Graham Greene, known for his films including Dances With Wolves, died at 73 on Monday, September 1, 2025, in Ontario after a long illness.
The award-winning legendary Canadian actor is survived by his wife, Hilary Blackmore, and their daughter, Lilly Lazare-Greene.
His manager, Gerry Jordan, confirmed the news, telling CBC News: “It is with deep sadness we announce the peaceful passing of award-winning legendary Canadian actor Graham Greene.” He said Greene died of natural causes.
In a statement released to several outlets, including Deadline and the Los Angeles Times, his U.S. agent Michael Greene (no relation) said, “He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed… You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven.
Born in 1952 in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada, Greene got into acting by chance while working as a recording engineer, after his friend asked him to read a script. In the 1970s, he began performing in plays in Canada and England. In 1979, he appeared on-screen for the first time in an episode of the Canadian drama, The Great Detective. In 1983, he debuted in film with the biopic Running Brave.
However, he got his big Hollywood break when Kevin Costner cast him in Dances with Wolves (1990), where he played the Lakota medicine man Kicking Bird (Lakota: Ziŋtká Nagwáka). The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 7 awards, and his performance earned him an Oscar nomination. This role kickstarted his Hollywood career. Later, Greene appeared in movies like Thunderheart (1992), Maverick (1994), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) and Casino Jack (2010).
Greene also appeared in several television shows, including Northern Exposure, Murder, She Wrote, Wolf Lake, Echo, and Tulsa King to name a few.
Apart from his Oscar nomination, Greene won a Grammy in 2000 for Listen to the Storyteller. He was a two-time Gemini Award winner and won a 2025 Canadian Screen Award for Seeds. He also received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2021 and was nominated for a 2003 Independent Spirit Award for Skins.
