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Revision as of 22:41, 25 July 2018

Zahn McClarnon
Born
Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon

(1966-10-24) October 24, 1966 (age 57)
Denver, Colorado U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1992–present
Known for

Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon (born October 24, 1966) is a Native American Lakota-Irish actor. He is best known for his performances as Chief Mathias in the Western crime drama Longmire, Hanzee Dent in the second season of Fargo, and Akecheta in the second season of Westworld.

Early life

McClarnon was born in Denver, Colorado, the son of a Hunkpapa Lakota mother and Irish father.[1] He grew up near Browning, Montana, where his father worked at Glacier National Park for the National Park Service.[2] He would often visit the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, where his mother grew up, and often lived with his grandparents on weekends and for longer visits. His mother lived on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His father was relocated to Omaha, Nebraska, and the family lived in the Dundee neighborhood.[2]

McClarnon said that he grew up in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, and Montana.[3] McClarnon has a fraternal twin brother. He said that his childhood was "rough".[4]

In 1986, McClarnon graduated from Omaha Central High School, where he said drama teacher Peggy Stommes was a big influence.[5][2]

Career

McClarnon got his start in a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Chanticleer Theater in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He connected with John Jackson, a local Omaha casting director who later became known for his work with director Alexander Payne, which led to local work, until McClarnon moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s.[2][6]

McClarnon was in the Into the West (2005) miniseries for TNT and played Running Fox. He starred in the 2009 film Not Forgotten and comedy film Repo Chick. In 2013, he was in the horror movie Resolution. He had a recurring role as Bodaway Macawi in Ringer. He also played Mike Parker in the first four episodes of the SundanceTV series The Red Road.[7]

From 2012 to 2017, McClarnon portrayed the Cheyenne reservation Chief of Indian Tribal Police, Mathias, in Longmire, originally an A&E and later a Netflix television series.[8]

McClarnon portrayed Hanzee Dent in the second season of the TV series Fargo, where his performance was met with critical acclaim.[3][9][10][11] He appeared in the TV series Timeless as Native American U.S. Marshall Grant Johnson in the episode "The Murder of Jesse James". McClarnon appeared as Toshaway in AMC Network's The Son,[2][12] for which he learned the Comanche language.[13] Currently, McClarnon appears as Akecheta, the leader of the Ghost Nation, in HBO's Westworld.

Personal life

McClarnon's first name is in honor of his great great uncle, Frank "Frances" B. Zahn, who was an artist and elder of Standing Rock Indian Reservation.[14] McClarnon's middle name, Tokiya-ku, loosely translates to mean: "first one to come."

In late 2017, McClarnon fell at his home and suffered a brain injury, requiring hospitalization. The accident caused a brief shutdown of production for Westworld.[15]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ Pond, Roscoe (July 7, 2003). "Zahn McClarnon, more than just Indian and Irish". Indian Country Today.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mertes, Micah (April 10, 2017). "In AMC's 'The Son,' Omaha-raised actor graduates to playing a patriarchal role". Omaha World-Herald.
  3. ^ a b Tobias, Scott (December 14, 2015). "Zahn McClarnon on 'Fargo' and What Makes Hanzee Tick". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (December 14, 2015). "'Fargo' Finale: Zahn McClarnon on Hanzee's Future and the Season 1 Easter Egg". The Hollywood Reporter.
  5. ^ "O-Book '85" (PDF). Omaha Central High School Archives. 1985. p. 44.
  6. ^ Mertes, Micah (March 11, 2016). "'Fargo' actor, former Omahan is on a good run". Omaha World-Herald.
  7. ^ Schilling, Vincent (March 13, 2014). "Shady Character: Zahn McClarnon Discusses his 'Red Road' Role". Indian Country Today.
  8. ^ Schilling, Vincent (March 3, 2015). "'Longmire' Was Saved by the Fans, Says Zahn McClarnon". Indian Country Today.
  9. ^ Jurgensen, John (December 8, 2015). "Meet Zahn McClarnon, the Man Behind the Lethal Hanzee Dent of 'Fargo'". The Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (November 23, 2015). "'Fargo' Star Rachel Keller on Simone's Long Walk Into the Woods". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. ^ Kavner, Lucas (December 14, 2015). "Fargo's Zahn McClarnon on Hanzee's Backstory and the Types of Roles Native Americans Get Onscreen". Vulture.
  12. ^ Krol, Debra Utacia (March 6, 2017). "Zahn McClarnon Cast as Comanche leader Toshaway in AMC's 'The Son.'". Indian Country Today.
  13. ^ Bernstein, Abbie (April 8, 2017). "The Son: Actor Zahn McClarnon on AMC's new series - Exclusive Interview". Assignment X.
  14. ^ "00900 - Photographs - Archives Holdings - Archives - State Historical Society of North Dakota: Zahn Family". State Historical Society of North Dakota.
  15. ^ Stedman, Alex (November 3, 2017). "'Westworld' Actor Zahn McClarnon Hospitalized, Season 2 Production Paused". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
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