Alex Rice facts for kids

Alexandrea Kawisenhawe Rice is a Mohawk actress from Canada. She is best known for playing Sue Clearwater in the popular The Twilight Saga movies. She also starred in several TV films based on the mystery books by Tony Hillerman.

Early Life and Family

Alex Rice was born into a Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) family on the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec, Canada. Her family history is very interesting and connects back to early American history.

A Unique Family History

One of her ancestors was an English colonist named Edmund Rice, who settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s. In 1704, two of his great-grandsons were captured as children during a raid. They were brought to Kahnawake, where they were adopted by Mohawk families. They grew up as members of the Mohawk community. Alex Rice is a descendant of one of these boys, Silas, who was given the Mohawk name Tookanowras.

Growing Up in Two Worlds

Although born in Kahnawake, Rice spent much of her childhood in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was an ironworker who helped build skyscrapers and bridges in New York City. He was part of a large community of Mohawk ironworkers who lived in a Brooklyn neighborhood they called "Little Caughnawaga".

In Brooklyn, Rice trained as a dancer and discovered her love for acting in a school video project. After her father passed away in 1990, she and her mother moved back to Kahnawake. She later attended Dawson College and Concordia University in Montreal.

Acting Career

Rice's acting career began after she moved to California. Her first movie was an independent film called The Doe Boy (2001), which won several awards.

She became well-known for playing Janet Pete in a series of TV movies based on Tony Hillerman's novels. These included Skinwalkers (2002), Coyote Waits (2003), and A Thief of Time (2004).

Rice has also appeared in many other movies and TV shows. Some of her television appearances include Spin City, CSI, and The Sopranos.

Role in The Twilight Saga

Many fans know Alex Rice as Sue Clearwater from The Twilight Saga. She appeared in three films in the series:

• The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

• 2003: Best Actress from the American Indian Film Institute for her role in Coyote Waits.
• 2005: First American Award from the First Americans in the Arts Committee for her work in A Thief of Time.