Irene Bedard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irene Bedard
Bedard at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022
Born	(1967-07-22) July 22, 1967 (age 58) Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Denny Wilson ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2012)​
Children	1

Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is an American actress. She is famous for playing strong Native American characters in movies and television shows.

Many people know her as the speaking voice of the main character in Disney's 1995 animated movie, Pocahontas. She also played the role again in the sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World and in the 2018 movie Ralph Breaks the Internet. Another one of her famous roles was Suzy Song in the 1998 film Smoke Signals.

Early Life and Education

Irene Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Her mother is Iñupiaq, an Indigenous people from Alaska, and her father is Cree and French Canadian. She is a citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk.

Bedard went to Dimond High School in Anchorage and graduated in 1985. After high school, she moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to study musical theater at The University of the Arts.

Acting Career

Breakthrough Role

Bedard's first major role was in the 1994 TV movie Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. She played Mary Crow Dog, a real-life woman involved in a major event at Wounded Knee in the 1970s. This event was a standoff between Native American activists and the U.S. government.

Her performance was so good that she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. This made her the first Native American woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe acting award.

The Voice of Pocahontas

In 1995, Bedard became famous around the world as the voice of Pocahontas in the Disney animated film. She provided the speaking voice for the character, bringing her to life for millions of people. She returned to the role for the 1998 sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, and again for a fun appearance in Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018.

In 2005, she appeared in a different movie about the same story called The New World. In this film, she played Pocahontas's mother.

Because of her growing fame, People magazine named her one of its "50 Most Beautiful People" in 1995.

Later Work on Screen

Throughout her career, Bedard has appeared in many other movies and TV shows. In 2005, she was in the TV mini-series Into the West, playing a character named Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler.

She has also had roles in popular TV shows like The Mist (2017) and FBI: Most Wanted (2020). In 2020, she was a main character in the series The Stand, where she played a character named Ray Brentner.

More recently, she played Sylvie Nanmac in the show Alaska Daily and Yagoda in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender. She also appeared in the 2017 music video for Jay-Z's song "Family Feud", where she played a future President of the United States.

Personal Life

In 1993, Bedard married musician Denny Wilson. Together, they have one son. For several years, they toured with their band, "ID," which was named after their first initials. The couple divorced in 2012.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of Irene Bedard's most well-known roles:

• Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (1994) as Mary Crow Dog
• Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994) as Nakooma
• Pocahontas (1995) as the voice of Pocahontas
• Smoke Signals (1998) as Suzy Song
• Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) as the voice of Pocahontas
• The New World (2005) as Pocahontas's Mother
• Into the West (2005) as Margaret Light Shines
• Longmire (2012–2015) as May Stillwater
• The Mist (2017) as Kimi Lucero
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) as the voice of Pocahontas
• The Stand (2020–2021) as Ray Brentner
• Alaska Daily (2022–2023) as Sylvie Nanmac
• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024) as Yagoda

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Irene Bedard para niños