Celebrated and trailblazing ‘Dances With Wolves’ actor Graham Greene dies aged 73

Canadian actor Graham Greene, who helped shift perceptions about Indigenous talent in Hollywood, has died after long illness. 

His death was confirmed by his agent Michael Greene, who told Deadline: “He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed. You are finally free.” 

Known for his roles in Maverick (1994), Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995), The Green Mile (1999), the Twilight Saga and Wind River (2017), Greene is most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Ziŋtká Nagwáka (Kicking Bird) in Dances With Wolves – a performance which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  

The role in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film also helped shift perceptions and address stereotypical representations of Indigenous talent in mainstream Hollywood productions.

In a 2024 interview with Canada's Theatre Museum, Greene said: “When I first started out in the business, it was a very strange thing where they’d hand you the script where you had to speak the way they thought native people spoke. In order to get my foot in the door a little further, I did it. I went along with it for a while. You gotta look stoic. Don’t smile. You gotta grunt a lot. I don’t know anybody who behaves like that. Native people have an incredible sense of humour.” 

Oscar-nominated star Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) paid tribute to Greene on Instagram. “Graham Greene was one of the best to ever do it. He lived on the screen in an absolutely unparalleled way. He made everything he was in better. Funnier. Deeper. Memorable.” 

Gladstone added: “It’s hard to find any suitable words to express what his work meant, but his impact is unparalleled and expansive. I wish I could have met him. I probably would have thanked him.” 

Born on 22 June 1952 on the Six Nations reserve in Ohsweken, Greene started his acting career in theatre, before making the transition to screen acting in 1979 in the Canadian TV show The Great Detective. 

Other TV credits include The Outer Limits, Riverdale, American Gods and The Last Of Us. Greene also provided motion capture and vocals for the character Rains Fall in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. 

Greene is survived by his wife Hilary Blackmore, daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene, and grandson Tarlo.