10 Famous Native American Actors

The first major Native American performances within American cinema emerged from the 20th century onwards. Most of the roles were typical stereotypes with negative connotations. In general, they always appeared representing basic characters, with little development, in the form of ignorant, aggressive or wild people and with a unkempt appearance. This can be observed, even if marginally (along with important characters and noble sights), in the highest grossing films in history, such as Dances with Wolves , The Last of the Mohicans or Geronimo .

However, in recent decades, this has been changing, and today the talents of Native American actors can be appreciated in a wide variety of non-stereotypical characters.

Here is a list of native actors who are very popular among movie lovers.

List of the 10 most famous Native American actors

Will Rogers

Will Rogers (1879-1935) was one of the most popular actors in the golden age of Hollywood. He belonged to a Cherokee family from Oklahoma, United States.

Before becoming an actor, Will Rogers was a cowboy noted for his skill with a lasso and his sense of humor. He participated in several films related to the Wild West, and also in comedies.

Some of his best known films are:

• Ambassador without portfolio (1931).
• Doctor Bull (1933).
• Judge Priest (1934).
• A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1934).
• In Old Kentucky (1935).

burt reynolds

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (1939-2018) known as Burt Reynolds, was an American actor and film director of Cherokee descent. His career is one of the most prolific in Hollywood, having starred in more than 100 films.

In addition, he was considered a sex symbol and one of the most popular stars of the 1970s. He received two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy. Also, he was nominated for an Oscar, in the category of Best Supporting Actor, for the movie Boogie Nights (1997).

Among his most famous films are:

• 100 Rifles (1969)
• The Bonebreaker (1974)
• The cheeks (1977)
• The Cannonball Fools (1979)
• Striptease (1999)
• Driven (2001)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
• Transformers (2007)
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2018)

Russell Means

Russell Charles Means (1939-2012) was an American actor from the Lakota tribe. In addition to being a great activist in favor of the rights of American Indians, he was a member of the American Indian Movement and was a candidate for the Libertarian Party in 1988.

In Hollywood, he stood out for his role in the film The Last of the Mohicans (1992), where he played Chingachgook. Also, he was the voice of Powhatan, one of the characters in the famous Disney movie, Pocahontas (1995).

In addition to his participation in these films, his performances stand out in the following:

• Born Killers (1994)
• Caravan to the East (1994)
• Hiawata’s Song (1997)
• Cowboy up (2001)
• Black Cloud (2004)
• The Gorge Guide (2007)

Graham Greene

Graham Greene (1952-) is a Canadian actor of Oneida descent, an ethnic group belonging to the Iroquois Confederacy, a native community originating from the current territories of the state of New York.

After doing all kinds of jobs in his youth, Graham Greene decided to pursue acting. He rose to international fame in 1990 with the film Danza con lobos ( Dancing with wolves in Spain), where he played the character Ave que patea , a Sioux chief. For this role he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

In recent years he was also popular for his participation in the Twilight Saga, in the role of Harry Clearwater, a friend of Bella’s father.

This actor has been part of a large number of films and has one of the longest careers in Hollywood. Among his most important films and series, the following stand out:

• Running Brave (1983)
• Revolution (1985)
• Thunderheart (1992)
• Maverick (1994)
• Die Hard 3: Vengeance (1995)
• Into the West (2005)
• Twilight, The Saga (2008- 2009-2010-2011-2012)

Wes Studio

Wes Studi (1947-) is an American actor of Cherokee origin who was born in Oklahoma. Throughout his Hollywood career, he has played different roles as Native Americans. In his youth he became an activist for the defense of aboriginal rights. He also fought in the Vietnam War.

Wes Studi began his film career in 1988, and since then he has participated in more than 50 films. In 2019 he received the honorary Oscar for his lifetime achievement and became the first Native American to receive this award.

Some of his most famous films are:

• Dances with Wolves (1990) .
• The Last of the Mohicans (1992) .
• Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) .
• Street Fighter (1994) .
• The Man Who Whispered to Horses (1998) .
• The New World (2005) .
• Avatar (2009) .
• A thousand ways to bite the dust (2014) .

Tantoo Cardinal

Rose Marie “Tantoo” Cardinal (1950-) is a Canadian actress and activist of French and Cree descent, an ethnic group native to Canada. From her grandmother she learned the Cree dialect and customs.

From the beginning of his career, Tantoo was committed to defending the rights of Native Americans and ecology.

In 2009, he was honored as a Member of the Order of Canada for his contribution to the development of Aboriginal performing arts, as well as for his artistic career and the creation of the Saskatchewan Native Theater Company.

In his filmography the following films stand out:

• Marie-Anne (1978) .
• Dances with Wolves (1990) .
• Passion Legends (1994) .
• Sioux City (1994) .
• Smoke Signals (1998) .
• The Grizzlies (2018) .

Irene Bedard

Actress Irene Bedard (1967-) was born in Alaska, and is of Iñupiat and Crei ancestry, two ethnic groups from North America.

Irene Bedard’s film debut was with Lakota Woman (1994), and her performance received critical acclaim. However, her international fame came with the Disney movies: Squanto , Story of a Warrior (1994), where she played Nakooma, the protagonist’s wife. She also gave the voice to the character of Pocahontas and her face served as inspiration for the 1995 animated film and its various sequels to date.

In his career his roles also stand out in:

• Navajo Blues (1996) .
• Smoke Signals (1998) .
• Into de West (2005) .
• Wildflowers (1999) .
• The Tree of Life (2011) .

Sacheen Littlefeather

Marie Louise Cruz (1946-), known as Sacheen Littlefeather, is an American actress, model, and activist of Apache and Yaqui descent.

Although he made different films in the 1970s, his rise to fame occurred in 1973. It was when he attended the Oscars on behalf of Marlon Brando. He had been nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Godfather , but he decided to boycott the ceremony to protest the way Native Americans were portrayed in Hollywood. Sacheen Littletfeather turned down the Oscar on Brando’s behalf and became famous.

Sacheen also caused quite a stir when photos from a shoot she had done for Playboy a year earlier were released later that year. Among her most outstanding films are:

• The policeman who laughs (1973) .
• The Billy Jack Trial (1974) .
• Winterhawk (1975) .

And the documentaries:

• Reel Injun (2009) .
• Sacheen (2018) .

Adam Beach

Adam Beach (1972-) is a Canadian actor of Anishinaabe descent, a group to which the Ojibwe, Odawa and Algonquin tribes belong.

Adam and his siblings grew up on the Lake Manitoba Aboriginal Reservation and were orphaned when they were young. They were raised by their uncles in Winnipeg.

His acting career began at the age of 18, with his work in series such as Lost in the Barrens (1990) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1993). He but he achieved fame with his performances in the films Squanto, the legend of a warrior (1994) and Smoke signals (1998).

In most of his roles he played Native Americans Navajo, Sioux, Patuxet, Ojibwe, Cree, Cheyenne, and others.

In addition to the mentioned movies, Adam Beach also acted in:

• Skinwalkers (2002) .
• War Codes (2002) .
• Flags of our fathers (2005) .
• Cowboys and Aliens (2011) .
• Suicide Squad (2016) .
• The New Mutants (2020) .

Jason Momoa

Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa, better known as Jason Momoa, is an American model and actor who descends from native Hawaiian aborigines.

He debuted as an actor in the famous series Guardians of the Bay (1999-2001) and achieved international fame with the Game of Thrones series (2011-2012) where he played the role of the unforgettable Dothraki warrior and leader Khal Drogo.

His most famous films include:

• Conan the Barbarian (2011) .
• Wolves (2014) .
• Batman and Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) .
• Justice League (2017) .
• Aquaman (2018) .
• The Big Lego Adventure 2 (2019) .
• Dunes (2021) .
• Sweetgirl (2021) .

Other famous Native American actors

Other famous Hollywood actors who have Aboriginal roots are as follows:

• Benjamin Bratt (1963-) is an American actor of Quechua descent. He is known for his roles in Miss Special Agent (2000), Catwoman (2004), among others, and the series Law and Order (1994-1999).
• Jay Tavare (1971-) is an American actor of Navajo origin. He is famous for his character Vega in the movie Street Fighter (1994). He was also part of the cast of the movie Into the West (2005).
• Chaske Spencer (1975-) is an American actor of Lakota, Cherokee, Muscogui and Nez Percés origin. He stood out for playing the werewolf leader, Sam Uley, in the Twilight Saga (2009–2012).
• Rudy Youngblood (1982-) is American and is of Yaqui and Comanche descent. He is famous for the leading role of him in the movie Apocalypto (2006).
• Yalitza Aparicio (1993-) is a Mexican actress of Mixtec descent, nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for her role in the film Roma (2018).
• Forrest Goodluck: (1998-) is an American actor of Navajo, Tsimshian, Hidatsa and Mandan (Sioux) origin. He rose to fame for his role in the movie The Revenant (2015).

Bibliography

• Dunbar-Ortiz, R. America’s Indian History. (2020). Spain. Captain Swing.
• Rice, Corinne. (2020, November 16). 8 Essential Movies About Native American Experiences. AARP. Available at: https://www.aarp.org/espanol/entretenimiento/cine-y-television/info-2020/peliculas-de-nativos-estadounidenses.html