Wesley "Wes" Studi (born December 17, 1947) is a Cherokee actor who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An American Legend and Academy Award-nominated The New World (2005). He also portrayed General Linus Abner (an analogue to the biblican Abner) in the NBC series Kings as well as Eytukan in Avatar.
Biography[]
Before Studi became involved in acting, he enlisted in the National Guard at the age of 17. When he was 21, he was involved in the Vietnam War. He remembers an incident where his platoon mate was killed and all that was left of him was a boot. He commented, "It's an awful thing to see dead bodies lying around, floating down rivers. The inhumanity of warfare is something that I'm glad I've seen, but I don't ever want to see it again."
After returning home, he became involved in peace activism and protests, including a 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee.
He became the first Native American to receive an Oscar for acting, receiving an honorary award in 2019.
Avatar[]
Eytukan te Tskaha Kamun'itan.
Wes portrayed Eytukan using motion capture which was a very unique experience for him. He also had some input on the Na'vi Language to offer ideas on the development of sounds.
He was amazed by the advanced CGI and 3D in the film. While he feels the story is "very old" one, he felt it was told in a technologically new way that makes it more acceptable for audiences. For him, it was a great pleasure to be a part of something that is not only technologically advanced to the point of amazement, but also being able to be part of a film that carries a message about the acceptance of one group by another.[1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- Wes Studi at the Internet Movie Database