Irene Bedard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irene Bedard
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Irene Bedard at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022
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| Born | July 22, 1967 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Denny Wilson
(m. 1993; div. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is an actress from Alaska. She is known for playing many Native American main characters in movies and TV shows.
She is famous for her role as Suzy Song in the 1998 movie Smoke Signals. She is also well-known as the voice of Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney animated movie Pocahontas. Irene Bedard also voiced Pocahontas in the sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), and had a small role in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
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Early life and education
Irene Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Her mother was from the Iñupiat people, and her father was Cree and French Canadian. She is a member of the Native Village of Koyuk in Alaska.
She finished high school at Dimond High School in Anchorage in 1985. Later, she studied musical theater at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Acting career highlights
Irene Bedard started her acting career in 1994. Her first role was as Mary Crow Dog in the TV movie Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. This movie showed a historical event from the 1970s. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. This made her the first Native American woman to get an acting nomination from the Golden Globe Awards.
Voice of Pocahontas
In 1995, Bedard became the voice of the main character in the Disney animated movie Pocahontas. She also voiced Pocahontas in the 1998 sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Later, she returned as Pocahontas's voice for a small part in the 2018 movie Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Other notable roles
In 1995, People magazine named Irene Bedard one of the "50 Most Beautiful People."
She hosted the Ninth Annual First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) Awards in 2001. In 2002, she won an award at the Tenth Annual FAITA Awards for her guest role in the TV show The Agency.
In 2005, she played Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler in the TV mini-series Into the West. Irene Bedard has also been active in groups that work to protect important Native American lands.
She appeared in the 2015 film Songs My Brothers Taught Me. In 2017, she had a repeating role in the TV series The Mist. She also appeared in the music video for Jay-Z's 2017 song "Family Feud", where she played a Co-President of the United States in a future setting.
More recently, Bedard played a repeating character in the TV show FBI: Most Wanted in 2020. She was also a main cast member in the miniseries The Stand. In 2022, she was cast as Yagoda in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender. She also played Sylvie Nanmac in Alaska Daily, where she was the mother of a missing Indigenous woman.
Personal life
In 1993, Irene Bedard married musician Denny Wilson. They toured together with other musicians in a band called "ID," which stood for Irene and Deni. They later divorced in 2012.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Squanto: A Warrior's Tale | Nakooma | |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) | |
| 1996 | Navajo Blues | Audrey Wyako | |
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Minnehaha | |
| Det store flip | Oglala | AKA, Wild Flowers | |
| 1998 | 6/29 | Laura Cooper | |
| Naturally Native | Tanya Lewis | ||
| Smoke Signals | Suzy Song | ||
| Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World | Pocahontas (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
| 12 Bucks | Babe | ||
| 1999 | Wildflowers | Ruby | |
| 2000 | Pussykat | Un-produced | |
| 2001 | Your Guardian | Katherine 'Kat' Damon | |
| 2003 | Paris | Sandy | |
| Greasewood Flat | Abbey | ||
| Edge of America | Annie Shorty | TV movie | |
| 2005 | Planting Melvin | Billie Lawrence | |
| Miracle at Sage Creek | Sunny | ||
| Love's Long Journey | Miriam Red Hawk McClain | TV movie | |
| The New World | Pocahontas's Mother (Nonoma) | ||
| 2007 | Cosmic Radio | K.C. | |
| Tortilla Heaven | Liberata | ||
| The Red Chalk | Eve | Short film | |
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Catori (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2011 | The Tree of Life | Messenger | |
| 2013 | Vertical | Lucy Mills | |
| 2014 | Ron and Laura Take Back America | Mrs. Alma | |
| 2015 | Songs My Brothers Taught Me | Lisa Winters | |
| 2017 | Spreading Darkness | Marci Gippolin | |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Pocahontas (voice) | |
| 2019 | The Bygone | Mrs. Call | |
| 2022 | The Harbinger | Floating Hawk | Also executive producer |
| How to Blow Up a Pipeline | Joanna | ||
| Mending the Line | Mrs. Redcloud | ||
| The Redeemer | Aponi Nelson | ||
| 2023 | On Sacred Ground | Mary Singing Crow | |
| Hey, Viktor! | Irene | ||
| 2024 | The Heart Stays | Aunt Celia |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee | Mary Crow Dog | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Marshal | Melissa Carey | Episode: "Twoslip" |
| 1996 | Grand Avenue | Reyna | TV movies |
| Crazy Horse | Black Buffalo Woman | ||
| Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Morning Light and Sharp Eyes / Chief's Daughter (voice) | Episodes: "Honesty" and "Perseverance" | |
| The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Alice Starseer (voice) | Episodes: "Return of the Anasazi"; "Trouble on the Colorado" | |
| 1997 | Profiler | Maddy Duvall | Episode: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" |
| True Women | Tobe | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Two for Texas | Sana | TV movie |
| 1999 | Blood Money | Naomi Lister | TV movie |
| 1999–2001 | Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles | General Miriam Redwing (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | The Lost Child | Grace | TV movie |
| 2001 | The Outer Limits | Callie Whitehorse Landau | Episode: "In the Blood" |
| The Agency | Diah Siagian | Episode: "The Year of Living Dangerously" | |
| House of Mouse | Pocahontas (voice) | Episode: "Thanks to Minnie" | |
| 2004 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Cody Long (voice) | Episode: "New Mexico, Old Monster" |
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Forest Ranger Hero (voice) | Episode: "Fran Takes a Hike/Mystery at Kip's House" |
| Into the West | Margaret Light Shines | Episodes: "Hell on Wheels"; "Casualties of War"; "Ghost Dance" | |
| 2008–2009 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Jean DeWolff (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Young Justice: Invasion | Shelly Longshadow (voice) | Episode: "Beneath" |
| 2012–2015 | Longmire | May Stillwater | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | The Mist | Kimi Lucero | 9 episodes |
| 2018 | Westworld | Wichapi | Episode: "Kiksuya" |
| 2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Mary Lou Skye | 8 episodes |
| 2020–2021 | The Stand | Ray Brentner | Television miniseries |
| 2022–2023 | Alaska Daily | Sylvie Nanmac | 6 episodes |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Yagoda | 2 episodes |
| The Green Veil | Glennie Sutton | 4 episodes | |
| 2025 | American Primeval | Winter Bird | 5 episodes |
Music video
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Family Feud" | Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé | Madam President |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Animated Storybook: Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) |
| 1996 | Disney's Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) |
| 2021 | Cookie Run: Kingdom | Pocahontas Cookie (voice) |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee | Nominated |
| 1999 | Western Heritage Awards | Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film | Two for Texas | Won |
| 2004 | First Americans in the Arts Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film | Greasewood Flat | Won |
| 2002 | First Americans in the Arts Awards | Outstanding Guest Performance by an Actress in a TV Drama Series | The Agency | Won |
| 2006 | NAMIC Vision Awards | Best Dramatic Performance | Into the West | Won |
| Western Heritage Awards | Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Irene Bedard para niños
