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Eric Schweig

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Eric Schweig
Born
Ray Dean Thrasher

(1967-06-19) 19 June 1967 (age 57)
OccupationActor
Years active1985–present
Children2 foster children

Eric Schweig (born Ray Dean Thrasher; 19 June 1967[1]) is a Canadian Inuvialuk actor best known for his role as Chingachgook's son Uncas in The Last of the Mohicans (1992).

Early life

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Schweig was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He is of mixed race (Inuit, Portuguese, German, and Senegalese).[2] He is the oldest of seven children, who were all adopted out as part of the Canadian government's failed attempt at forcing Inuit and First Nations children to assimilate into white society. Schweig's biological mother died of alcoholism in 1989. He never met her. "She didn’t drink a drop of alcohol until we were taken away," says Schweig. "We were part of the whole assimilation program—forcibly taken away, although my adoptive parents told me I wasn't."[3] Schweig was adopted at six months of age by an English-speaking German-French family.[4] He spent his childhood in Inuvik until he was six, when his family moved to Bermuda. They later moved back to Canada.

"I eventually grew tired of living in a prison without walls and ran away when I was 16. What transpired between then and now has been a roller coaster of alcohol, drugs, violence, failed relationships, despair and confusion. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where is my family? Where do I belong? When life's mystery has been shattered by strangers watching over you, a lot of these questions are lost."[5]

Schweig ran away to Toronto, Ontario, where he supported himself by framing houses. In 1985, he was part of the cast of The Cradle Will Fall, an experimental adaptation of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening produced by Theatre of Change at the Actor's Lab; this was his first experience as an actor. In 1987, at twenty years old, he was approached by a producer who suggested he audition for a role in the movie called The Shaman's Source (1990). With little formal education or experience he won the role. The film launched his career in the film industry.

Career

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Schweig's numerous screen credits (over thirty) include his portrayal of Uncas in the epic motion picture The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Pike Dexter in the movie Big Eden (2000), for which he won the Grand Jury Prize at the Outfest film festival. In 1992, he was cast as Black Thunder in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation mini-series By Way of the Stars. Among his period film credits since The Last of the Mohicans, Eric became the famous Mohawk leader Joseph Brant/Thayendanegea for TNT's telefilm The Broken Chain (1993), playing for the first time the main character in a movie (Schweig appeared with Wes Studi again for this motion picture). It was shot primarily in North Carolina. He starred in Disney's The Scarlet Letter and Tom and Huck with Amy Wright in 1995. In 1996 he appeared as a Comanche protagonist, Buffalo Hump, in the Larry McMurtry miniseries Dead Man's Walk. More recently, he played the lead role in films addressing more contemporary issues facing aboriginal and Native American people: Skins (2002), Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story (2003) and One Dead Indian (2006).

Personal life

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During the 1990s, Schweig began carving masks as a natural extension of his artistic expression. Since his childhood, Eric found he was emotionally pre-disposed to carving small objects out of wood (figures, kayak, etc.). Under the tutelage of artist Vern Etzerza, he studied traditional Pacific Coast carving before directing his talent specifically towards custom and traditional Inuit Spirit Masks, in collaboration with master carver Art Thompson. His collection of masks are not only successful attempts to reconnect with his heritage and with Inuit art, but his carvings are also necessary labours of psychological resilience facing a traumatized childhood. As a disastrous consequence of this uprooting and abuse, Schweig struggled for many years with alcohol abuse. He has stated that Big Eden (2000) was the first movie in which he was entirely sober. His fame as an actor gives him the opportunity to share his life's experience in numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the United States of America. He is able to make large audiences aware of aboriginal issues, including adoption, the foster care system, addictions, and suicide. He currently resides in Vancouver BC working at Vancouver Native Health's "Positive Outlook" program where residents of the city's downtown eastside who are HIV positive can gain access to health care, hot meals, and social programming to maintain community connections.

In 2017, Eric adopted two foster siblings. When asked about the transition to fostering, Eric said, "I went from 30 years of bachelorhood to Mr. Mom overnight. Everything changed, I went from only having to consider myself for every decision to centering everything on my foster kids. It was a real 180". Eric now lives in Vancouver with his son and daughter.

Awards

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  • 2000 - Grand Jury Award L.A. Outfest, Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film for Big Eden
  • 2008 - Honorary Doctorate of Education from Nipissing University
  • 2011 - Nomination for a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for his role as corrupt band Chief Andy Fraser in the TV series Blackstone.

Others

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In 1993, he came in 5th on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1987 The Shaman's Source Robert Crow
1992 By Way of the Stars (TV mini-series) Black Thunder
The Last of the Mohicans Uncas
1993 For Love and Glory (TV) Moses Moon
The Broken Chain (TV) Joseph Brant / Thayendanegea
1994 Due South (Pilot) Inuit Hunter
Squanto: A Warrior's Tale Epenow
Pontiac Moon Ernest Ironplume
1995 500 Nations (TV) (voice)
Follow the River (TV) Wildcat
The Scarlet Letter Metacomet
Tom and Huck Injun Joe
1996 Red River (TV) Napoléon
Dead Man's Walk (TV) Buffalo Hump
2000 Big Eden Pike Dexter
2002 Skins Rudy Yellow Lodge
2003 Mr. Barrington Samuel
Cowboys and Indians: The John Joseph Harper Story (TV) Harry Wood
The Missing Club Foot El Brujo / Pesh-Chidin
2005 Into the West Sitting Bull
It Waits Joseph Riverwind
Shania: A Life in Eight Albums (TV) Jerry Twain
2006 One Dead Indian (TV) Sam George
Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis (TV) Terry Doxtator
Not Like Everyone Else Tim Blackbear
Mr. Soul Steve Lonethunder
2007 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Gall
2009-2014 Cashing In (TV series) Matthew Tommy
Kissed by Lightning Solomon 'Bug' King
2009-2015 Blackstone Chief Andy Fraser
2010 A Flesh Offering Mishomis
Casino Jack Chief Poncho
2013 Maïna Quujuuq
Longmire Dolan Lone Elk
2014 Elementary Leon Moody S3 E6: Terra Pericolosa
2017 Supernatural Sergeant Joe Philips Season 13 Episode 6
2018 The Grizzlies Harry Aviak
2020 Barkskins Chief Tehonikonhraken Season 1, Episodes 7 & 8
Brother, I Cry Dean
2023 Little Bird Asin TV series

References

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  1. ^ Mike Antonucci, "An actor's odyssey: Drinking, homelessness preceded movie success", San Jose Mercury News, 25 September 2002 [1]
  2. ^ RezolutionPictures (23 June 2023). "Meet Eric Schweig: Clip from COMING HOME (Wanna Icipus Kupi)". Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ , "Urban NDN" January 2009
  4. ^ Inuvik Drum
  5. ^ "Adoption Speech" 19 February 1999, Vancouver Inner City Foster Care Conference, (Retrieved 11 October 2009)
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