Graham Greene

 It's Indigenous People's Day here in Canada. 

Yesterday I featured world-renowned sniper Francis Pegahmagabow. You can go back and read it if you missed it. 

And today I am going to feature one of my favourite actors. 

I have said many times, and I will probably say again, that a Canadian movie isn't truly Canadian unless it features one of two actors. One is Gordon Pinsent (more on him another day), and the other is our person of the day.

Graham Greene!

Graham is an Oneida that was born on June 22, 1952, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario. His first brush with the stage was working in Newfoundland as an audio tech. In 1974 he graduated from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School Program and from there starred on stage, in movies, and in TV shows. 

Nominated for an Oscar (one of only two Indigenous actors nominated, ever) for the 1990 movie "Dances With Wolves", Greene has starred in many great films (Wind River, The Green Mile, Winter's Tale) and some not-so-great ones (Twilight: New Moon). 

Greene has also shown that he doesn't take himself too seriously. He has appeared in kid's shows and has voiced characters in video games and cartoons. And has appeared in several Canadian comedy shows. On the Rick Mercer Report, The Red Green Show, and on the Royal Canadian Air Farce. 

It hasn't always been rainbows and unicorns though. In 1997 while in a major depressive episode, Greene did suffer from a major breakdown, resulting in a stand-off with police. The police had been called to his home to prevent a suicide attempt. Fortunately, the situation was diffused and Greene sought help through hospitalization. He recovered though, thanks to some help from his co-stars in the small film "Die Hard with a Vengeance". You may have heard of the independent actors' Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. 

You may be thinking to yourself, what accomplishments make Graham Greene inspirational? I would say that giving people things to escape their own lives and trouble for a couple of hours is extremely helpful. Graham Greene is one of those actors that improve every piece that he is in. And I hope his career continues. 



Shopping Corner

The Green Mile


Twilight: New Moon

Dances with Wolves


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