “Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing,” by the prominent First Nations playwright Tomson Highway.
By then, Mr. Greene had already made his television debut, in a 1979 episode of the Canadian period drama “The Great Detective,” and his film debut, in “Running Brave” (1983), about the Native American track star Billy Mills.
Even after establishing himself in Hollywood, he found himself being pigeonholed because of his ethnicity. In a video interview last year, he recalled reading for “Crimson Tide,” the 1995 submarine thriller starring Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, only to have the film’s director, Tony Scott, tell him, “I can’t really see a Native American working on a submarine.”
“Well, if you could,” Mr. Greene remembered responding, “I would let you tell my four dead uncles who died in the Pacific on subs. Thanks for the trip to New York. I’m going to Sardi’s for lunch now.”
Mr. Greene remained active in his last years. He played the chief of a Native American tribe in the 2009 and 2012 installments of the vampire film series “The Twilight Saga,” and he made guest appearances in 2023 on the television series “Reservation Dogs” and “The Last of Us.” He appeared in the film “Trail of Vengeance,” released this year,” and had roles in a few other movies scheduled for release.
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Mr. Greene is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore; his daughter, Lilly Lazare-Greene; and a grandson.
While his most famous film broke barriers in Hollywood, “Dances With Wolves” also left a complicated legacy. Then, as now, some critics took issue with the film’s white-savior overtones, arguing that it was a sentimental whitewash of history that rendered its Lakota characters as helpless supporting players in their own story.
Mr. Greene refused to enter the fray. “Everybody’s getting political on me,” he said of the controversy in a 1991 interview with The Los Angeles Times. “I tell them to take those questions to the politicians.”
“I’m sort of a passive activist,” he added.
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