Greene is an Oneida born in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, the son of John, a paramedic and maintenance man, and Lillian Greene.[1] He lived in Hamilton, Ontario, as a young man.[2] Before moving into acting, he worked as a draftsman, steelworker and welder.[3]
He worked as an audio technician for rock bands based in Newfoundland and Labrador,[4] and later related that musician Kelly Jay repeatedly encouraged him to try out for a play.[5]
A common misconception is that he graduated from the Toronto-based Centre for Indigenous Theatre's Native Theatre School program. As he noted in a 2012 interview, he "helped run it, as executive director of a school-supporting local arts organization".[6] By the 1970s he began performing in professional theatre in Toronto and England and in 1976 he participated in the University of Western Ontario's touring workshop performance of James Reaney's Wacousta.[7]
His television debut was in an episode of The Great Detective in 1979,[8] and his film debut was in 1983 in Running Brave.[9] On viewing his first television role, Greene stated that it was "awful", and that it prompted him to start learning to act as a profession.[6]
In 1984 and 1986, Greene appeared in the First Nations' CBC TV series Spirit Bay as Pete "Baba" Green. The show was one of the first to show aboriginal life and the interactions between the native and white cultures.[13]
In the early 1990s he found guest-star work in several television series. As Leonard Quinhagak on Northern Exposure he portrayed a shaman that helped care for the residents. As a practitioner of shamanism, his character came into direct conflict with the show's other doctor, a traditionally trained professional that (initially) had little use for unorthodox ways.[14]
He was cast as Edgar "K.B." Montrose, an explosives enthusiast, on The Red Green Show. His character was asked what he thought of the movie Dances with Wolves, replying "...the native guy (himself as 'Kicking Bird') was OK. Should have gotten the Oscar. But the rest of it was a yawn!" Greene would portray this character periodically throughout most of the series run, from 1994 through 2006.[15]
He starred in the short-lived television series Wolf Lake in 2001 as Sherman Blackstone along with Lou Diamond Phillips. In 2002 and 2004, he co-starred in two made-for-TV films that were an attempt at launching a revival of the long-running Canadian series The Beachcombers.[19] He also guest starred in five episodes of Being Erica as Dr. Arthur in 2010-11.
He was a guest star in an episode of the TV series Numb3rs as a First Nations chief.
At the urging of actor Lou Diamond Phillips, Greene was cast as a recurring guest star on Longmire, which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017 on A&E and Netflix. As Malachi Strand, Greene was able to enjoy playing a villain, with the actor stating "Playing villains is fun. Being nice all the time; it's boring.".[21]
In 2023, Greene guest-starred as "Maximus" in the Reservation Dogs episode of the same name, as well as episodes 8 and 10. He also guest-starred in episode 6 of The Last of Us.
In 2024, Mr. Greene guest starred in a series, "Tulsa King" S2Ep9,Triad where he appeared as a medicine man by the name, "Old Smoke".
Movies
Dances with Wolves
Greene's Academy Award–nominated role as Kicking Bird (Lakota: Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves showcased his talents to audiences beyond his native Canada.[22] In an interview with CineMovie, Greene recounts a story of being tossed from a horse during production. When director Costner asked if he wanted a break, the actor retorted that he was more interested in finding the horse for payback.[23] He stated that it was difficult for him to learn how to speak the Lakota language properly. Having not grown up speaking a native language, he said "...I couldn't figure out how they ordered their language. Its structure is totally foreign to English or French."[6]
He appeared in the contemporary action-mystery film, Thunderheart (1992), playing Walter Crow Horse, a gruff, savvy local cop living on an Indian reservation. He was quick to sign up for the movie, stating "I love the Badlands. My agent said, 'I got a film for you. It's in South Dakota. And you have to ride a motorcycle.' I said, 'I'm in.' 'Want to read it?' 'Don't have to.'"[21]
In 1994's Maverick, Greene elicited good reviews as the sidekick to Mel Gibson. At a screening of the movie the Los Angeles Times noted that Greene, "[as a] thoroughly modern Native American who exploits his position as a tourist attraction for Russian adventurers", got the most laughs.[24]
Greene was featured as Arlen Bitterbuck who was convicted of murder, awaiting execution on death row in the Oscar-nominated The Green Mile (1999). The character was an elder of the Washita Tribe and a member of a Cherokee Council,[25] his nickname was "The Chief".[26] The character's execution is the first witnessed in the movie, and is depicted from start to finish. As it is the first depiction of an execution in the movie, Greene's death is noted as being a fairly accurate portrayal of the procedure.[27]
In 2005, he played the potential love interest of the female lead in Transamerica. A review of the movie praises Greene's performance as having "charming earthiness" but also notes that his character is allowed to find the transgender character attractive as "he's allowed to be open-minded because he's a Navajo -- in other words, a spiritually open-minded outsider, as opposed to your typical Middle American."[28]
Greene worked with Aaron Sorkin on Molly's Game in 2017. In his role as a judge, the actor recalled "Aaron, the director, was looking at me sitting behind the bench. I had a puzzled look on my face. He said, 'Are you all right?' I said, 'Yeah. I've just never seen the bench from this side before.'"[21]
Greene provided the pre-recorded narration for Tecumseh!, the highly acclaimed outdoor show held in Ohio, based upon the life of the illustrious Shawneechief of that name. He portrayed Sitting Bull in a short Historica vignette.[30]
In 2018, Greene acted as the beleaguered Native-American elder Chief Rains Fall in the western-themed video game Red Dead Redemption 2.[31]
Personal life
Greene and his wife Hilary Blackmore live outside of Toronto with a "small army of cats".[12] They were married in 1990, and have four children together.[citation needed] He enjoys writing, building boats and playing golf, noting "I just want to go and play, I don't care who's looking. It's a game where you get to play against yourself."[32][12] He has stated that he has no interest in migrating south to California for roles. "There's no reason to live there. A working actor can live anywhere as long as you have a phone, a fax, and know where the airport is."[5] Regarding his time playing Mr. Crabby Tree (and the follow-up role in the pre-teen show Eric's World) he noted "I spent a year paying penance doing kids' shows."
When discussing roles of native people, Greene noted that he would like to see depictions of "his people" as more than stoic: "My people are very funny."[23]
