Michael Spears
Spears on the set of 1883 in 2022
Born
Michael Spears

(1977-12-28) December 28, 1977
Chamberlain, South Dakota, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1990–present
FamilyEddie Spears (brother)

Michael Spears (born December 28, 1977) is an Indigenous American actor. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Lakota from the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Early life

Michael Spears was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota near the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation to Sičangu Lakota parents and lived there until he was in fifth grade.[1] After that, his family moved to Pierre, South Dakota.[2] Later, his family moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota where he graduated from Aberdeen Central High School in 1995.[3]

He has six siblings. His younger brother, Eddie, is also an actor with film and television credits.[4]

Career

Film/television

Spears' debut role as the child character Otter, in the Academy-Award-winning 1990 film Dances with Wolves, earned him national notice at thirteen years old. By the age of seventeen, Spears had acted in both TV and film with other prominent actors such as Kevin Costner, Jimmy Smits and Kim Delaney.

Spears' film credits include a major role as the character Dog Star in the 2005 Steven Spielberg-produced mini-series, Into the West, which aired on TNT.

In 2014, for his role as Tenkill in Angels in Stardust, Spears received critical acclaim in The New York Times.[5]

His recent roles include a cameo in Taylor Sheridan's Western series 1883, a supporting role[6] in season 2 of Reservation Dogs on Hulu, and a supporting role in the series 1923 on Paramount.[7]

Other work

In 2005, Michael and Eddie Spears modeled for Cochiti Pueblo fashion designer Virgil Ortiz for his "Indigene" clothing line and were featured on the cover of the August 2005 issue of New Mexico Magazine.[8]

In 2013, he hosted the 38th Annual American Indian Film Institute Awards.[9]

In 2014 and 2015, Spears played a recurrent role as Savanukah, a member of the 1777 Cherokee Delegation, in Colonial Williamsburg's open-air stage production of The Beloved Women of Chota: War Women of the Cherokee.[10] He has also served as a musical contributor to other stage productions and media festivals such as the Bozeman Ice Festival and the Billings Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, Spears performed alongside other acclaimed Indigenous performers in the Billings Symphony Orchestra's symphonic production "Buffalo Crossing,"[11] which integrated the traditional music and dance of Plains tribes with orchestral music.

Personal life

Spears is an accomplished hand drum player and singer, often performing at powwows and other venues. He was the opening act for Rita Coolidge at her 2005 concert in Great Falls, Montana. Spears often travels to deliver speeches on inspirational and educational topics, including sustainable energy and mental health, and mentors Indigenous youth in Montana and South Dakota.

He worked with his late father, Patrick Spears, and his brother Eddie on ICOUP's (Intertribal Council on Utility Policy) Native Energy and Native Wind[12] whose goal was to encourage creation of sustainable energy sources. Formed in 1994, ICOUP provided a forum for utility issues discussion from regulatory and economic perspectives.[13]

Spears can speak some Lakota, which he first learned from his father and grandfather, and is continuing to learn. On the set of Dances with Wolves, Spears received Lakota language instruction from renowned Lakota language instructors Doris and Frank Leader Charge.[14] During the filming of Into the West, he and the other actors had lessons from linguist Charlie White Buffalo.[15]

Traditional Lakota ways and ceremonies are a priority for Spears, as he often takes part in spiritual and cultural events across the country. Spears has also engaged in activism for the Indigenous community, making appearances at environmental and MMIW, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, demonstrations[16] and voicing his concerns about the misappropriation of Native culture through sports iconography.[17]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1990 Dances with Wolves Otter Film
1992 The Broken Cord Young Adam TV movie
1993 The Broken Chain Young Lohaheo TV movie
1994 Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee Stat Man TV movie
2002 Skins Teddy Yellow Lodge Film
2005 Into the West Dog Star TV mini-series
2007 Imprint Tom Greyhorse Film
2009 Shadowheart Washakie Film
2011 The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy Kutseena Film
2011 Yellow Rock Broken Wing Film
2012 Longmire Micah Dullknife TV series
2012 Guns, Girls, and Gambling Redfoot Film
2013 Winter in the Blood Raymond Long Knife Film
2014 Angels in Stardust Tenkill Film
2014 The Activist Bud "One Bull" Ward Film
2014-2015 The Beloved Women of Chota Savanukah Stage Production
2017 The Ballad of Lefty Brown Biscuit Film
2018 Z Nation Black Hoof TV series
2021 Chief Tendoy Chief Tendoy Short Film
2021 Intermountain Opera: The Circle of Resilience Lakota Singer PBS Special
2022 1883 Comanche Trader TV series
2022 Into the Wild Frontier Hanging Maw TV series
2022 Reservation Dogs Danny TV series
2022 Year of the Dog Fred Film
2023 1923 Runs His Horse TV series

Awards

  • Young Artist Awards: Nominated in 1993 for Best Young Actor Under Ten in a Television Movie as Adam in The Broken Cord [18]
  • American Indian Film Festival and Awards: Nominated in 2011 for Best Actor as Broken Wing in Yellow Rock
  • Awarded Bronze Wrangler Award at the Western Heritage Awards in 2012 for Lead Actor as Broken Wing in Yellow Rock
  • American Indian Film Festival and Awards: Nominated in 2013 for Best Supporting Actor as Bud "One Bull" Ward in The Activist

References

  1. ↑ Interview with Michael Spears by Patricia Sheridan, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
  2. ↑ Morreale, Marie. "DreamKeeper: Meet Eddie Spears" Archived 2004-09-04 at the Wayback Machine, scholastic.com, February 25, 2004.
  3. ↑ Aberdeen News "Aberdeen: Former resident on TV series"Archived 2014-09-03 at the Wayback Machine January 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ Profile Archived 2014-04-05 at the Wayback Machine, spearsbrothersfans.webs.com; retrieved March 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ Review, nytimes.com; accessed March 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ Poniewozik, James (2022-08-01). "The Remarkable 'Reservation Dogs' Runs Away Toward Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
  7. ↑ 1923 (TV Series 2022–2023) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-03-05
  8. ↑ Haaland, Debra. "An Eye for Fashion: Cochiti Pueblo's renowned potter Virgil Ortiz has expanded his artistic talents to the world of fashion, now rubbing elbows with famed international designer Donna Karan" Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, nmmagazine.com; accessed March 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ IMDb profile, IMDb; retrieved February 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ Bridges, Heather. "Hollywood and local actors join forces through CW's American Indian Initiative". vagazette.com. Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  11. ↑ "'Buffalo Crossing' pairs Northern Cheyenne traditional art forms with symphonic music". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  12. ↑ "Home". nativeenergy.com.
  13. ↑ Renaud, Roseanna, "KILI celebrates 25 years and wind turbine dedication", LakotaCountryTimes.com; accessed March 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ "MOVIES : Kevin Costner's Dance With the Sioux : How the director and star achieved authenticity in his unusual film tribute to the Sioux, 'Dances With Wolves'". Los Angeles Times. 1990-10-28. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  15. ↑ Interview with Michael Spears by Lynn Taylor Rick, Rapid City Journal Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Montana Women's March, Blackfeet Song for Healing Energy, retrieved 2023-03-05
  17. ↑ "1923 Actor Joins Native Americans Urging Kansas City Chiefs to Change Name". 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
  18. ↑ Profile, IMDb; accessed March 16, 2015.
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