Actor Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves; Tulsa King) dead at 73 after lengthy illness

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Graham Greene, a trailblazing Canadian First Nations actor who opened doors for Indigenous actors in Hollywood, died September 1 in a Toronto hospital after a long illness. The Oscar nominee from Dances with Wolves was 73.

“He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed,” Greene’s agent Michael Greene (no relation) said in a statement to Deadline. “You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven,” he added, referencing the actor’s longtime agent, who died in 2013

Greene was born on June 22, 1952 in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve. He worked odd jobs before giving acting a go. Greene started on stage, and by the 1970s he was performing in Canadian and English professional theater productions.

He made his screen debut in 1979 in an episode of the Canadian drama series The Great Detective; his first movie was the 1983 Running Brave.

Greene’s big breakthrough came several years later when Kevin Costner cast him as Kicking Bird (Zi?tká Nagwáka), one the main characters in his 1990 Western Dances with Wolves. The film landed 12 Academy Award nominations — including one for Greene as Best Supporting Actor — and won seven, including Best Picture.

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