Wes Studi was born to Cherokee parents near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He learned to talk in the Cherokee language, learning English when he entered school. He entered the National Guard on graduation from High School, serving an eighteen month tour in Vietnam. He took up acting following his discharge.

Studi got his first break in the role of Long Runner in The Trial of Standing Bear (’88). He appeared as a Pawnee in Dances with Wolves (’90) opposite Kevin Kostner. Studi had the title role of Magua in The Last of the Mohicans (’92). The following year he again had the title role in Geronimo: An American Legend. Other film credits include The New World (’05) and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (’07). His most recent big screen roles cast him as Cochise in A Million Ways to Die in the West (’14) and Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hawk in Hostiles (’17).

Studi has been a politically active advocate for American Indians both on and off the screen. Made for TV documentaries include The Trail of Tears: Cherokee Legacy and Images of Indians: How Hollywood Stereotyped the Native American. Studi’s made for TV movie credits include his role as Red Cloud in Crazy Horse (’97), The Lone Ranger (’03), Comanche Moon (’08) and Hell on Wheels (’11).

Wes, along with cast and crew, won a Western Heritage Award in 1994 for Geronimo: An American Legend. Wes Studi is recognized in the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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Ride easy,
Paul