Graham Greene, the Oscar-nominated star of Dances with Wolves and a groundbreaking First Nations performer from Six Nations of the Grand River, has died at 73 after a prolonged illness in Stratford, Ontario. The news landed with the same clarity that defined his work: a straight confirmation of his passing, followed by an outpouring that mapped five decades of roles across film and television, from Thunderheart and The Green Mile to Reservation Dogs, 1883, and The Last of Us.
Greene’s career was never about one part. He broke through with an Academy Award nomination as Kicking Bird and then kept shifting gears—studio thrillers, character dramas, prestige TV, and the kind of late-career turns that introduce a legend to a new generation. The obituaries underline that range without sanding off the details, and they give you the facts behind what colleagues have been saying for years: he brought intelligence, weight, and a wry sense of fun to every set.
Ethan Hawke, who worked with Greene earlier this year on FX’s The Lowdown, posted a set photo and a memory that reads like a note to a friend: “I had the pleasure of working with Graham Greene earlier this year… He has always possessed extraordinary grace, wisdom, wit, & depth… Working with him was shockingly fun… I am shocked to hear of his passing. Blessed travels, friend.”
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FX has since confirmed that Greene will appear later this season—two episodes—on The Lowdown, a Sterlin Harjo series led by Hawke as a Tulsa “truthstorian.” The premiere is September 23 on FX, streaming next day on Hulu.
Gil Birmingham focused on impact as much as craft. “My heart is broken. We have lost a man of incredible talent who made a positive impact on Native representation in film, inspiring a new generation of Native actors… His great heart was only matched by his wickedly funny sense of humor. Journey on, Graham.”
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Lily Gladstone put it in a line that spread fast: “Graham Greene was one of the best to ever do it. He lived on the screen in an absolutely unparalleled way. He made everything he was in better. Funnier. Deeper.”
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Lou Diamond Phillips wrote like a longtime friend, not a press officer: “Heartbroken. Terribly saddened to hear of the passing of Graham Greene at only 73. From Wolf Lake to Longmire, we had a beautiful friendship. An Actor’s Actor. One of the wittiest, wiliest, warmest people I’ve ever known. Iconic and Legendary. RIP, My Brother.”
Heartbroken. Terribly saddened to hear of the passing of Graham Greene at only 73.
From Wolf Lake to Longmire, we had a beautiful friendship.
An Actor’s Actor. One of the wittiest, wiliest, warmest people I’ve ever known. Iconic and Legendary. RIP, My Brother. pic.twitter.com/lJA0dKEoxz— Lou Diamond Phillips (@LouDPhillips) September 1, 2025
Robert Patrick kept it spare and honest—grief first, résumé second. “Heartbroken to hear Graham Greene has passed. I had the privilege of working with him on The Outer Limits… I loved that man! Absolute legend.”
Heartbroken to hear Graham Greene has passed. I had the privilege of working with him on The Outer Limits… I loved that man! Absolute legend. pic.twitter.com/HMaCFd0Vqk
— Robert Patrick 🇺🇸 (@robertpatrickT2) September 2, 2025
From institutions to shows that brought Greene to new audiences, the tributes matched the tone. SAG-AFTRA called him a “trailblazing” presence who “brought heart & quiet power to every role.”
We honor the trailblazing legacy of Graham Greene. From ‘Dances with Wolves’ to ‘Reservation Dogs’ & ‘Tulsa King,’ he brought heart & quiet power to every role. A proud member of the Oneida Nation & a pioneer for Indigenous representation. #SagAftraMemberhttps://t.co/vxbZq9ihfg
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) September 2, 2025
Read enough of these notes and a pattern emerges. People dwell on the in-between moments—the improvising between takes, the dry jokes, the way he lightened a room and sharpened a scene. The reporting lines up with that picture: a steady, shape-shifting career that spanned genres and formats without losing the wry, grounded presence that made him instantly convincing. Those facts are easy to verify; the texture comes from colleagues who can still quote the asides he tossed out while everyone waited for the next setup.
There’s more to say about the work still ahead for audiences. The Lowdown is the obvious next stop, not just because Greene is in it, but because the show lives in a creative world he helped build. It’s Sterlin Harjo’s Tulsa noir, a story about an obsessive local truth-seeker that carries the same mix of humor and bite that made Reservation Dogs such a standout. Entertainment Weekly has a smart preview; FX has the trailer and schedule.
Greene’s legacy doesn’t need polishing here. It shows up in the roles that kept stretching over time, in the younger actors who say he opened doors, and in the way colleagues describe the person on set: exacting, funny, generous. The posts above aren’t boilerplate; they read like real conversations—the kind you remember years later because they happened in the quiet minutes when someone decided the work could be sharper, or kinder, or both. That’s why a career like his lands the way it does when it ends. The credits are long, but the memories are longer.