Graham Greene (actor)

Graham Greene Template:Post-nominals (June 22, 1952 – September 1, 2025) was a Canadian First Nations (Oneida) actor and recording artist, active in film, television and theatre in a career spanning over 50 years. He achieved international fame for his role as Kicking Bird (Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves (1990), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His 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).

In addition to his Oscar nomination, Greene was a Grammy Award, Gemini Award, Canadian Screen Award, and a Dora Mavor Moore Award winner. In 2025, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award.

Early life and early career

Greene was an Oneida born on June 22, 1952, in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, the son of John, a paramedic and maintenance man, and Lillian Greene.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, as a young man.<ref name=GGREENE>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a second cousin once removed of fellow actor Gary Farmer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Before moving into acting, Greene worked as a draftsman, civil technologist, steelworker, and rock-band crew member.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

He worked as an audio technician for Toronto rock bands and in a recording studio in Ancaster, Ontario.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":2" /> He later related that musician Kelly Jay repeatedly encouraged him to try out for a play.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

David Godkin, in a 2012 interview of Greene, stated that contrary to other reports, Greene did not attend the Toronto-based Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School program, but rather "helped run it, as executive director of a school-supporting local arts organization."<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> The New York Times obituary for Greene, however, states that he graduated from the Centre in 1974.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the 1970s, he began performing in professional theatre in Toronto and England and in 1976 he participated in the University of Western Ontario's touring workshop performance of James Reaney's Wacousta.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

His television debut was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and his film debut was in 1983 in Running Brave.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> On viewing his first television role, Greene stated that it was "awful", and that it prompted him to start learning to act as a profession.<ref name=":2" />

Career

Theatre

Greene frequently worked at the Native Earth Performing Arts, and was well known for his performance in Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing as the affable drunk Pierre St. Pierre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /> He also performed in The Crackwalker and History of the Village of the Small Huts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Citation</ref>

At the 2007 Stratford Festival, he portrayed Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Lennie in Of Mice and Men.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=ctft /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Television

Greene's television career began with a role in the CBC series Spirit Bay (1984, 1986), where he played Pete "Baba" Green. The show was among the first to depict Indigenous life and cultural interactions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Throughout the 1990s, Greene was a frequent guest star. He portrayed the shaman Leonard Quinhagak on Northern Exposure, a character whose traditional practices often conflicted with modern medicine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also took on the role of the explosives-loving Edgar "K.B." Montrose on The Red Green Show, a character he would revisit periodically until 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His other notable roles from this era include playing Ishi in the HBO film The Last of His Tribe (1992)<ref name="LAT">Template:Cite news</ref> and the beloved Mr. Crabby Tree in the children's series The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (1994).<ref name=":2" /> He also made a guest appearance on the sketch comedy show Royal Canadian Air Farce in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

From 1997 to 2001, Greene hosted the forensic science documentary series Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> He later starred in the short-lived series Wolf Lake (2001) and co-starred in two TV movies attempting to revive The Beachcombers (2002, 2004).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 2000s and 2010s, Greene continued to take on diverse guest roles. He presented the documentary The War that Made America (2006),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> appeared on shows like Numb3rs,<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> and had a recurring role as Dr. Arthur on Being Erica (2010–2011).<ref name=vineyard>Template:Cite news</ref> A notable comedic turn saw him parody pain reliever commercials on Rick Mercer Report.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> From 2012 to 2017, he played the villainous Malachi Strand on Longmire.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>

More recently, Greene appeared as Spotted Eagle in the 1883 series (2022).<ref name=":7" /> He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the miniseries Echo (2024).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2023, he guest-starred in critically acclaimed series such as Reservation Dogs and The Last of Us.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He most recently guest-starred in two 2025 episodes of The Lowdown as "Arthur".

Movies

Greene's Academy Award–nominated role as Kicking Bird (Lakota: Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves showcased his talents to audiences beyond his native Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In an interview with CineMovie, Greene recounts a story of being tossed from a horse during production. When director Costner asked if he wanted a break, the actor retorted that he was more interested in finding the horse for payback.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> He stated that it was difficult for him to learn how to speak the Lakota language properly. Having not grown up speaking a native language, he said "... I couldn't figure out how they ordered their language. Its structure is totally foreign to English or French."<ref name=":2" />

He appeared in the contemporary action-mystery film, Thunderheart (1992), playing Walter Crow Horse, a gruff, savvy local cop living on an Indian reservation. He was quick to sign up for the movie, saying, "I love the Badlands. My agent said, 'I got a film for you. It's in South Dakota. And you have to ride a motorcycle.' I said, 'I'm in.' 'Want to read it?' 'Don't have to.'"<ref name=":4" />

In 1994's Maverick, Greene elicited good reviews as the sidekick to Mel Gibson. At a screening of the movie the Los Angeles Times noted that Greene, "[as a] thoroughly modern Native American who exploits his position as a tourist attraction for Russian adventurers", got the most laughs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite news</ref>

Greene was featured as Arlen Bitterbuck who was convicted of murder, awaiting execution on death row in the Oscar-nominated The Green Mile (1999). The character was an elder of the Washita Tribe, and a member of a Cherokee Council,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> his nickname was "The Chief".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The character's execution is the first witnessed in the movie, and is depicted from start to finish and is noted as being a fairly accurate portrayal of the procedure.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>

Greene co-starred as Slick Nakai with Adam Beach and Wes Studi in the films A Thief of Time (2004) and Coyote Waits (2003), both adapted from Tony Hillerman novels of the same names and produced by Robert Redford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Graham Greene CTM interview 2022.jpg

Greene in a CTM interview in 2022

In 2005, he played the potential love interest of the female lead in Transamerica. A review of the movie praises Greene's performance as having "charming earthiness" but also notes that his character is allowed to find the transgender character attractive as "he's allowed to be open-minded because he's a Navajo – in other words, a spiritually open-minded outsider, as opposed to your typical Middle American."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greene worked with Aaron Sorkin on Molly's Game in 2017. In his role as a judge, the actor recalled "Aaron [Sorkin], the director, was looking at me sitting behind the bench. I had a puzzled look on my face. He said, 'Are you all right?' I said, 'Yeah. I've just never seen the bench from this side before.'"<ref name=":4" />

Other work

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 the same name. He portrayed Sitting Bull in a short Historica vignette.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2018, Greene acted as the beleaguered Native-American elder Chief Rains Fall in the western-themed video game Red Dead Redemption 2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Greene and his wife Hilary Blackmore lived outside of Toronto with a "small army of cats".<ref name=":6" /> He had one daughter with actor Carol Lazare.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He enjoyed writing, building boats, and playing golf, and noted: "I just want to go and play, I don't care who's looking. It's a game where you get to play against yourself."<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":6" /> He stated that he had no interest in migrating south to California for roles. "There's no reason to live there. A working actor can live anywhere as long as you have a phone, a fax, and know where the airport is."<ref name=":2" /> Regarding his time playing Mr. Crabby Tree (and the follow-up role in the pre-teen show Eric's World) he noted "I spent a year paying penance doing kids' shows."<ref name=":2" />

When discussing Native people in film, Greene noted that he would like to see depictions of "his people" as more than stoic, saying "My people are very funny."<ref name=":5" />

In June 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada (CM) in the 2015 Canadian honours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Death

Greene died in Stratford, Ontario, on September 1, 2025, at the age of 73.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Running Brave	Eddie Mills<ref name=raceinamericanfilm>Template:Cite book</ref>
1985	Revolution	Ongwata<ref name=ctft />
1989	Powwow Highway	Vietnam veteran<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />
1990	Dances with Wolves	Kicking Bird<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />
1991	Clearcut	Arthur<ref name=ctft />
1992	Thunderheart	Walter Crow Horse<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />
	Rain Without Thunder	Author on history<ref name=ctft />
1993	Benefit of the Doubt	Sheriff Calhoun<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1994	Camilla	Hunt Weller<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Savage Land	Skyano<ref name=ctft />
	Maverick	Chief Joseph<ref name=berumen>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
	North	Alaskan father<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Rugged Gold	Samuel Smith<ref name=ctft />
1995	Die Hard with a Vengeance	Detective Joe Lambert<ref name=raceinamericanfilm /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1996	Sabotage	Tollander<ref name=ctft />
1997	Wounded	Nick Rollins
1997	The Education of Little Tree	Willow John<ref name=ctft />
1998	Shattered Image	Detective and store owner (two roles)<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />
1999	Grey Owl	Jim Bernard<ref name=ctft />
	The Green Mile	Arlen Bitterbuck<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Misery Harbour	Burly<ref name=ctft>Template:Cite book</ref>
2000	Desire	Detective Connor<ref name=ctft />
2001	Lost and Delirious	Joe Menzies<ref name=ctft />
	Christmas in the Clouds	Earl<ref name=hilger>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp
2002	Duct Tape Forever	Edgar K.B. Montrose<ref name=ctft />
	Snow Dogs	Peter Yellowbear<ref name=ctft />
	Skins	Mogie Yellow Lodge<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />
2004	Phil the Alien	Wolf<ref name=ctft />
2005	Transamerica	Calvin<ref name=ctft />
	Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story	Lloyd Blackburn<ref name=ctft />	Canadian TV movie
2007	All Hat	Jim Burns<ref name=ctft />
	Just Buried	Henry Sanipass<ref name=ctft />
	Breakfast with Scot	Bud Wilson<ref name=ctft />
2008	Turok: Son of Stone	Lost Land Shaman / Elder #1<ref name=ctft />	Voice role
2009	The Twilight Saga: New Moon	Harry Clearwater<ref name=ctft />
2010	Casino Jack	Bernie Sprague<ref name=hilger />Template:Rp
	Gunless	Two Dogs (N'Kwala)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
2013	Chasing Shakespeare	Mountain<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
	Atlantic Rim<ref name=berumen />Template:Rp	Admiral Hadley	Direct to video
	Maïna<ref name=berumen />Template:Rp	Mishte-Napeu
2014	Winter's Tale	Humpstone John<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Corner Gas: The Movie	Fisherman<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2017	Wind River	Tribal police chief Ben Shoyo<ref name=drum />
	The Shack	Male Papa<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Molly's Game<ref name=berumen />Template:Rp	Judge Dustin Foxman
2018	Through Black Spruce	Leo<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
2019	Astronaut	Len<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2020	A Dark Foe	The Cradle<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2021	Antlers	Warren Stokes<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Defining Moments	Dr. Kelly<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Wolf and the Lion	Joe<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	Squealer
2024	Seeds<ref name=CSAs25 />
	The Birds Who Fear Death	Chief Ed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Great Salish Heist	Chief Roy<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	King Ivory	Holt Lightfeather<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2025	Sweet Summer Pow Wow	M.C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Protector	Brand
	Trail of Vengeance	Hoko<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Protectors of the Land	Grant Strongbow
	Paige Darcy: Reluctant Detective	Mayor<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Icefall	Oz	Posthumous release<ref name=":7" />
TBA	Northbound		Completed, posthumous release<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Read All About It!	John Norton<ref name=ctft />	1 episode in
1986	Spirit Bay	Pete ("Baba")<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1986–1988	The Campbells	Iroquois man<ref name=ctft />	3 episodes
1987	Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future	Cherokee<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
	Street Legal	Paulo<ref name=ctft />
1988	9B	Dan Jackson<ref name=ctft />	Miniseries, 5 episodes
1989	Where the Spirit Lives	Komi's father<ref name=ctft />	Television film
1990	Lost in the Barrens	Mawasin<ref name=ctft />
1991	L.A. Law	David Wauneka<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	1 episode
1992; 1994	Murder, She Wrote	Sheriff Sam Keeyani / Peter Henderson<ref name=ctft />	2 episodes
1992	The Last of His Tribe	Ishi<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />	Television film
1992–1993	Northern Exposure	Leonard Quinhagak<ref name=ctft />	Recurring role, 5 episodes
1993	Cooperstown	Raymond Maracle<ref name=ctft />	Television film
	North of 60	Rico Nez<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
	The Broken Chain	Peace Maker (Spirit)<ref name=hilger />Template:Rp	Television film
1994–1997	The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon	Mr. Crabby Tree<ref name=berumen />Template:Rp	Recurring role, 17 episodes
1994–2006	The Red Green Show	Edgar K.B. Montrose<ref name=ctft />	Recurring role, 27 episodes
1994	Lonesome Dove: The Series	Red Hawk<ref name=ctft />	3 episodes
1995	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Brown Bear<ref name=ctft />	Voice role, 1 episode
	Liberty Street	Mr. Jones<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
1996	The Outer Limits	Chief Weapons Officer<ref name=ctft />
	The Pathfinder	Chingachgook<ref name=ctft />	Television film
1997–2001	Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science	Host<ref name=ctft />	Main role, 65 episodes
2000	Big Wolf on Campus	Ferryman<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
2000–2001	Cover Me	Michael Nighthorse<ref name=ctft />	4 episodes
2001–2002	Wolf Lake	Sherman Blackstone<ref name=ctft />	Main role, 9 episodes
2002	The New Beachcombers	Colin Reid<ref name=ctft />	Television film
2003	Mister Sterling	Senior Senator Jackson<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
	Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion	Elijah Cobb	Miniseries, 2 episodes
2005	The Collector	George<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
	Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story	Lloyd Blackburn<ref name=ctft />	Television film
	Into the West	Conquering Bear<ref name=ctft />	Miniseries, 1 episode
	Numb3rs	Chief James Clearwater<ref name=ctft />	1 episode
	Buffalo Dreams	John Blackhorse<ref name=ctft />	Television film
2006	This is Wonderland	Paul Hilliard	1 episode
2010–2011	Being Erica	Dr. Arthur<ref name=vineyard />	Recurring role, 5 episodes
2013	Family Tree	Chief Running Bull<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1 episode
2013–2015	Defiance	Rafe McCawley<ref name=drum />	Main role, 28 episodes
2014–2017	Longmire	Malachi Strand<ref name=raceinamericanfilm />	Recurring role, 12 episodes
2018	Riverdale	Thomas Topaz<ref name=drum>Template:Cite news</ref>	1 episode
	The Detour	Narvin	3 episodes
2019	Project Blue Book	David	1 episode
	Goliath	Littlecrow<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Recurring role, 7 episodes
2020	Blue Ridge	Cliff McGrath<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>	Television film
2021	American Gods	Whiskey Jack	2 episodes
2022	1883	Spotted Eagle<ref name=":7" />	Miniseries, 1 episode
2023	The Last of Us	Marlon<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Episode: "Kin"
	Reservation Dogs	Maximus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	3 episodes
2024	Echo	Skully<ref name=":7" />	Main role, miniseries
	Tulsa King	Old Smoke<ref name=":8" />	Episode: "Triad" S2E9
2025	The Lowdown	Arthur	2 episodes

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2018	Red Dead Redemption 2	Rains Fall<ref name=":7" />	Voice and motion capture

Awards and nominations

Years	Award	Category	Production	Result	Template:Abbr
1989	Dora Mavor Moore	Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Leading Role	Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1991	Academy Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Dances with Wolves	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
1994	Gemini Awards	Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series	The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon	Template:Won	<ref>"Boys wins the night" at playbackonline.ca</ref>
		Best Guest Performance in a Series by an Actor or Actress	North of 60	Template:Nom	<ref>"The 1994 Gemini nominees" at playbackonline.ca</ref>
1997	Indspire Awards	National Aboriginal Achievement Award		Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2000	Grammy Awards	Best Spoken Word Album for Children	Listen to the Storyteller	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2004	Gemini Awards	Earle Grey Award	Lifetime Achievement	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2006	Reelworld Film Festival	Award of Excellence		Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	RNCI Red Nation Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actor	Longmire	Template:Nom	<ref>"2016 Winners and Nominees" at www.rednationff.com</ref>
2025	Governor General's Performing Arts Award			Template:Won	<ref>Cassandra Szklarski, "Music producer Bob Ezrin, actor Graham Greene among Governor General's performing arts laureates". Rocky Mountain Outlook, February 20, 2025.</ref>
2025	Canadian Screen Awards	Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy Film	Seeds	Template:Won	<ref name=CSAs25>"CSAs ‘25: Universal Language takes five at Cinematic Arts Awards" by Jamie Casemore at playbackonline.ca</ref>

See also

• Notable Indigenous people of Canada

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Template:Discogs artist
• Biographical entry at The Canadian Encyclopedia