Edward Spears (born November 29, 1982) is an Indigenous American actor. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Oyate

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 ...

from the Lower

Brulé The Sicangu are one of the seven ''oyates'', nations or council fires, of Lakota people, an Indigenous people of the Northern Plains. Today, many Sicangu people are enrolled citizens of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation ...

Sioux Tribe of

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 ...

Early life

Spears was born in

Chamberlain, South Dakota Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, at the dammed section of the Lake Francis Case, close to where it is crossed by Interstate 90. The population of Chamberl ...

, near the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation. He has five brothers and one sister; his older brother

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

is also an actor.Eddie Spears Biography Page Spears Brothers Fans http://spearsbrothersfans.webs.com/eddie.htm Retrieved March 19, 2013. Spears grew up on the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation until the first grade when his family moved to

Pierre, South Dakota Pierre ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,091. Pierre is the eleventh-most populous city of South Dakota, and the second-least populo ...

. After that, his family moved to

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen () is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,495. making it the third-most populous city in the state. Aberdeen is home of Northern State University. ...

, where he grew up and attended Aberdeen Central High School.

Career

Acting

Spears began his acting career at age ten. His first role was 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 production of ''

Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...

'', which was shot in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. Spears has said his most rewarding role to date was Shane Chasing Horse in the 2003 film '' Dreamkeeper''. When cast for the lead in the 2004 film '' Black Cloud'' (directed by Rick Schroder), he trained for three months with boxing trainer Jimmy Gambia before filming started. The film is about a

Navajo The Navajo or Diné are an Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language. The states with the largest Diné populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (1 ...

boxer training for the

Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves of America is an organization that promotes annual competitions of amateur boxing in the United States, in which winners are awarded a belt and a ring, and the title of national champion. The organization currently owns 30 fr ...

with the promise of a spot at the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

while struggling with the secrets of his family's past. One of the scenes was filmed in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

during the 2003 Golden Gloves National Championship. In 2011 and 2012, Spears played Joseph Black Moon in

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

's TV series '' Hell On Wheels''. Spears was the voice of "Grey Beaver" in the 2018 animated film ''

White Fang ''White Fang'' is a novel by American author Jack London (1876–1916) about a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication in Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush. First serialized in ''Outing'' magazin ...

''. Recent TV spots include a 2019 supporting role in season 2 of the TV series ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

'' and a cameo in season 2 of '' Rutherford Falls'' on Peacock.

Other work

In 2005, Spears and his brother

modeled for Cochiti Pueblo fashion designer Virgil Ortiz for his "Indigene" clothing line, and were featured on the cover of the August 2005 issue of ''

New Mexico Magazine ''New Mexico Magazine'' was launched in 1923, and is the first state magazine founded in the United States. It is published monthly in print, online, and via an iOS app. Additionally, the magazine also maintains a store, selling New Mexico-relat ...

''.

Awards

*FAITA Best Actor Award in 2004 for Hallmark Entertainment's miniseries ''Dreamkeeper''. *

Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films, documentaries, short films and their creators. Started in 2001, the annual celebration takes place in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The Festival is run under the umbrella of the 5 ...

Best Actor Award in 2004 for his lead role in ''Black Cloud''. *Bronze Wrangler Award at the Western Heritage Awards in 2012 for lead actor in ''Yellow Rock'' * Red Nation Film Festival and Awards: Nominated in 2014 for Best Supporting Actor in TV Movie, Miniseries, Special, Comedy or Pilot as Joseph Black Moon in ''Hell on Wheels'' .

Personal life

Spears co-hosted the 39th Annual American Indian Film Institute Awards in 2014 along with actress

Tonantzin Carmelo Tonantzin Carmelo is an American actress. She is known for her acting roles in film, TV and stage productions including in the Steven Spielberg miniseries, '' Into the West'', for which she received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstand ...

. Spears attended and was a mentor at the second annual HatcH Audiovisual Festival in

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

in October 2005. Spears and his brother Michael also worked with Native Wind and ICOUP (Intertribal Council on Utility Policy), of which their father Patrick Spears was formerly president. ICOUP was formed in 1994 to provide a forum for utility issues discussion from regulatory and economic perspectives.Renaud, Roseanna "KILI celebrates 25 years and wind turbine dedication" http://www.lakotacountrytimes.com/news/2008-08-07/local_news/009.html Lakota Country Times, August 07, 2008. Spears speaks some

. He is an avid outdoorsman, powwow singer, and Traditional and

Grass dance The grass dance or Omaha dance is a style of modern Native American men's pow wow dancing originating in the warrior societies on the Northern Great Plains. Unlike most forms of pow wow dancing, the grass dance regalia generally has no feathers ...

r. He also travels nationally as a keynote speaker. He currently resides in

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * * Spears Brothers Fans {{DEFAULTSORT:Spears, Eddie American male film actors Native American male actors 1982 births Living people Male models from South Dakota American environmentalists Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe people Male actors from South Dakota Native American environmentalists People from Chamberlain, South Dakota People from Aberdeen, South Dakota People from Pierre, South Dakota 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Central High School (Aberdeen, South Dakota) alumni 20th-century Native American people 21st-century Native American people Activists from South Dakota Native American male models Lakota male actors