The iconic Dances With Wolves star Graham Greene has pᴀssed away at the age of 73. He played the medicine man known as Kicking Bird in the 1990 Western film starring Kevin Costner and received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination for his performance.
While he is best known for Dances With Wolves, Greene has starred in an extensive number of movies and television shows, and has been a trailblazing figure for Indigenous actors in Hollywood.
Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Greene pᴀssed away on September 1 in a Toronto hospital after a long illness. His agent, Michael Greene, made a statement regarding the actor’s pᴀssing, which references his previous and longtime agent, Susan Smith, who died in 2013. Check out the statement below:
He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed. You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven.
Graham Greene’s Career & Legacy Explained
Greene was born on the Six Nations Reserve in Ohsweken, Ontario on June 22, 1952. His acting career began on the stage, which led to him performing in both Canadian and English professional theater productions during the 1970s.
His first television role was in a 1979 episode of the Canadian drama The Great Detective, followed by his first movie, Running Brave, in 1983. Greene’s breakout role came when he joined Dances With Wolves‘ cast. His portrayal of Kicking Bird received extensive acclaim and was one of the movie’s 12 Academy Award nominations.
After Dances With Wolves, Greene went on to star in numerous movies, including Maverick, Die Hard With a Vengeance, The Green Mile, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Transamerica, and Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River.
In the years after Wind River, he was cast in the Taylor Sheridan shows 1883 and Tulsa King. He also had memorable roles in FX’s critically acclaimed series Reservation Dogs, an episode of The Last of Us season 1, and in all five episodes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Disney+ show Echo.
The upcoming thriller film Ice Fall will be Greene’s final movie performance, with production having already wrapped in 2024. Ice Fall’s cast also includes Joel Kinnaman, Cara Jade Myers, and Danny Huston.
Our Take On Graham Greene’s Legacy
Along with Greene’s Dances With Wolves performance being worthy of an Academy Award nomination, it opened the door for more Indigenous actors to have opportunities in the movie and television industry. Over time, this not only meant more opportunities for Indigenous actors, but also roles with more nuance that defied stereotypes.
In more recent years, it has been a joy to see him in stories like Reservation Dogs and Echo that serve as a powerful and authentic representation of Indigenous culture. Graham Greene leaves behind an enduring legacy that will continue to be felt as more authentic movies and shows about Indigenous individuals are made.
