Renowned Canadian actor Graham Greene, celebrated for his Oscar-nominated role as Kicking Bird in Dances with Wolves, passed away on September 1, 2025, in Stratford, Ontario, after a prolonged illness. He was 73.
Born in 1952 on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Greene began his career in theater before transitioning to film and television in the late 1970s. His breakthrough role in Dances with Wolves earned him international acclaim and helped shift the landscape of Indigenous representation in Hollywood.
Greene’s career spanned decades, with standout performances in The Green Mile, Maverick, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Wind River, and The Twilight Saga. On television, he appeared in acclaimed shows such as Reservation Dogs, 1883, The Last of Us, and Tulsa King.
Beyond film and television, Greene was also a respected storyteller. He won a Grammy for his spoken-word album Listen to the Storyteller and lent his voice to the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. In 2025, he received Canada’s Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, recognizing his lifetime contributions to the arts.
Greene is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore, and daughter, Lilly Lazare-Greene. Tributes from across the entertainment world have poured in, with fellow actors praising him as a pioneer who opened doors for Indigenous performers and inspired countless audiences with his craft.
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