Graham Greene (actor)
Graham Greene | |
|---|---|
 Greene in 1998 | |
| Born | June 22, 1952 Six Nations Reserve, Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse |
Hilary Blackmore (m. 1994) |
Graham Greene, CM (born June 22, 1952) is a First Nations Canadian actor who has worked on stage, in film, and in TV productions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Dances with Wolves (1990). 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).
Early life and career
Greene is an Oneida born in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, the son of Lillian and John Greene, who was a paramedic and maintenance man.[1][2] He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, as a young adult.[3]
His first brushes with the entertainment industry came when he worked as an audio technician for rock bands based in Newfoundland and Labrador, when he went by the alias "Mabes". He graduated from the Toronto-based Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School program in 1974. Soon after, he began performing in professional theatre in Toronto and England.[citation needed]
Career
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (November 2015) |
His TV debut was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979, and his screen debut was in 1983 in Running Brave. He appeared in such films as Revolution and Powwow Highway, as well as the First Nations' CBC TV series Spirit Bay. It was his Academy Award–nominated role as Kicking Bird (Lakota: Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves that brought him fame.
He followed this role with work in films including Thunderheart, Benefit of the Doubt, and Maverick, and television series Northern Exposure and The Red Green Show. 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. He hosted the reality crime documentary show Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science.
Greene co-starred as Slick Nakai with Adam Beach and Wes Studi in the film A Thief of Time (2004) and Coyote Waits, both adapted from Tony Hillerman novels of the same names and produced by Robert Redford. In 1992, Greene played the role of Ishi, the last Yahi, in the HBO drama The Last of His Tribe.[4] He appeared that year in the contemporary action-mystery film, Thunderheart (1992), playing Walter Crow Horse, a gruff, savvy local cop living on an Indian reservation.
In 1994, he began appearing as Mr. Crabby Tree in the children's series The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon, for which he received the Gemini Award. Poltergeist The Legacy: Finding Richter aired May 9, 1997. In 1997, Greene suffered a major depressive episode, and had to be hospitalized after a police encounter. He recovered after help from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Greene was featured as Arlen Bitterbuck, a Native American convicted of murder, awaiting execution on death row in the Oscar-nominated The Green Mile (1999). He starred in the short-lived television series Wolf Lake in 2001. In 2002 and 2004, he co-starred in two made-for-TV films that were an attempt at launching a revival of the long-running Canadian series The Beachcombers. In 2005, he played the potential love interest of the female lead in Transamerica. He appeared as himself in a parody of the famous Lakota-brand pain reliever commercials, on CBC Television's Rick Mercer Report.[5]
In 2006, Greene presented the documentary series The War that Made America, about the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) of the mid–18th century in North America. In 2007, he appeared as Shylock in the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of The Merchant of Venice as well as Breakfast with Scot. In June 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University located near the Six Nations reserve he is from.[6]
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 that name. He portrayed Sitting Bull in a short Historica vignette.[7]
He was a guest star in an episode of the TV series Numb3rs, as a First Nations chief. He also guest-starred on multiple occasions on The Red Green Show as Edgar "K.B." Montrose, an explosives enthusiast. In one episode of "The Red Green Show" (season 5, episode 1) he was asked what he thought of the movie Dances with Wolves. Greene's reply was that "...the native guy (himself as 'Kicking Bird') was OK. Should have gotten the Oscar. But the rest of it was a yawn!"
Greene also made a cameo in an episode of Royal Canadian Air Farce. In the sketch, Jacques Cartier (Don Ferguson) has to go through customs, whose officer is played by Greene. When Cartier asks Greene if he was in that movie Dances with Wolves, Greene replies "yes". Cartier asks his name and Greene says "Kevin Costner".
He appeared in The Twilight Saga: New Moon as Harry Clearwater, Charlie Swan's old friend. He appeared as Malachi Strand in Longmire, which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017 on A&E and Netflix. He played Rafe McCawley in the science fiction series Defiance, which ran for three seasons from 2013 to 2015. He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.[8]
In 2018, Greene provided the voice of the beleaguered Native-American elder Rains Fall in the western-themed video game Red Dead Redemption II.
Currently, Greene appears in Amazon’s series Goliath.
Awards and nominations
| Years | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Dances with Wolves | Nominated |
| 1994 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon | Won |
| Gemini Awards | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | North of 60 | Nominated | |
| 2000 | Grammy Awards | Best Spoken Word Album for Children | Listen to the Storyteller | Won |
| 2004 | Gemini Awards | Earle Grey Award | Lifetime Achievement | Won |
| 2006 | Reelworld Film Festival | Visionary Award | Lifetime Achievement | Won[9] |
| 2016 | RNCI Red Nation Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor | Longmire | Won |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | The Great Detective | Episode: "The Black Curse" | |
| 1981 | Read All About It | John Norton | Episode: "Journey To Queenston" |
| 1983 | Running Brave | Eddie Mills | |
| 1985 | Revolution | Ongwata | |
| 1986 | Spirit Bay | Pete "Baba" Green | 1 episode |
| 1986–1988 | The Campbells | Iroquois Chief | 3 episodes |
| 1987 | Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future | Cherokee | Episode: "Wardogs" |
| Street Legal | Paulo | Episode: "Tango Bellarosa" | |
| 1988 | 9B | Dan Jackson | 5 episodes |
| 1989 | Powwow Highway | Vietnam Vet | |
| Where the Spirit Lives | Komi's Father | TV Movie | |
| 1990 | Lost in the Barrens | Mewasin | TV Movie |
| Dances with Wolves | Kicking Bird | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | David Wauneka | Episode: "Dances with Sharks" |
| Clearcut | Arthur | ||
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Sheriff Sam Keeyani | Episode: "Night of the Coyote" |
| The Last of His Tribe | Ishi | TV Movie | |
| Thunderheart | Walter Crow Horse | ||
| Rain Without Thunder | Author on History | ||
| 1992–1993 | Northern Exposure | Leonard | 5 episodes |
| 1993 | Medicine River | Will | TV Movie |
| Spirit Rider | Vern | TV Movie | |
| Cooperstown | Raymond Maracle | TV Movie | |
| North of 60 | Rico Nez | Episode: "The Art of the Deal" | |
| Benefit of the Doubt | Calhoun | ||
| The Broken Chain | Peace Maker (Spirit) | TV Movie | |
| 1994–1997 | The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon | Mr. Crabby Tree | 17 episodes |
| 1994–2006 | The Red Green Show | Edgar K. B. Montrose | 19 episodes |
| 1994 | Camilla | Hunt Weller | |
| Lonesome Dove: The Series | Red Hawk | 3 episodes | |
| Murder, She Wrote | Peter Henderson | Episode: "Northern Explosion" | |
| Savage Land | Skyano | ||
| Royal Canadian Air Farce | "Kevin Costner", Native customs official | Mentions that he will be hosting an upcoming Genie Awards episode | |
| Genie Awards | Himself (host) | ||
| Maverick | Joseph | ||
| North | Alaskan Dad | ||
| Huck and the King of Hearts | Jim | ||
| 1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeance | Detective Joe Lambert | |
| 500 Nations | 3 episodes | ||
| 1996 | The Outer Limits | Chief Weapons Officer | Episode: "The Light Brigade" |
| The Pathfinder | Chingachgook | TV Movie | |
| 1997 | The Education of Little Tree | Willow John | |
| Wounded | Nick Rollins | ||
| Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science | Himself (host) | ||
| Song of Hiawatha | O Kagh | ||
| The Hired Heart | TV Movie | ||
| 1998 | Shattered Image | Detective | |
| A Stranger In Town | Eddie Lester | TV Movie | |
| 1999 | Grey Owl | Jim Bernard | |
| The Green Mile | Arlen Bitterbuck | ||
| Misery Harbour | Burly | ||
| 2000 | Big Wolf on Campus | Ferryman | 1 episode |
| Desire | Connor | ||
| 2000–2001 | Cover Me | Michael Nighthorse | 4 episodes |
| 2001 | Lost and Delirious | Joe Menzies | |
| Christmas in the Clouds | Earl | ||
| 2001–2002 | Wolf Lake | Mr. Sherman Blackstone / Professor Joseph Duke | 10 episodes |
| 2002 | Duct Tape Forever | Edgar K. B. Montrose | |
| Snow Dogs | Peter Yellowbear | ||
| Skins | Mogie Yellow Lodge | ||
| The New Beachcombers | Colin Reid | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion | Elijah Cobb | 2 episodes |
| Coyote Waits | Slick Nakai | TV Movie | |
| 2004 | A Thief of Time | Slick Nakai | TV Movie |
| Phil the Alien | Wolf | ||
| A Beachcomber's Christmas | Colin Reid | TV Movie | |
| 2005 | Transamerica | Calvin Many Goats | |
| Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story | Ph.D. Lloyd Blackburn | TV Movie | |
| Into the West | Conquering Bear | Episode: "Dreams and Schemes" | |
| Numb3rs | Chief James Clearwater | Episode: "Bones of Contention" | |
| Buffalo Dreams | John Blackhorse | TV Movie | |
| 2006 | A Lobster Tale | Sheriff | |
| 2007 | Luna: Spirit of the Whale | Bill Louis | TV Movie |
| All Hat | Jim Burns | ||
| Just Buried | Henry Sanipass | ||
| Breakfast with Scot | Bud Wilson | ||
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Lost Land Shaman, Elder #1 (voices) | Video |
| 2009 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | Harry Clearwater | |
| Tales of an Urban Indian | Adam | TV Movie | |
| 2010 | The Wild Girl | Joseph | TV Movie |
| Casino Jack | Bernie Sprague | ||
| Gunless | Two Dogs | Cameo | |
| The Legend of Secret Pass | Granpa (voice) | ||
| 2010–2011 | Being Erica | Dr. Arthur | 5 episodes |
| 2012 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | Harry Clearwater | Credit only |
| 2013 | Chasing Shakespeare | Mr. Mountain | |
| Atlantic Rim | Admiral Hadley | Video | |
| Maïna | Mishte-Napeu | ||
| 2013–2015 | Defiance | Rafe McCawley | 28 episodes |
| 2014 | Winter's Tale | Humpstone John | |
| Corner Gas: The Movie | Fisherman | Cameo | |
| 2014–2017 | Longmire | Malachi Strand | Recurring during Seasons 3–6 12 episodes |
| 2015 | Unnatural | Buffalo | |
| 2017 | Wind River | Ben | |
| The Shack | Male Papa | ||
| Molly's Game | Judge Foxman | ||
| 2018 | Riverdale | Thomas Topaz | Episode: "Chapter Twenty-Four: The Wrestler" |
| Through Black Spruce | Leo | ||
| The Detour | Narvin | 3 episodes | |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rains Fall (voice) | Videogame | |
| 2019 | Goliath | Littlecrow | 7 episodes |
| 2021 | Antlers | Warren Stokes | Post-production |
See also
References
- ^ Jeremy Odden (March 22, 2012), Graham Greene as Edgar Montrose references Dances With Wolves, retrieved January 1, 2018
- ^ "Graham Greene bio". Encyclopedia of World Biography. April 18, 2006.
- ^ Hemsworth, Wade (April 18, 2006). "The Greatest Hamiltonian". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
- ^ Higgins, Bill (March 20, 1992). "Makers of HBO's 'Tribe' Given a Warm Reception". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Jeremy Odden (March 22, 2012), Graham Greene as Edgar Montrose references Dances With Wolves, retrieved January 1, 2018
- ^ "Wilfrid Laurier Headlines". Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ "First Nations: Sitting Bull". Historica. Archived from the original on March 17, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
- ^ "Four Nova Scotians among Order of Canada honourees". The Chronicle-Herald, July 1, 2015.
- ^ http://www.torontohispano.com/entretenimiento/cine/2006/reelworld_apr06/main.shtml
External links
- 1952 births
- Canadian male film actors
- Canadian male voice actors
- Canadian male television actors
- Dora Mavor Moore Award winners
- First Nations male actors
- Canadian Screen Award winning people
- Grammy Award winners
- Living people
- Oneida people
- Male actors from Hamilton, Ontario
- Male Western (genre) film actors
- People from the County of Brant
- Members of the Order of Canada
- Indspire Awards
- Audiobook narrators