Probably the most famous Indigenous actor in cinema history, Graham Greene has passed away.
I hate calling him and Indigenous actor though- he was a brilliant actor who happened to be an Indigenous Canadian, and he usually starred in Indigenous roles. Usually he was cast when they wanted a noble, fair, intelligent and/or respectable type Native person, and not just a "whooping Indian type" where six of them drop every time John Wayne pulled the trigger.
I liked that about him, and especially his comedy chops. The way he played the co-conspirator in Maverick is a great example of this, where he and Mel Gibson's version of James Garner's classic character worked together to scam their way out of trouble.
Some bad language in this one, but worth plugging your ears from time to time.
https://youtu.be/e_nYT8WhFjk?si=7gBsOcRPj4cs4PFNMore recently you saw this side of him again in the Disney Marvel show Echo, which was worth watching if you haven't already seen it.
But the reason I don't like calling him an Indigenous actor is that he played parts that weren't Indigenous too- he played parts where he was just a regular guy who just happened to be Indigenous without it being a part of the character or story.
The most obvious example of this was his character on the Red Green Show, where he played the local explosives expert that was deaf as a post and missing several fingers.
https://youtu.be/F6FwSb7zd6M?si=QByydDMeSXk8htqRI really like that kind of thing, but you don't see it that often in movies or TV shows. If someone is of indigenous ancestry it becomes a part of their character and everything else about that character kind of becomes second to that.
I am all for respecting different cultures, but sometimes people can just be people.
About the only other place I've really seen that kind of thing is a Canadian show called Corner Gas, in which the local police officer is Indigenous and it's only mentioned once in five seasons, and only because it was too good of a joke to pass up.
Rookie cop: don't you think you should reconsider going to a scalper for tickets for a football game?
Indigenous cop: Why, because I'm a Kree man?
Rookie: No, because you are a cop!
While that wasn't a Graham Greene moment, it easily could have been. I appreciated him as an actor because he could be Indigenous or he could be just about anyone else- it was a part of his identity, but it didn't have to be.
I know, I know, by the rules we play by these days, denying someone's culture could be considered racist, but I prefer to see it as breaking down even more cultural barriers and showing that people are just people, even if they have different ethnicities.
I also appreciate an actor that can take on different roles and be believable, and Graham Greene did that exceptionally well.
People say Bruce Willis is a great actor, or Denzel Washington, but they largely play the same character in all their movies. While I have certainly enjoyed those movies, a great actor is one that becomes the part and I don't think I've ever seen Graham Greene not be believable.
He was a great actor, a great Indigenous actor, and a great Canadian. He will be missed for sure.
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