Graham Greene, who was nominated an Oscar for his role in the Western film Dances with Wolves in 1990, had an illustrious Hollywood career, which spanned nearly 50 years
Oscar-nominated actor Graham Greene – who was in Dances with Wolves and Thunderheart – has died aged 73.
The Hollywood actor enjoyed a illustrious career which spanned nearly 50 years, and saw him in appear in Hollywood blockbusters, TV shows and on stage. He will be best remembered for his role as Kicking Bird in Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves, for which he was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1990.
But he died in a hospital in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday afternoon, his agent confirmed this morning. His agent did not provide a cause of death, though it is understood Greene had been unwell for some time.
The star’s acting career began in 1976 with TV work, and he made his big screen debut in 1983’s Running Brave, a sports drama. This led to work on Revolution, a British historical drama released in 1985.
But Greene’s big breakthrough came in Dances With Wolves, Costner’s directoral debut, one of the highest-grossing films in 1990. The Western received huge praise and won seven Oscars that year. Greene lost the Best Supporting Actor gong to Joe Pesci for his role in Goodfellas.
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Yet Dances with Wolves was a springboard for Greene, born in Ontario, Canada, and he was in Thunderheart, Die Hard with a Vengeance and The Green Mile among other blockbusters in the 1990s. The actor also appeared in Snow Dogs, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Wind River, Molly’s Game and the TV shows American Gods and Riverdale among many more roles.
Following Greene’s death on Sunday, his agent praised the versatile actor. He said Greene, appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015, was a man of great moral character and will be missed. He leaves behind his wife Hilary Blackmore, whom he wed in 1990, and their daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene and son Tarlo Greene.
Outside of his Oscar nom, Greene won a Grammy in 2000 for best spoken word album for children for his work on “Listen to the Storyteller.” He was also honored with a Gemini Award, Canadian Screen Award and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. In 2021, he received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
The character actor, who was an audio technician for rock bands prior to turning his hand to acting aged 24, will appear in several upcoming films including Ice Fall, starring Joel Kinnaman and Danny Huston. His last movie role, prior to his passing, was in Sweet Summer Pow Wow, a Canadian romantic drama film, directed by Darrell Dennis and released earlier this year.