Greene’s big break came when Kevin Costner cast him as Kicking Bird in the 1990 Western “Dances with Wolves,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination.
TORONTO, ON — Graham Greene, the trailblazing Canadian First Nations actor whose Oscar-nominated performance in “Dances with Wolves” helped open doors for Indigenous actors in Hollywood, died Monday in a Toronto hospital after a long illness. He was 73.
Greene’s agent Michael Greene confirmed the death to Deadline and other outlets, calling him “a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed.”
Born June 22, 1952, in Ohsweken on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Greene worked various jobs before pursuing acting. He began performing in Canadian and English theater productions in the 1970s and made his screen debut in 1979 on the Canadian series “The Great Detective.”
Greene’s breakthrough came when Kevin Costner cast him as Kicking Bird in the 1990 Western “Dances with Wolves.” The role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film received 12 Oscar nominations and won seven, including Best Picture.
Following his breakout performance, Greene appeared in numerous high-profile films including “Maverick” (1994), “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995), “The Green Mile” (1999), “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (2009) and “Wind River” (2017).
Greene’s “Longmire” and “Wolf Lake” co-star Lou Diamond Phillips called him an “actor’s actor” in a tribute on social media.
“One of the wittiest, wiliest, warmest people I’ve ever known. Iconic and Legendary. RIP, My Brother,” he wrote in a post on X.
Greene also had roles in “Thunderheart” (1992), “Transamerica” (2005) and Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series “1883” and “Tulsa King.”
His television credits included series regular roles on “Wolf Lake,” “Defiance” and Marvel’s “Echo,” plus recurring parts on “Northern Exposure,” “Longmire” and “American Gods.”
In addition to his Oscar nomination, Greene won Grammy, Gemini and Canadian Screen awards. He received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and this year was honored with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.
One of Greene’s final roles was on FX’s “Reservation Dogs,” which continued his legacy of breaking barriers for Indigenous talent in Hollywood.
Greene is survived by his wife of 35 years, Hilary Blackmore; daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene; and grandson Tarlo.
