Canadian actor Graham Greene, the Oscar-nominated star of “Dances With Wolves” and “Green Mile,” has died at age 73.
His agent Michael Greene, no relation, said in a statement to USA TODAY that Greene died “after a lengthy illness.”
“He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed,” Michael Greene wrote.
The Canadian First Nations actor, a tireless advocate for Indigenous representation in Hollywood, first appeared in the 1979 drama series “The Great Detective” and in the 1983 film “Running Brave.”
But Greene’s leap to Hollywood came with “Dances with Wolves,” playing the wise and compassionate Sioux medicine man Kicking Bird.
The performance earned Greene an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in 1991. Kevin Costner’s frontier epic racked up 12 Oscar nominations and won seven, including best picture and best actor for Costner.
Greene followed up “Wolves” with major studio roles, such as the regret-filled death row inmate Arlen Bitterbuck in 1999’s “The Green Mile,” opposite Tom Hanks. In the Western comedy “Maverick” (1994) with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, Greene played the Native American gambler Joseph.
In the 2009’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the actor played tribal elder Harry Clearwater. Greene also starred in Taylor Sheridan’s movie drama “Wind River” (2017) opposite Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, which led to more roles in the Sheridan’s TV universe — from “1883” to “Tulsa King.”
On TV, Greene also appeared on “Northern Exposure,” “Longmire” and “Goliath” alongside Billy Bob Thornton. He was cast in the FX’s series “Reservation Dogs” and in Amazon’s “The Red Road.”
Greene is survived by wife Hilary Blackmore, daughter Lillie Lazard-Greene and grandson Talo.