Native American Actors

As method as Daniel Day Lewis is, he’s not Native American.

I think I was thinking of Russell Means.

Fuck off and Google it, OP.

Your ignorance is not our responsibility, especially since you don't care enough to wonder until now.

Paging Wes Studi, white courtesy phone please.

R3 - well you're pleasant. Must be well-liked.

How about Jay Silverheels, Quimo Sabe ?

Adam Beach.

The new SyFy show Resident Alien has some Native American actors, one even in a prominent role. It’s a great show, highly recommend it, first season just ended and it’s been picked up for season two.

"Dances With Wolves" had lots. My favorite was Rodney Grant/Wind In His Hair.

Wes is so handsome, too. He kind of reminds me a bit also of Smokey Robinson (well, when Smokey was made of real material and not plastic!).

I remember Michael Horse from Twin Peaks

Over the top, disingenuous op ✅, non-white ✅, recipe for racist, inflammatory responses ✅, initial, innocous comments ✅ , agenda ✅, defarto ✅.

Yup.

I'm showing my age here, but back in the 1970s, there was no one finer than Randolph Mantooth as Johnny Gage.

Eric Schweig. Big Eden and Last of the Mohicans. He is First Nation from Canada.

I don't know if anybody remembers him but Chief Dan George was a prominent Native American actor. His most prominent roles were in "Little Big Man (he was nominated for an Oscar in that one)" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales."

Thank god no one’s mentioned the crying pollution Indian, who wasn’t.

Oy. I'm an Indian, Oy. I'm an Indian,,,,,

He’s my cup of tea especially with the long hair:

Zahn McClarnon of Longmire is half Native American, half Irish.

Are we including Native Hawaiians too, if so there’s Keanu.

Graham Greene

Not exactly on topic, but my grandmother was full blood native American. Her favorite actors were James Garner and Sandra Bullock. Loved them.

R11 Gore Jess!

Gary Farmer

Wes Studi was awesome as Magua in “Last of the Mohicans”

The luscious Gregory Norman Cruz.

Nathaniel Arcand.

Nathaniel Arcand.

Booboo Stewart is part Native American.

Ethnicity: Japanese, Chinese, and Korean on his mother's side; Russian, Scottish, and Blackfoot on his father's side.

2010 was the breakthrough year for him, as he appeared in the film "Logan" and portrayed his most known role as Seth Clearwater in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". Some of the other roles that he got afterward were in "White Frog", "Running Deer", "Space Warriors", and "X-Men: Days of Future Past". He appeared in the Disney Channel original movie "Descendants", where he portrayed Jay, and has reprised this role in two sequels.

Adam Beach is hot as hell

Indeed, R30.

Will Strongheart, however, there's a petition to end his career over his problematic past.

Adam Beach. Even playing ugly in Joe Dirt he's so dreamy

More Eric Scheweig...

Surprised no mention of Sonny Landham yet. He's actually had threads about him on here, unlike most of the others named already. Started in porn, but managed to have some success in mainstream in action films. Kept his looks well into his 50s (then hit the wall hard).

Ron Rondeaux.

Lily Gladstone, won some awards for Certain Women, will be in the new Scorsese picture as a wife (Leo’s?), who knows if it will be a nothing part or not.

I'm an Indian too.

There are no "native" Americans. There are First Nations, who came over the Bering Strait.

R21 Graham Greene is Oneida from Canada.

Is Ed from Northern Exposure native?

Marilyn sure was.

There was a play in a Modern American drama text by a First Nations playwright, and through some checking I found the playwright and many who had acted in it, as well as the subject matter in part, were gay, and gay-themed. Some of you I would expect to be more hip to this than me, I can't even find the text any more.

Zahn McClarnon

You're being intentionally obtuse, R39.

Poor R44. Just can't handle precision.

R40 I don’t think Ed is a native in real life. Google who his father was, a real creepy and hard to forget character actor.

R39 Oh smell you, bitch.

R46 I know who his father is. I thought he was also (partly) native. Why was he a creep?

No, R45, as I stated in a previous comment, several members of my family are "Native Americans". That is the last update we've been give in terms of appropriate terms. The reality no one cares. The terms keep changing, but the reality remains the same. They don't care. Indian, Native American, First Nations, or by their tribe name. It's all the same.

What exactly are you trying to prove? You haven't changed a thing.

R49 "Native" means indigenous or original inhabitant. No human being is indigenous or native to North America. They're ALL ship-ins from elsewhere. Therefore, it's a misnomer. First Nation is accurate.

Then go do a tour of reservations r50, and spread the word. Some already use that term, some do not. So you have room for your conversion of terms.

I'm pretty sure your real world experience is going to be a little different from your expectation. Just an FYI, R50. But you will never actually do any of that, so I'm certain it will never be an issue for you. It can just remain a fantasy. Good for you

Gil Birmingham -- probably best known as Billy Black in the TWILIGHT films, and currently Thomas Rainwater on YELLOWSTONE. His father was a direct descendent of the Comanche tribe.

He's still a handsome man in his mid-late 60s....but he was REALLY good-looking back in the 1980s! I knew him briefly in the mid-80s when I worked at Universal Studios. He was one of the Conans in the live-action Conan: Sword & Sorcery Spectacular. And of greater relevance to DL....he was also one of the speedo-clad hunks cavorting with Diana Ross in the "Muscles" video.

Billy Wirth from the Lost Boys was scorching hot

R48 Darren Burrows is only the tiniest percent Native. They had to dye his hair black throughout the show's run.

Still cute though.

Lucille Ball. Little known fact!

[quote]As method as Daniel Day Lewis is, he’s not Native American.

He wasn't supposed to be. Hawkeye was white.

Tamoh Penikett's mother is First Nations.

Another vote for Gil Birmingham. He was great with Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water. He's a former "body builder" and military son and carries himself in a very body-proud way. He is very sexually appealing.

R21 I like Graham Greene. He should have had a bigger career.

Yes, r60. Graham Greene is very talented.

Here he is recently in American Gods.

Back in the 70s, I was a hormonal teen and had a huge crush on Randolph Mantooth in "Emergency". Mantooth doesn't get enough credit and neither do the producers of "Emergency", he was the first Native American to lead a network TV show, groundbreaking casting, and as far as I know he was the last.

Good show, BTW, and I've met several EMTs and paramedics who said the show was an inspiration and what sparked their interest in emergency medicine. I myself grew up to be a front-line healthcare worker, maybe the show and my long-ago teen crush had an influence.

R61 Thank you! I didn't know about this series, looks interesting. He makes the most out of a small part in a big movie like The Green Mile or Wind River.

I just read by chance today of Will Sampson, a 6'7" Native American actor in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". It's been too long since I saw the movie to remember him, but he looks like a hunk. Died way back in 1987.

American Gods is an interesting if uneven series, r63, based on Neil Gaiman's excellent nook, but Greene has a very small part. I think only a few scenes. But Ian McShane is incredible, as is Cloris Leechman, in what may have been her final role.

Here's a fun scene from Thunderheart.

R59 not to spoil the movie, but loved Gil Birmingham in it and was very upset about what happens.... Gil did an awesome job in that movie, as did everyone. Loved it.

Cher, of course--partially.

The Indians said she is white by law. The white man always called her Indian squaw!

Keanu Reeves

[quote]Good show, BTW, and I've met several EMTs and paramedics who said the show was an inspiration and what sparked their interest in emergency medicine. I myself grew up to be a front-line healthcare worker, maybe the show and my long-ago teen crush had an influence.

R62, I believe Randy Mantooth and Kevin Tighe both still do appearances in support of EMT programs and firefighters. Mantooth was battling cancer recently, and last pics I saw he was very thin, but I think he's OK.

R65 Thanks! Great scene. I love the last two lines!

Greene is hilarious, r70

RAY: "Crowhorse?" [Crowhorse turns towards Ray]

RAY: "Fuck you" [Crowhorse laughs]

CROWHORSE [to himself]:"You'd love to"

Can't stand Mel Gibson, but I might have to watch Maverick for Graham.

Ah, this reminds me of the night I took a dark and traumatizing turn down the wrong google rabbit-hole. Was watching a truly terrible 40s movie one night, but noticed that one actor appeared to be legitimately Native American, and given the time frame I was fascinated, so off to google-land I went. And, boy, have I regretted it since. If you're rather brave and don't like sleep, take a google trip and visit the story of Spade Cooley, part Cherokee, western swing musician, actor, and television personality (among other things).

[quote]Native" means indigenous or original inhabitant. No human being is indigenous or native to North America. They're ALL ship-ins from elsewhere. Therefore, it's a misnomer. First Nation is accurate

Native is fine.

R72 damn, quite a fucked-up story.

Burt Reynolds is part Aboriginal. In Canada, Tantoo Cardinal is like acting royalty - a prominent and talented actor. So was Gordon Tootoosis. Amazing body of work.

Tantoo is fantastic, same with Gordon.

R48 First I was shocked that Ed was his son because I was very familiar with the show and Billy Drago has done so many horror etc., definitely one of those character actors that everyone knows. He was a monster on charmed, revealed gay cancer in a disturbing scene in mysterious skin. He doesn’t look unusual to you?

Tantoo sucks cock.

And then Ed and Billy Drago look unnervingly alike, I just didn’t realize the dad was someone I knew well as a scary character actor.

I was just reading about a university teaching a course called "Native American Cinema". I can't say I ever realized there was such a thing.

There were quite a few Native Americans from Canada that were flown over to Scotland to act in Outlander. Cute too.

Not strictly an actor, but pro-wrestler (essentially a stage-performer/athlete) Fandango aka Curtis Hussey is Cherokee.

DL fave Colton Haynes once posted proof of being on the tribal rolls of whichever tribe his family belongs to.

Martin Sensmeier from Yellowstone.

I've been on the fence about starting Yellowstone but I think you just pushed me over the the 'yes' side.

Hot, R83

R84 Do it!!

Gavin Leatherwood from Sabrina

Mr Cody Christian.

[quote]His grandpa (mother’s side) was a full-blooded American Native, belonging to the Penobscot tribe, while his grandmother (mother’s side too) is half Passamaquody Indian. His mother grew up on a reservation in Maine, and she tried to maintain Indian traditions with her children.

When I was a kid, when Emergency! came on and Randolph Mantooth appeared, my grandmother would say, "He's part Indian, you know."

[quote]Back in the 70s, I was a hormonal teen and had a huge crush on Randolph Mantooth in "Emergency". Mantooth doesn't get enough credit and neither do the producers of "Emergency", he was the first Native American to lead a network TV show,

Wasn't Jay Silverheels, of the 1950s ABC TV show, The Lone Ranger, already mentioned?

Trickster, the Canadian show about a teenager, that gave parts to many indigenous actors (and also aired on the CW) was cancelled after a second season was ordered, due to a controversy about the native ancestry of one of the creators. I guess this was a big controversy in Canada, but it seems wrong to cancel the show and put all these actors and others out of work.

[quote]Writer Drew Hayden Taylor criticized the network's decision to cancel the series, writing that "if the chief executive officer of a company does something questionable, you fire the CEO, you don’t dissolve the company." He pointed out that a significant number of indigenous filmmakers are working in the contemporary Canadian film industry, who could easily have been hired to continue the show under new leadership: "The Indigenous film community is thriving, eager and capable of maintaining, maybe even improving, the framework that is already there and continue it forward. Just get a new showrunner. Showrunners come and go all the time in the television industry. I know three that are baristas."

Is anyone watching the new Hulu show "Reservation Dogs"? It's been getting great reviews, and has a lot of Native talent working both in front of and behind the cameras.

Eddie Little Sky

Ned Romero

Frank Salsedo

Will Sampson

R92 Watched the first episode last night and enjoyed it. Reminded me of an American version of Taika’s 2010 film “Boy”.

Taylor Lautner, his mother is Native American.

I knew Tay Tay was something.

[quote] Zahn McClarnon of Longmire is half Native American, half Irish.

He's really good in Longmire. I binge-watched that series. Lou Diamond Phillips also played a Native American, but I don't think he really is NA.

For those who like to read, try reading some Sherman Alexie books. I can't remember which were my favorites, but, IIRC, I liked "Reservation Blues."

I just looked him up. For some reason I had thought his mother was South American and therefore he probably had a good deal of indigenous DNA which explained his looks. But actually he's half Filipino.