Kevin Costner on Tuesday remembered Canadian actor Graham Greene as a “master at work and a wonderful human being,” in a social media post depicting one of their scenes together in 1990’s Dances With Wolves.
Greene, the Oneida actor from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, died on Monday at the age of 73, his manager confirmed to CBC News.
“A few things come to mind when I think of Graham Greene and our time together on Dances With Wolves,” Costner said in a lengthy post. “I think of how willing he was to learn the Lakota language. I think of my joy when I heard that his work on the film was recognized with an @theacademy Awards nomination.”
Costner posted a favourite scene, featuring his Lieutenant John Dunbar character first interacting with Greene as Kicking Bird, the Sioux medicine man.
“I’m grateful to have been witness to this part of his lasting legacy. Rest in peace, Graham,” said Costner.
Costner’s adaptation of a novel by Michael Blake would be nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and Best Director for Costner. Greene was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
Greene’s signature turn in the film was followed by a series of roles in movies and television, including in five episodes of the Emmy-winning drama Northern Exposure, as the shaman Leonard Quinhagak.
“He was always a warm, welcomed and giving presence on #NorthernExposure,” series star Rob Morrow said in a social media post on Tuesday. “Whenever he showed up, I knew things were going to be ok.”
Actor Ethan Hawke said he was “shocked to hear of his passing,” having worked with Greene on a yet-to-be-seen production “earlier this year.”
“Working with him was shockingly fun,” said Hawke. “He improvised brilliantly and infused every moment with spontaneity & humor.”
While Hawke didn’t name the project, the actor appears in the FX series The Lowdown, which debuts later this month.
Sterling Harjo, one of the executive producers on that show, was also the showrunner of Reservation Dogs, the 2021-2023 series in which Greene appeared in three episodes.
“Rest easy Graham. It’s been a real pleasure working with you, Unc. A real one if there ever was,” Harjo, from the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma, said in an Instagram post.
Lily Gladstone, said Greene was “one of the best to to ever do it.”
“It’s hard to find any suitable words to express what his work meant, but his impact is unparalleled and expansive,” said Gladstone, an Indigenous American actress nominated for an Oscar for Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Stratford Festival in Ontario remembered Greene as a “dramatic actor of extraordinary power and also a comedian who could delight colleagues and audiences with his playfulness and wit.”
Greene performed at the theatre in southwestern Ontario in 2007, as Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and in an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, as Lennie.
“As Shylock he brought a painful dignity and sharp intellect to the part,” Antoni Cimolino, Stratford’s artistic director, said in comments posted to the theatre’s Facebook account. “From the moment he entered, we knew we were in the presence of a star. His Lennie was heartbreaking in his childlike innocence. We were completely won over by his simple warmth and consequently devastated as the play progressed.”
Greene, who said he “stumbled into acting” as a profession, received a number of accolades in his career, including this year with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
Gov.-Gen. Mary Simon said in a written statement on Tuesday that Greene brought dignity to every character he portrayed, setting an example for other actors.
“Mr. Greene broke barriers for Indigenous actors, challenging stereotypes and opening doors for future generations,” she wrote. “Today, we honour his extraordinary contributions to Canadian culture and celebrate a legacy that will resonate across Canada and beyond.”
Greene is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore, and his daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene.
