Michael Greyeyes (born June 4, 1967) 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 ...

( Muskeg Lake Cree Nation) actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and educator. In 1996, Greyeyes portrayed

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse ( , ; – September 5, 1877) was a Lakota people, Lakota war leader of the Oglala band. He took up arms against the United States federal government to fight against encroachment by White Americans, White American settlers on Nativ ...

in the television film ''

''. In 2018, Greyeyes 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 ''

Woman Walks Ahead ''Woman Walks Ahead'' is a 2017 biographical drama Western film directed by Susanna White and written by Steven Knight. The film is the story of Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain), a portrait painter who travels from New York City to the Dakot ...

'' to critical acclaim. He has also had TV roles on ''

Fear the Walking Dead ''Fear the Walking Dead'' is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson for AMC. It is a spin-off to '' The Walking Dead'', which is based on the comic book series of the same na ...

'', ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American Anthology series, anthology Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto for the premium cable network HBO. The series premiered on January 12, 2014, and ...

'' and '' I Know This Much Is True''. In 2021–2022, he had a main role in the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

sitcom ''

Rutherford Falls ''Rutherford Falls'' is an American sitcom television series that premiered on the streaming service Peacock on April 22, 2021. It was created by Ed Helms, Michael Schur, and Sierra Teller Ornelas. In July 2021, the series was renewed for a seco ...

''. He had a recurring role in the first season of the

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

western series ''

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

''. He won the

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 ...

for Best Actor at the

9th Canadian Screen Awards The 9th Canadian Screen Awards were presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television from 17–20 May 2021 to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2020. The presentations were held as a seri ...

in 2021, for his performance in the

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror ...

Blood Quantum Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws that define Native Americans in the United States status by fractions of Native American ancestry. These laws were enacted by the Federal government of the United States, federal government and S ...

''.

Life and career

Born in Saskatchewan, Greyeyes is Plains Cree from the Muskeg Lake First Nation. His father was from the Muskeg Lake First Nation and his mother was from the Sweetgrass First Nation, both located in Saskatchewan. Greyeyes started his performance career as a dancer. He is a graduate of The National Ballet School in 1984. He became an apprentice with The National Ballet of Canada before joining the company as a Corps de Ballet member in 1987. After three years, he moved to New York City in 1990 to join the company of modern dance choreographer

Eliot Feld Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are involved in dance and dance ed ...

. Greyeyes performed in many of Feld's seminal works, including ''Intermezzo'', ''Skara Brae'', and ''The Jig is Up''. He performed in roles created for him in such ballets as ''Common Ground'' and ''Bloom's Wake''. After years of also working as an actor, Greyeyes later completed his master's degree in Fine Arts at the School of Theatre and Dance at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

and graduated in May 2003. Greyeyes began his acting career in 1993, when he was cast as Juh in

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

's ''Geronimo''. This role led to numerous television appearances, including guest-starring performances in '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', and ''

Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

''. In 1998 he starred in '' Stolen Women, Captured Hearts'', with

Janine Turner Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt; December 6, 1962) is an American actress best known for her roles as Maggie O'Connell in the television series ''Northern Exposure'', as Jessie Deighan in the feature film ''Cliffhanger'', and as Katie ...

and Patrick Bergen. He is featured in the mini-series ''Klondike'', ''

Dreamkeeper ''Dreamkeeper'' is a 2003 film written by John Fusco and directed by Steve Barron. The main plot of the film is the conflict between a Lakota elder and storyteller named Pete Chasing Horse (August Schellenberg) and his Lakota grandson, Shane Ch ...

'', ''Rough Riders'', ''Big Bear'', and '' True Women''. His films include: ''

Dance Me Outside ''Dance Me Outside'' is a 1994 Canadian drama film, directed by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella.Rob Salem, "Dance Me Outside struts a lively two-step". ''Toronto Star'', March 10, 1995. The film premiered at the 1994 T ...

'', ''Smoke Signals'', ''Sunshine State'', '' Skipped Parts'', ''

Skinwalkers In Navajo culture, a skin-walker () is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. The yee naaldlooshii, translating to "by means of it, it goes on ...

'' (based on the book by

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 ...

), and ''

'' (2017), in which he played Chief

opposite

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...

as a portrait painter. Greyeyes also continued his dance research on the modern form of traditional dancing,

Powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...

. His journey of exploration was documented in ''He Who Dreams: Michael on the Powwow Trail'' for

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 ...

by Adrienne Clarkson. He choreographed and performed in Rebecca Belmore's durational performance art work ''Gone Indian'' for Toronto's ''Nuit Blanche''. Greyeyes continues to act and dance regularly. His more recent works include '' The New World'' directed by

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (; born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers and received awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and ...

, ''Tecumseh's Vision'', a PBS documentary/live action drama, and ''Passchendaele'', which opened the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. ''Triptych'' (a short film broadcast nationally on Bravo! Television), and ''Untitled #1535'' is a site-specific dance work he choreographed for Dusk Dances. ''The Journey'' (''Pimooteewin'') is an opera he directed with music by

Melissa Hui Melissa Hui is a Chinese-Canadian composer and pianist. She was born in 1966 in Hong Kong and currently resides in Montreal where she has been a faculty member at McGill University since 2010. Notable works by this artist include ''and blue spar ...

and libretto by

Tomson Highway Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous peoples in Canada, Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, children's author and musician. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', ...

. He did the voice of protagonist Tommy Tawodi in the 2006 action game ''

Prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

''. He played a recurring role on ''

Fear The Walking Dead ''Fear the Walking Dead'' is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series created by Robert Kirkman and Dave Erickson for AMC. It is a spin-off to '' The Walking Dead'', which is based on the comic book series of the same na ...

'' (2017). In 2010, Greyeyes founded Signal Theatre, a company that explores intercultural and transdisciplinary live performance. As Artistic Director and choreographer, he has overseen the creation of three major works, including ''From thine eyes'' (Harbourfront Centre), ''Nôhkom'' (The Banff Centre), and ''A Soldier's Tale'' (Fleck Dance Theatre), a work examining the aftermath of war upon soldiers and their families. He has said that he "was not interested in staging ethnicity." ''A Soldier's Tale'' was co-produced by The National Arts Centre and The Canada Dance Festival and opened the 2014 Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa at the NAC Theatre. Signal Theater has also produced installations and performance art works, such as ''Winter Home'', which premiered in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Greyeyes won the

for Best Actor at the

in 2021, for his performance in the

''.Zach Harper
"'Schitt's Creek' and 'Kim's Convenience' win big at 2021 Canadian Screen Awards"
''

Hello! Canada ''Hello! Canada'' is a Canadian entertainment magazine. Launched in 2006 by Rogers Media, the magazine was licensed as a local edition of the Spanish ''¡Hola!'' brand of entertainment magazines. Prior to its launch, the British edition '' Hello!' ...

'', May 21, 2021. He has played the main role of Terry Thomas, CEO of a fictional tribe's casino on the Peacock TV series ''

'' (2021-2022). In 2021 Greyeyes was signed to a first look deal with

Blumhouse Productions Blumhouse Productions, LLC, doing business as Blumhouse (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH), is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum and Amy Israel. Blumhouse is known mainly fo ...

. Greyeyes appears as John Rainbird in the 2022 film '' Firestarter'', based on the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

novel of the same name. In 2023 he participated as one of the panelists in ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

'', championing Emily St. John Mandel's novel '' Station Eleven''. He has directed episodes of the television series '' Acting Good''. In 2024 his first short film, ''The Light Before the Sun'', premiered at the Hamilton International Film Festival.Nicholas Sokic
"Blackbird Productions takes flight with Michael Greyeyes film"
'' Playback'', October 2, 2024.

Personal life

Greyeyes is an associate professor of theatre at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

. He is married to Nancy Latoszewski. They have two daughters, Lilia and Eva, born in 2002 and 2004.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greyeyes, Michael 1967 births 20th-century Canadian male actors 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century First Nations people Best Actor Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian male video game actors Canadian television directors Cree male actors Film directors from Saskatchewan First Nations filmmakers Kent State University alumni Living people Male actors from Saskatchewan