Colleagues and friends say Graham Greene was a multi-faceted actor, portraying serious and comedic roles alike, who was “like an uncle” to younger performers.
Greene, who was Oneida from Six Nations of the Grand River, in southern Ontario, died Monday at the age of 73.
He was a member of the Order of Canada, was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Dances with Wolves, and was given the Earle Grey lifetime achievement award for television acting (Canadian Screen Award) in 2004, and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award earlier this year for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
He played dozens of roles on stage and on screen in a career spanning nearly five decades from major motion pictures, to a range of television productions.
A boy from Six Nations
Fellow Six Nations actor and Greene’s cousin, Gary Farmer, said their friendship began as kids. Greene’s father and Farmer’s grandmother were first cousins and neighbours in Six Nations and when Farmer went to visit his grandmother, Greene would come over to play.
He said Greene was creative and used to impersonate Jesse Ed Davis, a famous Comanche guitarist, so the two could get into concerts for free together.
In the ’80s, they were both in the original cast of Tomson Highway’s acclaimed play Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing. Although they rarely worked on screen together, their paths crossed often and Farmer said they remained in touch.
“We ended up in the same rehearsal hall in ’77 in London, Ont. And, you know, the rest is history from there because we both blossomed as actors,” Farmer said.
“Who would ever think that these five- and six-year olds would become these kinds of actors in our field? You know, good actors.”
Farmer said Greene’s acting is a testament to “his ability to adapt to any situation.”
“I mean, that’s what Indians can do. You know, we’re a very adaptable people and as performers,” Farmer said.
“He rose higher than the rest of us in that regard.”
‘Blown away’ by Greene on stage
Darrell Dennis, who is Secwepemc, directed and co-wrote one of Greene’s last films, Sweet Summer Pow Wow. He said he was shocked when he heard the news.
“Graham and I were actually working on a movie together,” he said.
“I was devastated because we had been contacting each other quite a bit.”
Dennis said Greene didn’t play into stereotypical Indigenous tropes like the “mystical native from the 1800s” or “trauma victim” and gave Dennis hope that he could be any kind of actor he wanted to be.
“I had grown up, starting off as an actor when Graham had just become nominated for the Academy Award for Dances with Wolves,” he said.
“So, you know, he was the icon. He was the man that we all aspired to be.”
One of the things he’ll remember most about Greene, Dennis said, is that he took time to check in on people.
Dennis, who splits his time between B.C. and Los Angeles, recalls a time when there was an earthquake in Los Angeles and Greene sent him a text just to make sure he was OK.
Glen Gould, who is Mi’kmaw from Membertou First Nation in Nova Scotia, starred in the 2024 Canadian drama The Birds Who Fear Death with Greene.
Gould said Greene — someone he’s always looked at “like an uncle” — was one of the first people that he met when he first moved to Toronto to chase the dream of becoming an actor.
Gould said he remembers being “blown away” when he first saw Greene on stage in Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing.
“I saw the show five times from different areas of the theatre, from the back row, to the front row, to backstage. And I just thought, wow, this guy is amazing,” he said.
“It was like watching Gretzky play hockey, except, you know, it was a Native actor on stage doing his thing.”
Gould said Greene’s health issues were evident when they worked together but Gould said that Greene was able to integrate those physical ailments into his role to make that a part of his character.
“One of the things that I learned from Graham is not to be afraid to be yourself and when it comes to acting, be fearless,” he said.
