Canadian actor Graham Greene, whose role in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves earned him an Academy Award nomination, has died at the age of 73.
Graham Greene’s death confirmed
According to Canadian media reports, Greene passed away on Monday, 1 September 2025, in Toronto after a long illness.
He is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore, and their daughter, Lilly Lazare-Greene.
Who was Graham Greene?
Born on 22 June 1952, Graham Greene was a First Nations actor from the Oneida community in Canada.
First Nations is a term used to describe the original Indigenous peoples of Canada. Greene was also a recording artist and worked across film, television, and theatre for more than four decades.
He rose to international fame for his performance as Kicking Bird in Kevin Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990).
The role earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, one of the highest recognitions in the film industry.
Career highlights in film
Greene’s film career extended far beyond Dances with Wolves.
Some of his most notable appearances include:
- Thunderheart (1992)
- Maverick (1994)
- Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
- The Green Mile (1999)
- Skins (2002)
- Transamerica (2005)
- Casino Jack (2010)
- Wind River (2017)
- The Shack (2017)
He remained active well into the 2020s, appearing in TV series such as 1883, Reservation Dogs, The Last of Us, Tulsa King, and the Marvel miniseries Echo (2024).
Before breaking into Hollywood, Greene built his career on stage, often working with Native Earth Performing Arts, a Canadian theatre group. One of his best-known stage roles was in Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, which won him a Dora Mavor Moore Award in 1989.
On television, he had recurring roles in shows like Northern Exposure, The Red Green Show, and Longmire.
He also hosted the Canadian crime documentary series Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science between 1997 and 2001.
Awards and recognition
Greene’s talent was recognised with several awards over his career:
- Academy Award nomination for Dances with Wolves (1991)
- Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children (2000)
- Gemini Award for The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon (1994)
- Canadian Screen Award (2025)
- Governor General’s Performing Arts Award (2025), Canada’s highest honour for performing artists
These achievements cemented his legacy as one of Canada’s most celebrated actors.
