Adam Beach | |
|---|---|
 Beach at the 2015San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1972-11-11)November 11, 1972 (age 52) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph inSmoke Signals; Frank Fencepost inDance Me Outside; Tommy onWalker, Texas Ranger; Kickin' Wing inJoe Dirt;U.S. MarineCorporalIra Hayes inFlags of Our Fathers; Private Ben Yahzee inWindtalkers; Dr.Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) inBury My Heart at Wounded Knee;NYPD DetectiveChester Lake inLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit; andOfficer Jim Chee in the film adaptations ofSkinwalkers,Coyote Waits andA Thief of Time. He starred in the Canadian 2012–2014 seriesArctic Air and playedSlipknot in the 2016 filmSuicide Squad. He also performed asSquanto in Disney's historical drama filmSquanto: A Warrior's Tale. Most recently he has starred inHostiles (2017) as Black Hawk and the Netflix original filmJuanita (2019) as Jess Gardiner and Edward Nappo inJane Campion'sThe Power of the Dog.
Adam Beach was born inAshern, Manitoba. He isSaulteauxAnishinaabe and has someIcelandic roots through his great-grandmother.[1] Beach spent his early years with his parents and two brothers on theLake Manitoba/Dog Creek First Nation Reserve atLake Manitoba. When Beach was eight years old, his mother, Sally Beach, eight months pregnant with a baby girl, was killed by adrunk driver.[2] Eight weeks after his mother's death, the family discovered their father Dennis Beach had drowned near the community. It is unclear whether his death was an accident or suicide.
Adam and his two brothers initially lived with their grandmother; he was with her from age 8 to 12. Five years after their parents' deaths, the three brothers were taken toWinnipeg to live with an aunt and paternal uncle: Agnes and Chris Beach (his father's brother). Adam refers to his Uncle Chris as "Dad".[3]
Beach attended a drama class atGordon Bell High School. He began performing in local theatre productions and eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at theManitoba Theatre for Young People.[4]
Beach has a long list of diverse portrayals. He saw acting as a catharsis and turned to theater as a venue to express his feelings and tell his own personal stories.[5] At age 18, Beach won a small role in the miniseriesLost in the Barrens, based on theFarley Mowat novel. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest-starred on television shows such asWalker, Texas Ranger andTouched by an Angel. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television showsNorth of 60 andThe Rez. After his performance inDance Me Outside, he starred inSmoke Signals, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at theSundance Film Festival.[2] He took a small role in Disney'sMystery, Alaska in 1999 and in 2000 accepted a role in the thriller,The Last Stop. Beach appeared inHelen Lee'sThe Art of Woo and the 2001 hitJoe Dirt as Kickin' Wing, a Native American fireworks salesman. The producers ofJoe Dirt had originally wanted to hireEvan Adams for the parody of his character inSmoke Signals, but accidentally called Beach instead.[6]
In 2002,Windtalkers, starring Beach, was released in theatres; it was about Navajocodetalkers working with the US Marines during World War II. To prepare for this role, Beach spent six months learning theNavajo language. He used this language in his next project,Skinwalkers, based on a novel byTony Hillerman and directed byChris Eyre, who had given him his breakout role inSmoke Signals. Between large-scale projects, Beach made small television appearances on such shows asJAG andThird Watch. Also, in 2003, he returned to the character that he first portrayed inSkinwalkers in the movieCoyote Waits, also based on a Hillerman novel. He also made a guest appearance in the hit showThe Dead Zone as a Nativeshaman (in the episode "Shaman").
In 2006, Beach portrayedIra Hayes inClint Eastwood's feature filmFlags of Our Fathers. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother and his best friend died. Beach commented, "And if you add those up, there's a lot of emotion. When you're doing a movie, when you let go emotionally, there's nothing to grab onto," he said about the deaths.[7] About playing the part, Beach said, "For me, playing Ira was a meaningful relationship. I would call it – trying to find out how he was, or how he thought and felt".[7] The movie won twoAcademy Award nominations and Beach was nominated for multiple Best Supporting Actor honors.
In 2006, Beach ran as a candidate to lead his Lake Manitoba First Nation; he was not successful but said he will try again.[8] In 2007, Beach starred inHBO Films' adaptation ofDee Brown's history,Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. In the film, Beach portraysCharles Eastman (Dakota name Ohiyesa), a doctor,Sioux advocate and author. He explores and expresses the changing understanding of Aboriginal-US relations during the period leading up to theWounded Knee Massacre.
In addition to starring in the Canadian television seriesMoose TV, Beach is executive-producing and starring in the movieOlder Than America. The independent feature is filmed inCloquet, Minnesota, mostly on theFond du LacOjibwe reservation. He joined the cast ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit asDetective Chester Lake for the show's ninth season after guest-starring in season eight.[9] In April 2008,TV Guide announced that he would not return for the show's tenth season.[10][11] He later stated he grew disillusioned with the strictly procedural nature of the show and opted to leave after the finish of the ninth season.[12]
Starting in 2009, Beach played a supporting role on the HBO seriesBig Love as a manager in an Indian casino with Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton). On February 10, 2010, it was announced that Beach will portrayTommy Prince, the Canadian war hero, in an upcoming movie about his life. According to Bay Film Studios, the movie will be a "true account of Canada's most highly decorated First Nations soldier." Beach said he is honoured to portray Prince, calling him a positive role model for all First Nations.[13] In 2011, he starred inCowboys & Aliens, an American science fiction Western film directed byJon Favreau and starringDaniel Craig,Harrison Ford andOlivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created byScott Mitchell Rosenberg. Also in 2011, Beach returned to Canada to star in the TV seriesArctic Air, which premiered on January 12, 2012. In 2015, Beach appeared on several episodes ofBackstrom as Sheriff Jesse Rocha. In 2017, he played Black Hawk inHostiles, starring Christian Bale,Rosamund Pike andWes Studi.
In 2022 Beach was selected as host of the Canadian chainsaw carving competition showA Cut Above.[14]
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Adam Beach has been married three times and has three children. He has two sons with his first wife, Meredith Porter (married 1999–2002). He did not have children with his second wife, Tara Mason (married 2003–2007). In 2008, his current wife, Summer Tiger, gave birth to a daughter.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | American Indian Film Festival | Best Actor | Dance Me Outside | Won |
| First American in the Arts Awards | Best Actor | My Indian Summer | Won | |
| 1998 | San Diego World Film Festival | Best Actor | Smoke Signals | Won |
| 2006 | Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Flags of Our Fathers | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | American Indian Film Festival | Best Actor | Luna: Spirit of the Whale | Nominated |
| 2008 | Golden Globe Award | Best Actor — Mini-Series or Television Film | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | Nominated |
| Image Awards | Outstanding Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role | Arctic Air | Nominated |
| Year | Title | Role | Tribe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Cadillac Girls | Will | ||
| 1994 | Squanto: A Warrior's Tale | Squanto | Patuxet | |
| A Boy Called Hate | Billy Little Plume | |||
| 1995 | Dance Me Outside | Frank Fencepost | Ojibwe (related to Beach's actualSaulteaux heritage) | |
| 1996 | Coyote Summer | Rafe Acuna | ||
| 1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Chibiabos | Ojibwe (related to Beach's actualSaulteaux heritage) | |
| 1998 | Smoke Signals | Victor Joseph | Coeur d'Alene | |
| 1999 | Mystery, Alaska | Galin Winetka | ||
| 2000 | The Last Stop | Jason | ||
| 2001 | Joe Dirt | Kickin' Wing | ||
| Now & Forever | John Myron | Cree | ||
| The Art of Woo | Ben Crowchild | |||
| 2002 | Windtalkers | Private Ben Yazzie | Navajo | |
| Posers | Sinclair | |||
| 2003 | Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story | John Joseph Harper | Oji-Cree | |
| The Big Empty | Randy | |||
| 2004 | Sawtooth | Jim | ||
| 2005 | Four Brothers | Chief | Uncredited | |
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers | Ira Hayes | Pima | |
| 2007 | Luna: Spirit of the Whale | MikeMaquinna | Mowachaht-Muchalaht | |
| 2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Turok | Voice role | |
| Older than America | Johnny | Ojibwe | ||
| Help | Max | |||
| 2010 | The Stranger | Mason | ||
| The Stepson | Josh Anderson | Main role | ||
| 2011 | A Warrior's Heart | Sgt. Major Duke Wayne | ||
| Cowboys & Aliens | Nat Colorado | Supporting role | ||
| Tommy Prince: Prince of the Devils | Tommy Prince | |||
| 2013 | Crook | Bryce | ||
| Ice Soldiers | TC Cardinal | |||
| Into the Grizzly Maze | Johnny Cadillac | |||
| 2014 | A Fighting Man | Fast Eddie | ||
| 2015 | Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser | Kickin' Wing | Cameo | |
| Diablo | Nakoma | |||
| 2016 | Suicide Squad | Christopher Weiss / Slipknot[15] | ||
| 2017 | Juliana & the Medicine Fish | Mike Reid | ||
| Hostiles | Black Hawk | Cheyenne | ||
| 2019 | Juanita | Jess | ||
| 2020 | Monkey Beach | Uncle Mick | ||
| The New Mutants | William Lonestar | Cheyenne | ||
| Percy | Alton Kelly | |||
| 2021 | The Unhealer | Sheriff Adler | ||
| The Power of the Dog | Edward Nappo | |||
| Swan Song | Dalton | |||
| 2022 | Exile | Ted Evans | ||
| American/Indian | Carl | Pre-production | ||
| 2023 | Hey, Viktor! | Adam | ||
| 2024 | The Birds Who Fear Death | Adam | ||
| TBA | Terra Infirma | Max Windrunner | Pre-production | |
| Coyote Howls | James Hunter | Pre-production | ||
| Hitman | The Hitman | Pre-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Tribe | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Lost in the Barrens | Hunting Party Member | Television film | |
| 1993 | Spirit Rider | Paul LeBlanc | Television film | |
| 1993–1995 | North of 60 | Nevada | 4 episodes | |
| 1995 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Tommy Bright Hawk | Episode: "On Sacred Ground" | |
| CBS Schoolbreak Special | Ben | Episode: "My Indian Summer" | ||
| 1996 | Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years | Red Crow | Lakota | Episode: "Medicine" |
| Touched by an Angel | Dillon New Eagle | Episode: "Written in Dust" | ||
| The Rez | Charlie | Ojibwe | ||
| 1997 | Dead Man's Gun | Tom | Nez Perce | Episode: "Medicine Man" |
| 2001 | Higher Ground | Aaron Reifel | Episode: "What Remains" | |
| 2002 | Skinwalkers | OfficerJim Chee | Navajo | Television film |
| Bliss | Angel | Episode: "Valentine's Day in Jail" | ||
| The Dead Zone | Shaman | Episode: "Shaman" | ||
| 2003 | Coyote Waits | OfficerJim Chee | Navajo | Television film |
| Everwood | Mr. Grey Cloud | Episode: "Unhappy Holidays" | ||
| Third Watch | Christian | 2 episodes | ||
| 2004 | A Thief of Time | OfficerJim Chee | Navajo | |
| JAG | Marcus Tillco | Episode: "Whole New Ball Game" | ||
| 2005 | Johnny Tootall | Johnny Tootall | Nuu-chah-nulth | |
| 2007 | Moose TV | George Keeshig | Cree | |
| Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) | Sioux | Television film | |
| 2007–2008 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Det. Chester Lake | Mohawk | Main role, 21 episodes |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Blue Duck | Comanche | |
| Wapos Bay | Himself | Voice role | ||
| 2010 | Big Love | Tommy Flute | Blackfoot | |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Navy Seal Graham | Episode: "Ho'apono" | ||
| 2011 | Combat Hospital | Joe / Snake Eater | ||
| 2012–2014 | Arctic Air | Bobby Martin | Main role, 35 episodes | |
| 2013 | Hell on Wheels | Red Bear | Kiowa | |
| 2015 | Backstrom | Cooch County Captain Jesse Rocha | 3 episodes | |
| 2017 | Monsters of God | Sees Two Moons | Television film | |
| 2019 | Drunk History | Richard Oakes | Episode: "National Parks" | |
| Supernatural | Sheriff Mason | Episode: "Don't Go in the Woods" | ||
| 2019–2020 | Nancy Drew | Chief E.O. McGinnis | 7 episodes | |
| 2020 | The Good Doctor | Billy Carr | Season 4 episode 4: "Not the Same" | |
| 2022–present | A Cut Above | Host | [14] | |
| 2023 | Found | Kai Wagon | Season 1 episode 7: "Missing While Indigenous" | |
| TBA | Government Cheese | Main cast[16] |
AnAnishinaabe member of the Ojibwa nation, with some Icelandic roots through his great-grandmother, Beach was born in Ashern, (Canada)
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