Frederic Remington<\/a> and Charles Russell in terms of subject matter, his work focusing on the role of the Native American during the 1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFollowing his final film role in the TV movie \u201cThe Gunfighters\u201d in 1987 Sampson, suffering from a degenerative condition, underwent a heart and lung transplant but sadly passed away at the age of 53 on June 3rd<\/sup> of that year from complications after the surgery. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDespite his early death, Will Sampson\u2019s name lives on through the creation of the American Indian Registry for the Performing Arts in Hollywood, set up by Sampson and personal assistant Zoe Escobar in 1983, a \u2018non-profit organization that encourages the film and television industries to hire Indians\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Wes Studi<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBorn a member of the Cherokee Nation tribe on December 17th, 1947, Wes Studi served in Vietnam at the age of seventeen after which he became an activist for the rights of American Indians, taking part in the Wounded Knee occupation of Pine Ridge in 1973.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Blessed, if that\u2019s the right word, with a screen presence so opaque the viewer is left wondering what might happen next, with a strong suspicion that what follows will not be very pleasant for all concerned, he started his acting career in the pate 1980s and went on to appear in some very cool movies over the following years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Studi first came to the attention of cinema audiences in the epic 1991 Western \u201cDances With Wolves\u201d, or \u201cLawrence of the Plains\u201d as it is referred to in certain quarters. His role as Toughest Pawnee is that of a mainly silent assassin who murders as many non-Pawnees that have the misfortune to cross his path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He eventually finds his voice as he is about to die, singing his death song before perishing in a hail of bullets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he did speak on screen Studi himself says that he came up with the idea of part-singing and part-speaking whatever native language he was required to deliver, a method he then went on to use in some of his other roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a short cameo in \u201cThe Doors\u201d Studi took on the role of Huron villain Magua in \u201cThe Last of the Mohicans\u201d, a character who if possible was even more ruthless than Toughest Pawnee, promising to kill the daughters of an English commander before removing his heart whilst the poor man is still alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later on, Magua kills Uncas, the son of Chingachgook, only to be dispatched himself by Unca\u2019s vengeful father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He completed a triple of wonderful performances the following year when he played the title role in the Walter Hill Western \u201cGeronimo: American Legend\u201d, Studi portraying the legendary Apache chief as an activist crusading to live his life free from the influence of his conquerors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When faced with inevitable defeat Geronimo retains his honour as he and the remnants of his tribe are removed from their land and shipped off to Florida, never allowed to go home again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supporting roles followed in films including \u201cHeat\u201d, the Michael Man heist thriller starring Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro, as well as appearing in numerous TV shows over the years such as \u201cBury My Heart at Wounded Knee\u201d and a recurring role in the horror series \u201cPenny Dreadful\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2009 Studi participated in what would eventually turn out to be the biggest Hollywood box-office hit of the time, the sci-fi adventure \u201cAvatar\u201d, directed by James Cameron. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barely recognisable under a surfeit of CGI effects Studi played clan leader Eytukan, meeting his demise at the hands of the mining corporation that has invaded his home on Pandora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a role similar to that of Geronimo, Studi delivered an impressive performance as Comanche chief Yellow Hawk in the 2016 Western \u201cHostiles\u201d, directed by Taylor Sheridan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suffering from terminal illness, Yellow Hawk is escorted by an old enemy of his, Captain Joseph Blocker, played by Christian Bale, back to the Comanche tribal home in Montana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two men eventually reconcile just before Yellow Hawk dies, Studi\u2019s quietly graceful performance in the film creating a renewed interest in his work as both an actor and as an activist, leading to him winning an Academy Honorary Award in 2019 and in the process becoming the first Native American to receive such an honour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Wes Studi said in his acceptance speech \u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s about time\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Graham Greene<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYou wouldn\u2019t be blamed for thinking Graham Greene is not the kind of name you\u2019d associate with that of a Native American member of the Oneida Canadian tribe but ours is not to question why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born on June 22nd, 1952 the actor made his feature film debut in the 1983 Canadian sports film \u201cRunning Brave\u201d and after a couple of more supporting roles landed the part of Kicking Bird in \u201cDances With Wolves\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n
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His performance as the impassive Sioux medicine man with a wry sense of humour won Greene a nomination for Best Supporting Actor the following year, losing out to Joe Pesci but initiating a successful film and TV career that continues to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His prolific TV appearances include recurring roles in the comedy drama \u201cNorthern Exposure\u201d, the Canadian children\u2019s show \u201cThe Adventures of Dudley the Dragon\u201d and the modern day Western series \u201cLongmire\u201d for which he won an Outstanding Supporting Actor award in 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the years Green has featured in numerous one-off TV roles, most recently in \u201c1883\u201d, a spin-off from the hugely popular Kevin Costner series \u201cYellowstone\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big screen appearances include \u201cMaverick\u201d, in which Greene plays a cameo as Joseph, an old acquaintance of the title character and as a New York detective in \u201cDie Hard With A Vengeance\u201d, released in 1995. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2000 he played condemned prisoner Arlen Bitterbuck in the death row prison drama \u201cThe Green Mile\u201d, his character the first to take the long walk to the execution room and the electric chair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of Greene\u2019s more recent high profile roles was as Tribal Police Chief Royo in the 2017 feature film \u201cWind River\u201d, a critically well-received modern day Western thriller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taking some time away from film and TV Greene trod the boards in 2007 as Shylock in a British production of the Shakespeare play \u201cThe Merchant of Venice\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like a number of other Native American actors, Graham Greene is not always automatically cast as an American Indian. As he himself pointed out when asked if he thought he was typecast, \u201cI\u2019ve played all kinds of things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I played an old Jewish man in a furniture store in theatre, I played the ghost of a black transvestite. I\u2019ve also played British Soldiers and French soldiers. I\u2019ve also played New York cops and lawyers, so\u2026 no\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Eric Schweig<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nRay Dean Thrasher aka Eric Schweig, born 19th<\/sup> June 1967, is a mixed race Native Canadian actor best known for playing the character Uncas in the Michael Mann version of \u201cThe Last of the Mohican\u201d, released in 1992 and in which he meets his demise at the hands of Wes Studi. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSchweig, however, went on to demonstrate his remarkable acting range when he later underwent an astounding change in appearance in a later Western which we will get to in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Playing the doomed Mohican who is dispatched, \u201cThe Last of the Mohicans\u201d was Schweig\u2019s third film appearance and like a lot of the other indigenous actors discussed so far his acting career was somewhat erratic to say the least, possibly due to the fact that, in his own words, he wasn\u2019t entirely sober until 2000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that year he appeared in \u201cBig Eden\u201d, a romantic comedy with Schweig second billed as a character called Pike Dexter, a performance for which he won a Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Actor.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was in the Ron Howard 2003\u00a0 Western \u201cThe Missing\u201d that Schweig went all badass and transitioned from good to bad guy with the help of prosthetics and a scary performance as the deranged Apache medicine man Pesh-Chidin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The actor said at the time that \u201cI guess it\u2019s like a western horror movie\u2026 my character is so reprehensible. He\u2019s meaner than a hyena\u2026 and his face is all scarred up and he looks like he\u2019s been in 50 knife fights\u201d. Schweig is as far removed as he could possibly be from the character of Uncas in \u201cThe Last of Mohicans\u201d to the point where he is virtually unrecognisable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schweig\u2019s CV also includes a number of TV appearances in shows such as \u201cBlackstone\u201d, a Canadian production centred around a number of indigenous families living on a fictional reservation for which the actor was nominated for Best Lead Performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also appeared in the TV adaptation of \u201cBury My Heart At Wounded Knee\u201d and the Lou Diamond Phillips crime series \u201cLongmire\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Away from the screen, Schweig developed a sideline in carving, something he reckoned he just fell into as a kid. Most of the work revolves around traditional Spirit mask carvings, a pastime that he describes as a way to connect to his Aboriginal cultural roots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whilst still a working actor Schweig is also happy making his carvings, claiming \u201cI\u2019m my own boss\u201d and, unlike acting \u201cI call the shots\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n