kids encyclopedia robot

Eddie Spears facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Spears
Spears 2008.jpg
Spears in 2008
Born
Edward Spears

(1982-11-29) November 29, 1982 (age 42)
Occupation Actor
Years active 1992–present
Family Michael Spears (brother)

Edward Spears (born November 29, 1982), also known as Eddie Spears, is an actor from an Indigenous American background. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Oyate Lakota people. This group is part of the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

Growing Up: Eddie Spears' Early Life

Eddie Spears was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota. This town is close to the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation. He grew up with five brothers and one sister. His older brother, Michael, is also an actor.

Eddie lived on the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation until he was in first grade. Then, his family moved to Pierre, South Dakota. Later, they moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, where he finished school at Aberdeen Central High School.

Eddie Spears' Acting Career

Starting Young: First Roles

Eddie Spears began acting when he was just ten years old. His very first role was in a TV movie called Geronimo. This film was made by TNT and shot in Arizona.

Eddie has said that his favorite role so far was playing Shane Chasing Horse. This was in the 2003 film Dreamkeeper.

Big Roles and Training

In 2004, Eddie got the main role in the movie Black Cloud. This film was directed by Rick Schroder. To get ready for the role, Eddie trained for three months. He worked with boxing trainer Jimmy Gambia to learn boxing skills.

Black Cloud is about a Navajo boxer who trains for the Golden Gloves competition. He hopes to get a spot at the Olympics. Part of the movie was filmed in Las Vegas during the real 2003 Golden Gloves National Championship.

Popular TV Shows and Movies

From 2011 to 2012, Eddie Spears played a character named Joseph Black Moon. This was in the popular TV series Hell On Wheels on AMC.

In 2018, Eddie used his voice for the animated movie White Fang. He was the voice of "Grey Beaver." More recently, he had a role in season 2 of the TV series Yellowstone in 2019. He also made a quick appearance in season 2 of Rutherford Falls on Peacock.

Other Work and Interests

In 2005, Eddie and his brother Michael did some modeling. They worked for fashion designer Virgil Ortiz from Cochiti Pueblo. They were featured on the cover of New Mexico Magazine for his "Indigene" clothing line.

Eddie also helps with important causes. He and his brother Michael worked with Native Wind and ICOUP. ICOUP stands for the Intertribal Council on Utility Policy. This group was started in 1994 to talk about energy issues for Native American tribes. Their father, Patrick Spears, used to be the president of ICOUP.

Eddie Spears knows some Lakota. He loves being outdoors and is a powwow singer. He also performs Traditional and Grass dances. He travels around the country to give speeches. Eddie currently lives in Montana.

Awards and Recognition

Eddie Spears has won several awards for his acting:

  • In 2004, he won the FAITA Best Actor Award for the miniseries Dreamkeeper.
  • Also in 2004, he received the Phoenix Film Festival Best Actor Award for his main role in Black Cloud.
  • In 2012, he won the Bronze Wrangler Award at the Western Heritage Awards. This was for his lead role in the movie Yellow Rock.
  • In 2014, he was nominated for an award at the Red Nation Film Festival and Awards. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joseph Black Moon in Hell on Wheels.

Film and TV Roles

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Geronimo Ishkiye TV movie
1998 The Witness Wampishe Film
2002 The Slaughter Rule Tracy Two Dogs Film
2003 Dreamkeeper Shane Chasing Horse Film
2003 Edge of America Franklin Film
2004 Black Cloud Black Cloud Film
2005 Into the West Red Lance TV mini-series
2007 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Chasing Crane TV movie
2008 Comanche Moon Quannah Parker TV mini-series
2011 Guns, Girls and Gambling Darkeyes Film
2011 The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy Wakaree Film
2011 Yellow Rock Angry Wolf Film
2011-2012 Hell On Wheels Joseph Black Moon TV series
2013 We The People Narrator Documentary
2014 Sleepy Hollow Big Ash TV series
2015 Z Nation Gordon Red Hawk TV series
2015 Bone Tomahawk Warrior Film
2017 Longmire Elwood TV series
2018 White Fang Grey Beaver Animated Film
2019 Yellowstone Marcus TV series
2021 Chief Tendoy General Parker Short Film
2022 Rutherford Falls Curtis TV series
2022 Deep Woods Nick Youngblood Film
TBA Frontier Crucible 0TBA Filming

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eddie Spears para niños

kids search engine
Eddie Spears Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.