Graham Greene (actor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Graham Greene CM
Greene in 1998
Born	(1952-06-22) June 22, 1952 (age 73) Six Nations Reserve, Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Oneida First Nation Canadian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Hilary Blackmore ​ (m. 1990)​
Relatives	Gary Farmer (second cousin once removed)

Graham Greene is a famous Canadian First Nations actor. He is from the Oneida community. He has acted in many movies, TV shows, and plays.

He became very well known for his role as Kicking Bird in the movie Dances with Wolves (1990). This role even earned him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Some of his other popular movies include Thunderheart (1992), Maverick (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), and The Green Mile (1999).

Besides his Oscar nomination, Graham Greene has won several other awards. These include a Grammy Award, a Gemini Award, and a Canadian Screen Award. In 2025, he received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, which is a very high honor in Canada.

Early Life and Acting Beginnings

Graham Greene was born on June 22, 1952. He grew up in Ohsweken, Ontario, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada. His father, John, worked as a paramedic.

Before he became an actor, Graham Greene had several different jobs. He worked as a draftsman, a steelworker, and a welder. He also worked as an audio technician for rock bands. A musician named Kelly Jay encouraged him to try acting.

He started performing in plays in Toronto and England in the 1970s. His first TV appearance was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979. His first movie role was in Running Brave in 1983. Graham Greene said that seeing himself in his first TV role made him want to learn how to act better.

Acting Career Highlights

Graham Greene has had a long and successful career in acting. He has appeared in many different types of productions.

Theatre Performances

Graham Greene often worked at the Native Earth Performing Arts theatre. He was well-known for his role as Pierre St. Pierre in the play Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing. He also performed in other plays like The Crackwalker.

In 2007, he played the character of Shylock in a play called The Merchant of Venice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.

Television Roles

In the 1980s, Graham Greene appeared in the CBC TV series Spirit Bay. This show was important because it was one of the first to show Indigenous life on TV.

In the early 1990s, he had guest roles in several TV shows. On Northern Exposure, he played Leonard Quinhagak, a shaman who helped people. His character's traditional healing methods often differed from the show's other doctor.

He also played Edgar "K.B." Montrose, a character who loved explosives, on The Red Green Show. His character once joked about the movie Dances with Wolves, saying the "native guy (himself as 'Kicking Bird') was OK. Should have gotten the Oscar."

In 1992, Graham Greene played Ishi in the HBO drama The Last of His Tribe. Ishi was known as the last member of the Yahi people. From 1994, he appeared as Mr. Crabby Tree in the children's series The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon.

He hosted a crime documentary show called Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science from 1997 to 2001. He also starred in the TV series Wolf Lake in 2001. From 2012 to 2017, he played the villain Malachi Strand in the popular series Longmire. He enjoyed playing a bad guy, saying it was "fun."

More recently, in 2023, he guest-starred in the show Reservation Dogs as Maximus. He also appeared in an episode of The Last of Us. In 2024, he guest-starred in "Tulsa King" as a medicine man named "Old Smoke."

Movie Roles

Dances with Wolves

Graham Greene's role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves made him famous around the world. He was nominated for an Academy Award for this role. He shared a funny story about being thrown from a horse during filming. When the director, Kevin Costner, asked if he needed a break, Graham Greene said he was more interested in finding the horse for "payback." He also mentioned that learning to speak the Lakota language for the role was hard because its structure was very different from English.

He then starred in the action-mystery film Thunderheart (1992). He played Walter Crow Horse, a smart local police officer on an Indigenous reservation. He quickly agreed to the role because he loved the Badlands and got to ride a motorcycle.

In the 1994 movie Maverick, Graham Greene played a sidekick to Mel Gibson's character. Critics praised his performance, noting he got many laughs as a modern Indigenous person who tricked Russian adventurers.

He also acted alongside Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in the 1995 film Die Hard with a Vengeance. In this movie, he played Detective Joe Lambert.

The Green Mile

In the Oscar-nominated movie The Green Mile (1999), Graham Greene played Arlen Bitterbuck. His character was an elder from the Washita Tribe who was on death row. His character's execution is shown in the movie, and it was noted for being a very realistic portrayal.

He also co-starred in films adapted from Tony Hillerman novels, like A Thief of Time (2004).

Transamerica

Graham Greene in CTM interview 2022

In 2005, Graham Greene played a character in the movie Transamerica. A review of the movie praised his performance, calling it "charming."

He worked with writer and director Aaron Sorkin on the movie Molly's Game in 2017. Graham Greene played a judge in the film. He joked that he had never seen the judge's bench from that side before.

In 2022, Graham Greene was cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Echo.

Other Work

Graham Greene has also done voice work and appeared in video games. He provided narration for Tecumseh!, an outdoor show about the famous Shawnee chief. He also played Sitting Bull in a short historical video.

In 2018, he voiced the character Chief Rains Fall in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2.

Personal Life

Graham Greene and his wife, Hilary Blackmore, live near Toronto. They got married in 1990 and have four children. He enjoys writing, building boats, and playing golf. He has said he prefers to live in Canada rather than moving to California for acting roles.

He has also spoken about how he would like to see Indigenous people shown in movies as more than just serious characters. He believes his people are "very funny."

In 1997, Graham Greene went through a difficult time and received support from fellow actors Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson.

In June 2008, he received an honorary doctor of law degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. In 2015, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada, which is a high honor given to Canadians who have made a big difference.

Filmography

Film

Graham Greene at TIFF 2015

Television

Video games

Awards and Recognition

Graham Greene has received many awards for his acting.

See also

In Spanish: Graham Greene (actor) para niños

• Notable Indigenous people of Canada