Adam Beach
Encyclopedia
Adam Ruebin Beach is a Canadian Saulteaux
actor.
He is best known for his roles as Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger
, Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt
, Marine Private First Class
Ira Hayes
in Flags of Our Fathers
, Private Ben Yazzie in Windtalkers
, Dr. Charles Eastman
(Ohiyesa) in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
, Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, and Officer Jim Chee
in the film adaptions of Skinwalkers
, Coyote Waits
, and A Thief of Time
.
, Adam Beach grew up with his two brothers on the Dog Creek First Nation Reserve at Lake Manitoba
. When he was eight, his mother, Sally Beach, who was eight months pregnant with a girl, was killed by a drunk driver. Eight weeks after her death, his father, Dennis Beach, was stricken with grief and was found nearby the community and had drowned. Since he was drunk at the time, it is unclear whether his death was an accident, or if he committed suicide. Beach and his two brothers initially went to live with their grandmother, who had spent her own childhood in one of the assimilationist Indian residential schools. He lived with his grandmother from age 8 to 12. Five years after their parents' deaths, the three brothers were taken to Winnipeg
to live with an aunt and uncle; Agnes and Chris Beach (his father's brother). He refers to his uncle Chris as "dad".
Beach attended a drama class at Gordon Bell High School
. He began performing in local theatre productions, and eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People
. Beach will appear in an upcoming movie as Tommy Prince
in "Tommy Prince: Prince of the Devil"
, based on the Farley Mowat
novel. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest-starred on television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger
and Touched by an Angel
. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television shows North of 60
and The Rez
.
After his performance in Dance Me Outside
he starred in Smoke Signals
, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
. He took a small role in Disney's Mystery
, Alaska in 1999 and in 2000 accepted a role in the thriller, The Last Stop. Beach then appeared in The Art of Woo
and the 2001 hit Joe Dirt
as Kicking Wing, a Native American fireworks salesman.
In 2002, Windtalkers
, starring Beach, came out in theatres. To prepare for this role, Beach spent six months learning the Navajo language
. He was also able to use this skill in his next project, Skinwalkers
, directed by Chris Eyre
, who gave him his breakout role in Smoke Signals
.
Between large-scale projects, Beach made small television appearances on such shows as JAG
and Third Watch
. Also, in 2003, he returned to the character that he first portrayed in Skinwalkers
in the movie Coyote Waits
. He also made a guest appearance in the hit show The Dead Zone
as a Native shaman (in the episode "Shaman").
In 2006, Beach portrayed Ira Hayes
in Clint Eastwood
's feature film Flags of Our Fathers
. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother and his best friend died. Beach commented, "And if you add those up, there's a lot of emotion. When you're doing a movie, when you let go emotionally, there's nothing to grab onto," he said about the deaths. About playing the part, Beach said, "For me, playing Ira was a meaningful relationship. I would call it – trying to find out how he was, or how he thought and felt". The movie won two Academy Award nominations and Beach was nominated for multiple Best Supporting Actor honors.
In 2007, Beach starred in HBO Films
' adaptation of Dee Brown
's history, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
. In the film, Beach portrays the Sioux
advocate, author and medical doctor Charles Eastman
(Dakota
name, Ohiyesa) and his changing understanding of Aboriginal-US relations during the period leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre
.
In addition to starring in the Canadian television series Moose TV
, Beach is executive-producing and starring in the movie Older Than America, the independent feature filmed in Cloquet, Minnesota mostly on the Fond du Lac
Ojibwe reservation. He also joined the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Detective Chester Lake for the show's ninth season after guest-starring in season eight. However, in April 2008, TV Guide
announced that he would not return for the show's tenth season.
In 2006, Beach unsuccessfully attempted to run for the leadership of his Lake Manitoba First Nation, but has stated he will try again during the next election.
Starting in 2009, Beach plays a supporting role on the HBO series, Big Love
as a manager in an Indian casino with Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton
).
On February 10, 2010 it was announced that Beach will portray Tommy Prince
, the Canadian war hero, in an upcoming movie about his life. According to Bay Film Studios, the movie will be a "true account of Canada's most highly decorated First Nations soldier." Beach said he is honoured to portray Prince, calling him a positive role model for all First Nations.
In 2011, Beach returned to Canada and is set to star in the TV series Arctic Air, which will premiere in January, 2012.
Saulteaux
The Saulteaux are a First Nation in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.-Ethnic classification:The Saulteaux are a branch of the Ojibwe nations. They are sometimes also called Anihšināpē . Saulteaux is a French term meaning "people of the rapids," referring to...
actor.
He is best known for his roles as Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
, Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
, Marine Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Ira Hayes
Ira Hayes
Ira Hamilton Hayes was a Pima Native American and an American Marine who was one of the six men immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Arizona, and enlisted in the Marine...
in Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers (film)
is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved...
, Private Ben Yazzie in Windtalkers
Windtalkers
Windtalkers is a 2002 action war film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers in Saipan during World War II.-Plot:World War II Sgt...
, Dr. Charles Eastman
Charles Eastman
Charles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry...
(Ohiyesa) in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (film)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on which the movie is based is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the...
, Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, and Officer Jim Chee
Jim Chee
Jim Chee is one of two Navajo Tribal Police detectives in a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. Unlike his superior Joe Leaphorn, the "Legendary Lieutenant", Chee wants to be a staunch believer in traditional Navajo culture; indeed, he is studying to be a traditional healer at the same...
in the film adaptions of Skinwalkers
Skinwalkers (2002 film)
Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn...
, Coyote Waits
Coyote Waits
Coyote Waits is a novel by Tony Hillerman. It was adapted as a TV film, which aired in 2003.-Coyote Waits :The plot involves rock formation vandalism, a dead policeman, an elderly Navajo accused of his murder, a bottle of expensive scotch, and a book on Navajo witchcraft beliefs.This book...
, and A Thief of Time
A Thief of Time
A Thief of Time is the eighth novel by author Tony Hillerman.The plot involves the Anasazi, a missing archeologist, a stolen backhoe, and people who are termed "pot hunters".Characters include Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee....
.
Early life
Born in Ashern, ManitobaAshern, Manitoba
Ashern is a Canadian community located in the Rural Municipality of Siglunes, in Manitoba's Interlake region. The RM of Siglunes was incorporated in 1917. The village of Ashern was named after A. S...
, Adam Beach grew up with his two brothers on the Dog Creek First Nation Reserve at Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba
Lake Manitoba is Canada's thirteenth largest lake and the world's 33rd largest freshwater lake. It is in central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which is named after the lake...
. When he was eight, his mother, Sally Beach, who was eight months pregnant with a girl, was killed by a drunk driver. Eight weeks after her death, his father, Dennis Beach, was stricken with grief and was found nearby the community and had drowned. Since he was drunk at the time, it is unclear whether his death was an accident, or if he committed suicide. Beach and his two brothers initially went to live with their grandmother, who had spent her own childhood in one of the assimilationist Indian residential schools. He lived with his grandmother from age 8 to 12. Five years after their parents' deaths, the three brothers were taken to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
to live with an aunt and uncle; Agnes and Chris Beach (his father's brother). He refers to his uncle Chris as "dad".
Beach attended a drama class at Gordon Bell High School
Gordon Bell High School
Gordon Bell High School is a public junior and senior high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.-Facilities:*There is a child-care centre on campus, intended for use by students with children...
. He began performing in local theatre productions, and eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Manitoba Theatre for Young People is a theatre for children and young adults in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was originally founded in 1965 as Actors' Showcase and incorporated in 1977. In 1982, it became a professional theatre devoted to young people...
. Beach will appear in an upcoming movie as Tommy Prince
Tommy Prince
Thomas George "Tommy" Prince, MM was one of Canada's most decorated First Nations soldiers, serving in World War II and the Korean War.-Early life:...
in "Tommy Prince: Prince of the Devil"
Career
At age 18, Beach won a small role in the miniseries Lost in the BarrensLost in the Barrens
Lost in the Barrens is a children's novel by Farley Mowat, first published in 1956. Some editions used the title Two Against the North....
, based on the Farley Mowat
Farley Mowat
Farley McGill Mowat, , born May 12, 1921 is a conservationist and one of Canada's most widely-read authors.His works have been translated into 52 languages and he has sold more than 14 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Canadian North, such as People of the...
novel. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest-starred on television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger
Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full...
and Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television shows North of 60
North of 60
North of 60 is a mid-1990s Canadian television series depicting life in the sub-Arctic northern boreal forest . It first aired on CBC Television in 1992 and was syndicated around the world. It is set in the fictional community of Lynx River, a primarily Native-run town depicted as being in the...
and The Rez
The Rez
The Rez was a first nations, Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. Most of the characters were based on W.P...
.
After his performance in Dance Me Outside
Dance Me Outside
Dance Me Outside is a 1995 drama film directed and co-written by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella,-Plot:Set on the Kidabanesee reserve in Northern Ontario. Silas Crow is a young man confused about his direction in life; he wants to take an automobile mechanic's course in...
he starred in Smoke Signals
Smoke Signals (film)
Smoke Signals is an independent film directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was...
, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. He took a small role in Disney's Mystery
Mystery, Alaska
Mystery, Alaska is a 1999 drama directed by Jay Roach about a fictional small-town ice hockey team that plays a game against the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. It was shot in Banff National Park and Canmore, Alberta.-Plot:...
, Alaska in 1999 and in 2000 accepted a role in the thriller, The Last Stop. Beach then appeared in The Art of Woo
The Art of Woo
The Art of Woo is a 2001 Canadian romantic comedy. Written and directed by Helen Lee, the film stars Sook-Yin Lee.- Plot :Alessa Woo , an art gallery employee, is caught up in trying to present a wealthy and powerful image for the sake of her career, but finds her plans unexpectedly complicated...
and the 2001 hit Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
as Kicking Wing, a Native American fireworks salesman.
In 2002, Windtalkers
Windtalkers
Windtalkers is a 2002 action war film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers in Saipan during World War II.-Plot:World War II Sgt...
, starring Beach, came out in theatres. To prepare for this role, Beach spent six months learning the Navajo language
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
. He was also able to use this skill in his next project, Skinwalkers
Skinwalkers (2002 film)
Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn...
, directed by Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre
Chris Eyre , an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, is a film director and producer.His films focus on all aspects of contemporary Native American life, while dispelling the usual stereotypes. Eyre's debut film, Smoke Signals , won the coveted Sundance Film Festival Filmmakers...
, who gave him his breakout role in Smoke Signals
Smoke Signals (film)
Smoke Signals is an independent film directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was...
.
Between large-scale projects, Beach made small television appearances on such shows as JAG
JAG (TV series)
JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
and Third Watch
Third Watch
Third Watch is an American television drama series which first aired on NBC from 1999 to 2005 for a total of 132 episodes, broadcast in 6 seasons of 22 episodes each....
. Also, in 2003, he returned to the character that he first portrayed in Skinwalkers
Skinwalkers (2002 film)
Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn...
in the movie Coyote Waits
Coyote Waits
Coyote Waits is a novel by Tony Hillerman. It was adapted as a TV film, which aired in 2003.-Coyote Waits :The plot involves rock formation vandalism, a dead policeman, an elderly Navajo accused of his murder, a bottle of expensive scotch, and a book on Navajo witchcraft beliefs.This book...
. He also made a guest appearance in the hit show The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone (TV series)
The Dead Zone, aka Stephen King's Dead Zone is an American-Canadian science fiction/suspense series starring Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, who discovers he has developed psychic abilities after a coma...
as a Native shaman (in the episode "Shaman").
In 2006, Beach portrayed Ira Hayes
Ira Hayes
Ira Hamilton Hayes was a Pima Native American and an American Marine who was one of the six men immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Arizona, and enlisted in the Marine...
in Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's feature film Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers (film)
is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved...
. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother and his best friend died. Beach commented, "And if you add those up, there's a lot of emotion. When you're doing a movie, when you let go emotionally, there's nothing to grab onto," he said about the deaths. About playing the part, Beach said, "For me, playing Ira was a meaningful relationship. I would call it – trying to find out how he was, or how he thought and felt". The movie won two Academy Award nominations and Beach was nominated for multiple Best Supporting Actor honors.
In 2007, Beach starred in HBO Films
HBO Films
HBO Films is a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. While much of HBO Films' output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection and the mini-series Band of Brothers, Pacific, Generation Kill and Angels in...
' adaptation of Dee Brown
Dee Brown (novelist)
Dorris Alexander "Dee" Brown was an American novelist and historian.His most famous work, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee details some of the violence and oppression suffered by Native Americans at the hands of American expansionism.-Life:Born in Alberta, Louisiana, a sawmill town, Brown grew up in...
's history, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (film)
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on which the movie is based is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the...
. In the film, Beach portrays the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
advocate, author and medical doctor Charles Eastman
Charles Eastman
Charles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry...
(Dakota
Dakota language
Dakota is a Siouan language spoken by the Dakota people of the Sioux tribes. Dakota is closely related to and mutually intelligible with the Lakota language.-Dialects:...
name, Ohiyesa) and his changing understanding of Aboriginal-US relations during the period leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
.
In addition to starring in the Canadian television series Moose TV
Moose TV
Moose TV is a Canadian television sitcom, airing on Showcase in the 2007-08 television season.The show stars Adam Beach as George Keeshig, a Cree from the fictional community of Moose in northern Quebec, who returns home after a decade living in Toronto to become manager of the local community...
, Beach is executive-producing and starring in the movie Older Than America, the independent feature filmed in Cloquet, Minnesota mostly on the Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is an Anishinaabe band located near Cloquet, Minnesota. Their land-base is the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation , located mainly in Carlton and St...
Ojibwe reservation. He also joined the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
as Detective Chester Lake for the show's ninth season after guest-starring in season eight. However, in April 2008, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
announced that he would not return for the show's tenth season.
In 2006, Beach unsuccessfully attempted to run for the leadership of his Lake Manitoba First Nation, but has stated he will try again during the next election.
Starting in 2009, Beach plays a supporting role on the HBO series, Big Love
Big Love
Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
as a manager in an Indian casino with Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
).
On February 10, 2010 it was announced that Beach will portray Tommy Prince
Tommy Prince
Thomas George "Tommy" Prince, MM was one of Canada's most decorated First Nations soldiers, serving in World War II and the Korean War.-Early life:...
, the Canadian war hero, in an upcoming movie about his life. According to Bay Film Studios, the movie will be a "true account of Canada's most highly decorated First Nations soldier." Beach said he is honoured to portray Prince, calling him a positive role model for all First Nations.
In 2011, Beach returned to Canada and is set to star in the TV series Arctic Air, which will premiere in January, 2012.
Personal life
Beach has two sons, Noah (born 1996) and Luke (born 1998), with his first wife Meredith Porter. He also has one daughter, Phoenix, born October 2008 with girlfriend Summer. Briefly dated Tania Jacko in 2010.Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | American Indian Film Festival American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated to Native American films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute.... |
Best Actor | Dance Me Outside Dance Me Outside Dance Me Outside is a 1995 drama film directed and co-written by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella,-Plot:Set on the Kidabanesee reserve in Northern Ontario. Silas Crow is a young man confused about his direction in life; he wants to take an automobile mechanic's course in... |
|
| First American in the Arts Awards | Best Actor | My Indian Summer | ||
| 1998 | San Diego World Film Festival | Best Actor | Smoke Signals Smoke Signals (film) Smoke Signals is an independent film directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was... |
|
| 2006 | Broadcast Film Critics Association Broadcast Film Critics Association The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics.... |
Best Supporting Actor | Flags of Our Fathers Flags of Our Fathers (film) is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved... |
|
| Satellite Awards Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama... |
Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 2007 | American Indian Film Festival American Indian Film Festival The American Indian Film Festival is an annual non-profit film festival in San Francisco. It is the world's oldest venue dedicated to Native American films and prepared the way for the 1979 formation of the American Indian Film Institute.... |
Best Actor | Luna: Spirit of the Whale | |
| 2008 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Best Actor — Mini-Series or Television Film | Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (film) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on which the movie is based is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the... |
|
| Image Awards | Outstanding Actor | |||
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Lost in the Barrens Lost in the Barrens Lost in the Barrens is a children's novel by Farley Mowat, first published in 1956. Some editions used the title Two Against the North.... |
Hunting Party Member | |
| 1993 | Spirit Rider | Paul LeBlanc | |
| 1994 | Squanto: A Warrior's Tale Squanto: A Warrior's Tale Squanto: A Warrior's Tale is a 1994 theatrical live action Disney adventure film. It was written by Darlene Craviato. Xavier Koller and Christopher Stoia were the directors. It is very loosely based on the actual historical Native American figure Squanto, and his life prior to and including the... |
Squanto Squanto Tisquantum was a Patuxet. He was the Native American who assisted the Pilgrims after their first winter in the New World and was integral to their survival. The Patuxet tribe was a tributary of the Wampanoag Confederacy.-Biography:Squanto's exact date of birth is unknown but many historians... |
Patuxet Patuxet The Patuxet are an extinct Native American tribe of the Wampanoag tribal confederation. They lived primarily in and around the area of what has since been settled as Plymouth, Massachusetts.-Devastation:... |
| 1995 | Billy Little Plume | ||
| 1995 | Dance Me Outside Dance Me Outside Dance Me Outside is a 1995 drama film directed and co-written by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by W.P. Kinsella,-Plot:Set on the Kidabanesee reserve in Northern Ontario. Silas Crow is a young man confused about his direction in life; he wants to take an automobile mechanic's course in... |
Frank Fencepost | Ojibwa Ojibwa The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit... |
| 1995 | My Indian Summer | Ben | |
| 1996 | Charlie | Ojibwa Ojibwa The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit... |
|
| 1996 | Coyote Summer Coyote Summer Coyote Summer is a 1996 American family film about a troubled teenager spending the summer on a horse ranch. It was shot in St. George and Virgin, Utah.-Plot:... |
Rafe Acuna | |
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Chibiabos | Seneca Seneca nation The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in... |
| 1998 | Smoke Signals Smoke Signals (film) Smoke Signals is an independent film directed and co-produced by Chris Eyre and with a screenplay by Sherman Alexie, based on the short story "This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona" from his book Lone Ranger and Tonto: Fistfight in Heaven. It won several awards and accolades, and was... |
Victor Joseph | Spokane Spokane (tribe) The Spokane are a Native American people in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Washington. The Spokane Indian Reservation, at , is located in eastern Washington, almost entirely in Stevens County, but includes two very small parcels of land and part of the Spokane River in... |
| 1999 | Mystery Mystery, Alaska Mystery, Alaska is a 1999 drama directed by Jay Roach about a fictional small-town ice hockey team that plays a game against the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. It was shot in Banff National Park and Canmore, Alberta.-Plot:... , Alaska |
Galin Winetka | |
| 2000 | Jason | ||
| 2001 | Joe Dirt Joe Dirt Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:... |
Kicking Wing | |
| 2001 | Now & Forever | John Myron | Cree Cree The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although... |
| 2001 | Ben Crowchild | ||
| 2002 | Windtalkers Windtalkers Windtalkers is a 2002 action war film directed by John Woo. Nicolas Cage and Christian Slater star as two US Marine sergeants assigned to protect Navajo code talkers in Saipan during World War II.-Plot:World War II Sgt... |
Private Ben Yahzee | Navajo Navajo people The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the... |
| 2002 | Skinwalkers Skinwalkers (2002 film) Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn... |
Officer Jim Chee Jim Chee Jim Chee is one of two Navajo Tribal Police detectives in a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. Unlike his superior Joe Leaphorn, the "Legendary Lieutenant", Chee wants to be a staunch believer in traditional Navajo culture; indeed, he is studying to be a traditional healer at the same... |
Navajo Navajo people The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the... |
| 2002 | Posers | Sinclair | |
| 2003 | Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story | John Joseph Harper John Joseph Harper John Joseph "J.J." Harper was a Canadian aboriginal leader from Wasagamack, Manitoba, who was shot and killed by Winnipeg police constable Constable Robert Cross on March 9, 1988. That event, along with the murder of Helen Betty Osborne, sparked the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry.During the an... |
Oji-Cree |
| 2003 | Randy | ||
| 2003 | Coyote Waits Coyote Waits Coyote Waits is a novel by Tony Hillerman. It was adapted as a TV film, which aired in 2003.-Coyote Waits :The plot involves rock formation vandalism, a dead policeman, an elderly Navajo accused of his murder, a bottle of expensive scotch, and a book on Navajo witchcraft beliefs.This book... |
Officer Jim Chee Jim Chee Jim Chee is one of two Navajo Tribal Police detectives in a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. Unlike his superior Joe Leaphorn, the "Legendary Lieutenant", Chee wants to be a staunch believer in traditional Navajo culture; indeed, he is studying to be a traditional healer at the same... |
Navajo Navajo people The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the... |
| 2004 | Officer Jim Chee Jim Chee Jim Chee is one of two Navajo Tribal Police detectives in a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. Unlike his superior Joe Leaphorn, the "Legendary Lieutenant", Chee wants to be a staunch believer in traditional Navajo culture; indeed, he is studying to be a traditional healer at the same... |
Navajo Navajo people The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the... |
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| 2004 | Sawtooth | Jim | |
| 2005 | Johnny Tootall Johnny Tootall Johnny Tootall is a 2005 television film written and directed by Shirley Cheechoo and was filmed around Vancouver Island, British Columbia with the Ahousaht Nations people... |
Johnny Tootall | Nuu-chah-nulth |
| 2005 | Four Brothers Four Brothers (film) Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada... |
Chief | uncredited |
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers Flags of Our Fathers (film) is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved... |
Ira Hayes Ira Hayes Ira Hamilton Hayes was a Pima Native American and an American Marine who was one of the six men immortalized in the iconic photograph of the flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Arizona, and enlisted in the Marine... |
Pima Pima The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham... |
| 2007 | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (film) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on which the movie is based is a history of Native Americans in the American West in the... |
Charles Eastman Charles Eastman Charles Alexander Eastman was a Native American physician, writer, national lecturer, and reformer. He was of Santee Sioux and Anglo-American ancestry... (Ohiyesa) |
Sioux Sioux The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects... |
| 2007–08 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Det. Chester Lake | Mohawk Mohawk nation Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint... |
| 2007 | Moose TV Moose TV Moose TV is a Canadian television sitcom, airing on Showcase in the 2007-08 television season.The show stars Adam Beach as George Keeshig, a Cree from the fictional community of Moose in northern Quebec, who returns home after a decade living in Toronto to become manager of the local community... |
George Keeshig | Cree Cree The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although... |
| 2007 | Luna: Spirit of the Whale | Mike Maquinna Maquinna Maquinna was the chief of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Nootka Sound, during the heyday of the maritime fur trade in the 1780s and 1790s on the Pacific Northwest Coast... |
Mowachaht-Muchalaht |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon Comanche Moon (TV miniseries) Comanche Moon is a television miniseries that is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. It aired on CBS beginning Sunday, January 13, and continuing Tuesday, January 15, and Wednesday, January 16, 2008.-Cast:* Val Kilmer as Inish Scull... |
Blue Duck | Comanche Comanche The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian... |
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Turok Turok Turok is a fictional American comic book character initially in comics from Western Publishing published through licensee Dell Comics. He first appeared in Four Color Comics #596 , then graduated to his own title, Turok, Son of Stone... |
Voice role |
| 2008 | Older than America | Johnny | Ojibwa Ojibwa The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit... |
| 2008 | Help | Max | |
| 2008 | Wapos Bay: The Series Wapos Bay: The Series Wapos Bay: The Series is a stop motion animated family television series that follows the adventures of three children, T-Bear, Talon and Raven, as they explore their remote community in northern Saskatchewan... |
Himself | Voice role |
| 2009 | Warrior | Sgt. Major Duke Wayne | |
| 2010 | Big Love Big Love Big Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy... |
Tommy Flute | Blackfoot Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana.... |
| 2010 | Mason | ||
| 2010 | Hawaii Five-0 | Navy Seal Graham | Guest Star |
| 2010 | The Stepson | Josh Anderson | Main Role |
| 2011 | Cowboys & Aliens Cowboys & Aliens (film) Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg... |
Nat Colorado | Supporting Role |
| 2011 | Tommy Prince: Prince of the Devils | Tommy Prince Tommy Prince Thomas George "Tommy" Prince, MM was one of Canada's most decorated First Nations soldiers, serving in World War II and the Korean War.-Early life:... |
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| 2011 | Combat Hospital Combat Hospital Combat Hospital is a Canadian medical drama television series, filmed in Toronto, that debuted on Global on 21 June 2011. The series was known for a time by the working title The Hot Zone before reverting to its previous title, Combat Hospital.... |
Joe / Snake Eater | |
| 2012 | Arctic Air | Bobby Prince |