Sheila Tousey | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sheila May Tousey June 4, 1959 Keshena, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Education | University of New Mexico, Albuquerque (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
Sheila May Tousey (born June 4, 1959) is a Native American actress.
Biography
Born in Keshena, Wisconsin in 1959, Tousey is a stage and film actress of Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee descent. She was raised on both Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee reservations. Tousey began dancing as a small child.[1]
She did not perform on stage until she attended Albuquerque's University of New Mexico. She initially entered the university's law program, planning to specialize in federal contracts and Native American law, but later changed her major to English. At the time, she started taking theater arts courses. After graduating, Tousey enrolled in the graduate acting program at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She directed her first play, An Evening at the Warbonnet, at the University of New Mexico in 1994.[2]
Tousey has become a professional dancer and actress. Her first movie role was in Thunderheart (1992), and she appeared in Medicine River that same year.[3] Her succeeding roles have been in a variety of characters, including appearances on Law & Order. Beginning in 2002, she has appeared in four movies adapted from Tony Hillerman mystery novels, which feature Native Americans of the Southwest.[4]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1992 | Thunderheart | Maggie Eagle Bear | |
| 1993 | Medicine River | Louise Heavyman | |
| Slaughter of the Innocents | Agent Lemar | ||
| 1994 | Silent Tongue | Awbonnie/Ghost | |
| 1995 | Lord of Illusions | Jennifer Desiderio | |
| 1996 | Grand Avenue | Mollie | |
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Nokomis | |
| Sparkler | Hurricane | ||
| 1999 | Ravenous | Martha | |
| Wildflowers | Martha | ||
| 2000 | Backroads | Grace Nelson | |
| The Other Side | Edna | ||
| 2001 | Two Grey Hills | Nellie Begay | |
| 2002 | Skinwalkers | Emma Leaphorn | |
| 2003 | Dreamkeeper | Janine | |
| Coyote Waits | Emma Leaphorn | ||
| 2004 | A Thief of Time | Emma Leaphorn | |
| 2005 | Johnny Tootall | Agnes | |
| Into the West | Older Thunder Heart Woman | ||
| Christmas in the Clouds | Mary | ||
References
- ↑ "Sheila Tousey". Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians. Mohican Nation. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ Pond, Roscoe (December 4, 2003). "From Hollywood, Tracking Actress Sheila Tousey". Indian Country Today. ICT Media Network. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
- ↑ Aleiss, Angela (2005). Making the White Man's Indian: Native Americans and Hollywood Movies. Westport, CT: Praeger Press. p. 156.
- ↑ "Sheila Tousey". National Museum of the American Indian. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved September 13, 2015.