Graham Greene, Trailblazing First Nations Actor, 73

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

Graham Greene, the prolific Oscar-nominated Canadian First Nations actor and Hollywood trailblazer, has died aged 73 in a Toronto hospital after a long illness. Greene's Hollywood breakthrough came when Kevin Costner cast him as real-life Lakota Sioux medicine man Kicking Bird (Zitk Nagwka) in his Academy Award-winning 1990 western Dances with Wolves. Greene's performance landed him an Academy Award nomination and launched his Hollywood career, which included roles in Thunderheart (1992), Maverick (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), The Green Mile (1999) and The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009).

Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 02:46 PM | 3 COMMENTS | permalink

Reflecting on his career in a 2024 interview for Canada's Theatre Museum, Greene said: "When I first started out in the business, it was a very strange thing where they'd hand you the script where you had to speak the way they thought native people spoke. And in order to get my foot in the door a little further, I did it. I went along with it for a while ... You gotta look stoic. Don't smile ... you gotta grunt a lot.

"I don't know anybody who behaves like that. Native people have an incredible sense of humour.

"And that's what I said to Kevin [Costner]. I said, you know, the people in this film [Dances with Wolves], in this village, they have an incredible family, incredible relationship and fun has always been part of that. Fun is 50% of how they live and enjoy things. Family is family, no matter what."

Comments

If you can track it down, Medicine River, a low-budget, made-for-tv production in which Greene takes us on a sort of hero's journey across the Rez, is a delight. Especially if you've ever spent much time on the Rez. And, if you've seen it, all I've got to say is: "South Wing." You did well, sir, really well. Sweetgrass braids your way.

#1 | Posted by Doc_Sarvis at 2025-09-02 02:53 PM