Graham Greene Dead: Oscar-Nominated ‘Dances With Wolves’ Actor Was 73 and Battled Long Illness

Graham Greene, best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Kicking Bird (Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in Dances With Wolves, has died at age 73.

The actor died in a hospital in Toronto after a long illness on Monday, September 1, reports Deadline.

“He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed. You are finally free,” Greene’s agent, Michael Greene, said in a statement.

Michael Greene added, “Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven,” referring to the actor’s former agent who died in 2013, per Deadline.

Greene got his big break when he was cast as Kicking Bird in Kevin Costner’s 1990 film Dances With Wolves, which earned 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Greene. The movie won seven awards at the 1991 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner, 70.

Considered a pioneer for Indigenous actors in Hollywood, Greene’s other roles include 1992’s Thunderheart, starring the late Val Kilmer, and 1995’s Die Hard With a Vengeance, costarring Bruce Willis, 1999’s The Green Mile and 2004’s Transamerica.

More recently, Greene had a main role in Marvel Studios’ Echo, which aired on Disney+ last year, and FX’s Reservation Dogs.

In a March 2017 interview with Reader’s Digest Canada, Greene reflected on how he stumbled into acting, revealing he’d probably be a welder if he hadn’t pursued a career in entertainment.

“I started out as a carpenter, a welder, a draftsman, a carpet layer, a roadie and an audio tech,” Greene said. “I stumbled into acting and I thought, ‘These people keep me in the shade, give me food and water, take me over to where I say what I’m supposed to say, then they take me back. Wow — this is the life of a dog!’”

In the same interview, Greene shared his favorite memories from the Dances With Wolves set, which involved bonding with the horse he rode in the film.

“He and I got on like a house on fire,” Graham said. “On the last day I was shooting, this kid came up and told me it had been his — turns out he’d had to sell it. After filming, I went to the producers and said, ‘Make sure this kid gets his horse back. Take it out of my salary if you have to.’”

Greene is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore, daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene and his grandson, Tarlo.