By Maiya Keidan
TORONTO (Reuters) -Graham Greene, the Canadian Indigenous actor best known for his starring role in the film “Dances With Wolves,” has died at the age of 73, according to his manager.
“It is with deep sadness we announce the peaceful passing of award-winning legendary Canadian actor Graham Greene,” his manager, Gerry Jordan, said in a statement to CBC News. The Canadian outlet said Greene died on Monday of natural causes.
Greene was nominated for best supporting actor in the Academy Awards for his role as Kicking Bird in Dances With Wolves, the 1990 epic western starring Kevin Costner.
Greene’s role as a medicine man in the movie, which won for best picture, helped launch a career in film that saw him take on roles in “Die Hard with a Vengeance” and “The Green Mile,” among others.
Greene was a member of the Oneida Nation and was from the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario. In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Canada, which is one of the country’s highest civilian honors for merit.
In June, Greene was awarded the Governor General’s Award for lifetime artistic achievement. On opportunities for Indigenous actors, Greene said:
“At first, there was nothing, no real outlet for our acting, our storytelling, our careers, our talent.”
“But today, there are a lot more Indigenous writers and actors, a lot of young kids coming up who are breaking into the industry. It’s great to see that,” Greene said, according to the Governor General’s awards website.
Greene’s television career included roles in “Northern Exposure” in the 1990s, “Reservation Dogs”, and “The Last of Us.” He also appeared in two movies from the popular vampire series “The Twilight Saga” in 2009 and 2012.
(Reporting by Maiya KeidanEditing by Rod Nickel)
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