Duane Howard (born 1963) is an

Aboriginal Canadian Indigenous peoples in Canada (also known as Aboriginals) are the Indigenous peoples within the boundaries of Canada. They comprise the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, representing roughly 5.0% of the total Canadian population. There are over ...

actor who is best known for his role as the

Arikara The Arikara ( ), also known as Sahnish,
''Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.'' (Retrieved Sep 29, 2011) ...

chief Elk Dog in the 2015 film '' The Revenant''. He has also appeared in ''

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee ''Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West'' is a 1970 non-fiction book by American writer Dee Brown. It explores the history of American expansionism in the American West in the late nineteenth century and its de ...

'' (2007), ''

Pathfinder Pathfinder, Path Finder or Pathfinders may refer to: Aerospace * ''Mars Pathfinder'', a NASA Mars Lander * NASA Pathfinder, a high-altitude, solar-powered uncrewed aircraft * Space Shuttle ''Pathfinder'', a Space Shuttle test simulator Arts and ...

'' (2007), the television series ''Godless'' (2017), '' The Sun at Midnight'' (2016) and other films.

Early years

Howard was born in the

Esperanza Inlet Esperanza Inlet is an inlet on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Its entrance is located off the northwest side of Nootka Island and is defined by a line drawn from Tachu Point to Blind Reef. Until that definition w ...

, located on the west coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

in British Columbia, Canada. He is

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth ( ; ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tri ...

. He spent his early childhood in

Port Alberni Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. Port Alberni currently has a total popu ...

and moved to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

at the age of 14. At age 23, Howard conquered a drug and alcohol addiction and began working as a substance abuse counselor with at-risk youth in Vancouver.

Acting career

A chance meeting with a local talent agent in Vancouver in the early 1990s resulted in walk-on roles in the ''X-Files,'' ''Smallville'' and ''Supernatural'', then to feature roles. Howard has also worked as a stuntman and performed his own stunts for his role in ''The Revenant.'' In media interviews, Howard has said his own experience with loss and hardship informed his portrayal of Elk Dog, a father whose daughter is kidnapped by fur trappers. When

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

dedicated his

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

for ''The Revenant'' to indigenous communities around the world, Howard said he was moved by the speech, and hopes to see more accurate portrayals of Indigenous culture come out of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

Speaking activities

Following his role as Elk Dog, Howard began traveling and speaking about his own experiences to raise awareness about substance abuse, suicide and other issues in indigenous communities. After a state of emergency was declared in

Attawapiskat First Nation The Attawapiskat First Nation ( Cree: , "People of the parting of the rocks"; unpointed: ) is an isolated First Nations in Canada, First Nation located in Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada, at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River on J ...

in April 2016 because of its high rate of suicide, Howard told an interviewer, "People are saying we've got to help our young people, but it takes a community to come together as one. And there's a saying: one heart, one mind, one prayer, we can all move forward."Duane Howard, Revenant actor, shines light on suicide crisis in Attawapiskat, CBC News, Jun 07, 2016
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Awards and nominations

References

External links

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Aboriginal Speaker Series: Duane Howard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Duane Living people 1963 births First Nations male actors People from Port Alberni Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors