Graham Greene (actor)
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Graham Greene (born June 22, 1952) is a
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
( Oneida) actor and recording artist, active in film, television, and theatre. He achieved international fame for his role as Kicking Bird (Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...
's '' Dances with Wolves'' (1990), which earned him an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for Best Supporting Actor. 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 is a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
,
Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...
,
Canadian Screen Award The Canadian Screen Awards () are awards given for artistic and technical merit in the film industry recognizing excellence in Canadian film, English-language television, and digital media ( web series) productions. Given annually by the Academy ...
, and a
Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Awards (also known as the Dora Awards or the Doras) are awards presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), honouring theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moor ...
winner. In 2025, he received the
Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...
.


Early life and career

Greene is an Oneida born in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, the son of John, a paramedic and maintenance man, and Lillian Greene. He lived in
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, as a young man. He is a second cousin once removed of fellow actor Gary Farmer. Before moving into acting, Greene worked as a draftsman, steelworker and welder. He worked as an audio technician for rock bands based in Newfoundland and Labrador, and later related that musician Kelly Jay repeatedly encouraged him to try out for a play. A common misconception is that he graduated from the Toronto-based Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School program. As he noted in a 2012 interview, he "helped run it, as executive director of a school-supporting local arts organization". By the 1970s he began performing in professional theatre in Toronto and England and in 1976 he participated in the
University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
's touring workshop performance of James Reaney's ''Wacousta.'' His television debut was in an episode of '' The Great Detective'' in 1979, and his film debut was in 1983 in '' Running Brave''. 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.


Career


Theatre

Greene frequently worked at the Native Earth Performing Arts, and is well known for his performance in '' Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'' as the affable drunk Pierre St. Pierre. He has also performed in ''The Crackwalker'' and '' History of the Village of the Small Huts.'' In 2007, he appeared as
Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...
in the
Stratford Shakespeare Festival The Stratford Festival is a Repertory theatre, repertory theatre organization that operates from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson (theatre producer), Tom Patterson in 1952, th ...
production of ''
The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...
'' as well as '' Breakfast with Scot''.


Television

In 1984 and 1986, Greene appeared in the First Nations' CBC TV series '' Spirit Bay'' as Pete "Baba" Green. The show was one of the first to show aboriginal life and the interactions between the native and white cultures. In the early 1990s he found guest-star work in several television series. As Leonard Quinhagak on ''
Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents in the fictitious town of Cicely, Alaska, that originally aired on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It rec ...
'' he portrayed a
shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
that helped care for the residents. As a practitioner of shamanism, his character came into direct conflict with the show's other doctor, a traditionally trained professional that (initially) had little use for unorthodox ways. He was cast as Edgar "K.B." Montrose, an explosives enthusiast, on '' The Red Green Show''. His character was asked what he thought of the movie ''Dances with Wolves,'' replying "...the native guy (himself as 'Kicking Bird') was OK. Should have gotten the Oscar. But the rest of it was a yawn!" Greene would portray this character periodically throughout most of the series run, from 1994 through 2006. In 1992, Greene played the role of Ishi, the last Yahi, in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
drama '' The Last of His Tribe,'' and in 1994, he began appearing as Mr. Crabby Tree in the children's series '' The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.'' Greene guested on the sketch comedy show '' Royal Canadian Air Farce'' in 1994. Between 1997 and 2001 he hosted the reality crime documentary show '' Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science''. He starred in the short-lived television series '' Wolf Lake'' in 2001 as Sherman Blackstone along with Lou Diamond Phillips. 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 ''The Beachcombers'' is a Canadian comedy drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for Canadian English-langu ...
''. He also guest starred in five episodes of ''
Being Erica ''Being Erica'' is a Canadian comedy-drama television series that aired on CBC Television, CBC from January 5, 2009, to December 12, 2011. Created by Jana Sinyor, the series was originally announced by the CBC as ''The Session'', but was later r ...
'' as Dr. Arthur in 2010-11. He appeared as himself in a parody of the famous Lakota-brand pain reliever commercials, on
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
's '' Rick Mercer Report''. In 2006, Greene presented the documentary series '' The War that Made America'', about the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
(
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
) of the mid–18th century in North America. He was a guest star in an episode of the TV series ''
Numb3rs ''Numbers'' (stylized as ''NUMB3RS'') is an American crime drama television series that originally aired on CBS from January 23, 2005, to March 12, 2010, with a total of six seasons consisting of 118 episodes. The series was created by Nico ...
'' as a
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
chief. At the urging of actor Lou Diamond Phillips, Greene was cast as a recurring guest star on '' Longmire'', which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017 on A&E and
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
. As Malachi Strand, Greene was able to enjoy playing a villain, with the actor stating "Playing villains is fun. Being nice all the time; it's boring.". In 2023, Greene guest-starred as "Maximus" in the '' Reservation Dogs'' episode of the same name, as well as episodes 8 and 10. He also guest-starred in episode 6 of ''
The Last of Us ''The Last of Us'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across a post-apocalyptic United States ...
''. In 2024, Mr. Greene guest starred in a series, "Tulsa King" S2Ep9,''Triad'' where he appeared as a medicine man by the name, "Old Smoke".


Movies


''Dances with Wolves''

Greene's
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
–nominated role as Kicking Bird (
Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
: ''Ziŋtká Nagwáka'') in the 1990 film '' Dances with Wolves'' showcased his talents to audiences beyond his native Canada. 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. 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." 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, stating "I love the Badlands. My agent said, 'I got a film for you. It's in
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
. And you have to ride a motorcycle.' I said, 'I'm in.' 'Want to read it?' 'Don't have to.'" In 1994's '' Maverick,'' Greene elicited good reviews as the sidekick to
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...
. At a screening of the movie the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' noted that Greene, " s athoroughly modern Native American who exploits his position as a tourist attraction for Russian adventurers", got the most laughs. Greene also acted alongside
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
and Samuel L. Jackson in the 1995 film '' Die Hard with a Vengeance'', where he played Detective Joe Lambert.


''The Green Mile''

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, his nickname was "The Chief". The character's execution is the first witnessed in the movie, and is depicted from start to finish. As it is the first depiction of an execution in the movie, Greene's death is noted as being a fairly accurate portrayal of the procedure. Greene co-starred as Slick Nakai with
Adam Beach Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph in '' Smoke Signals''; Frank Fencepost in '' Dance Me Outside''; Tommy on ''Walker, Texas Ranger''; Kickin' Wing in '' Joe Dirt''; U.S. Marin ...
and
Wes Studi Wesley Studi (; born December 17, 1947) is a Native American (Cherokee Nation) actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. In 2019, he ...
in the film '' A Thief of Time'' (2004) and '' Coyote Waits'', both adapted from
Tony Hillerman Anthony Grove Hillerman (May 27, 1925 – October 26, 2008) was an American author of detective novels and nonfiction works, best known for his mystery novels featuring Navajo Nation Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Several of his w ...
novels of the same names and produced by
Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the ...
.


''Transamerica''

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." Greene worked with
Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized f ...
on '' Molly's Game'' in 2017. In his role as a judge, the actor recalled "Aaron, 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.'" Greene was cast in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
miniseries ''
Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
'' in 2022.


Other work

Greene provided the pre-recorded narration for ''
Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
!'', the highly acclaimed outdoor show held in
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, based upon the life of the illustrious
Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
chief of that name. He portrayed
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...
in a short ''Historica'' vignette. In 2018, Greene acted as the beleaguered Native-American elder Chief Rains Fall in the western-themed video game ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
''.


Personal life

Greene and his wife Hilary Blackmore live outside of Toronto with a "small army of cats". They were married in 1990, and have four children together. He enjoys writing, building boats and playing golf, noting "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." He has stated that he has 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." 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." 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." In 1997, Greene suffered a
major depressive episode A major depressive episode (MDE) is a period characterized by symptoms of major depressive disorder. Those affected primarily exhibit a depressive mood for at least two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in everyday activities. Oth ...
, and had to be hospitalized after a police encounter. He recovered after help from
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
and Samuel L. Jackson. In June 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the Brantford campus of
Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...
. He was appointed a
Member of the Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
(CM) in the 2015 Canadian honours.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Awards and nominations


See also

* Notable Indigenous people of Canada


References


External links

* *
Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Graham 1952 births Canadian male film actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian male television actors Dora Mavor Moore Award winners First Nations male actors Best Supporting Performance in a Film Canadian Screen Award winners Grammy Award winners Living people Oneida First Nation 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 Wilfrid Laurier University people Governor General's Award winners Iroquois actors