TORONTO (Chatnewstv.com) — Graham Greene, the Canadian actor whose performances in “Dances With Wolves,” “The Green Mile” and dozens of other films made him a trailblazer for Indigenous representation in Hollywood, has died. He was 73.
Greene died peacefully Monday at a Toronto hospital, according to reports. His agent confirmed the death in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed,” the statement said. “You are finally free.”
While some reports attributed his death to natural causes, others said he had faced a prolonged illness.
Greene’s path to stardom was unconventional. Before finding acting, he worked as a draftsman, steelworker and rock band crew member. His passion for the stage emerged in the 1970s while working in theater in the United Kingdom, eventually opening the door to Hollywood.
His breakthrough came in 1990 when he portrayed Kicking Bird, a Lakota holy man, in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning epic “Dances With Wolves.” The role earned him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor and established him internationally.
A proud member of the Oneida Nation of the Six Nations Reserve in southern Ontario, Greene brought dignity, humor and depth to Indigenous characters at a time when such portrayals were rare in mainstream film.
He starred in “Thunderheart” (1992) as tribal police officer Walter Crow Horse, and in “The Green Mile” (1999) as Arlen Bitterbuck, a Native American man on death row. His film credits also included “Maverick” (1994), “Die Hard With a Vengeance” (1995), “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (2009) and “Wind River” (2017).
Greene’s career earned him numerous accolades, including the Earle Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Canadian Academy of Film and Television in 2004. In 2016, he was appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s second-highest civilian honor.
