Adam Beach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam Beach
Beach at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	(1972-11-11) November 11, 1972 (age 52) Ashern, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Meredith Porter ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2002)​ Tara Mason ​ ​ (m. 2003; div. 2007)​ Summer Tiger ​ ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3

Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor known for his many roles in movies and television. He is a member of the Saulteaux Anishinaabe First Nations.

Beach has played many memorable characters. Some of his most famous roles include Victor Joseph in Smoke Signals, a U.S. Marine named Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, and Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers. He also played Slipknot in the movie Suicide Squad. On television, he was Detective Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and starred in the Canadian series Arctic Air.

Early Life and Education

Adam Beach was born in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada. He grew up on the Lake Manitoba First Nation Reserve with his parents and two brothers. His family is Saulteaux Anishinaabe, and he also has Icelandic heritage from a great-grandmother.

Beach faced a difficult childhood. When he was eight years old, his mother died in a car accident. A few weeks later, his father passed away. After his parents' deaths, Adam and his brothers went to live with their grandmother. Later, they moved to Winnipeg to live with their aunt and uncle, whom Adam considers his dad.

In high school, Beach discovered a love for acting in a drama class. He started performing in local plays. He eventually decided to leave school to focus on his acting career, taking a main role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People.

Acting Career

Getting Started

Beach found that acting was a good way to express his feelings and tell stories. When he was 18, he got his first role in a miniseries called Lost in the Barrens. He then acted in local theater and appeared as a guest on TV shows like Walker, Texas Ranger.

His career grew when he was cast in the TV shows North of 60 and The Rez. His role in the movie Dance Me Outside led to a starring role in Smoke Signals. This film was a big success and was nominated for a major award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Major Film Roles

In 2001, Beach played Kickin' Wing in the comedy Joe Dirt. The next year, he starred in Windtalkers, a movie about Navajo codetalkers in World War II. To prepare for the part, Beach spent six months learning the Navajo language.

In 2006, he played Ira Hayes, a real-life hero, in the Clint Eastwood movie Flags of Our Fathers. This was a very emotional role for Beach, and his performance earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor awards.

He also starred in the 2007 HBO movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. In this film, he played Charles Eastman, a Sioux doctor and author who worked to help his people.

Beach at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

Television and Recent Work

From 2007 to 2008, Beach joined the cast of the popular TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Chester Lake. He later explained that he left the show to try different kinds of acting roles.

From 2012 to 2014, he starred in the Canadian TV series Arctic Air. He has also appeared in many other films, including the science-fiction western Cowboys & Aliens (2011) and the action movie Suicide Squad (2016). In 2017, he appeared in the movie Hostiles.

In 2022, Beach began hosting a Canadian TV competition show called A Cut Above, which features chainsaw carving artists.

Personal Life

Adam Beach has three children. He has two sons from his first marriage and a daughter from his current marriage to Summer Tiger.

Awards and Nominations

Selected Filmography

Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Adam Beach para niños

• Notable Aboriginal people of Canada