Saginaw Morgan Grant (July 20, 1936 – July 27, 2021) was a Native American character actor. He appeared in The Lone Ranger, The World's Fastest Indian, Community, and Breaking Bad and was a musician, pow wow dancer, motivational speaker and the Hereditary Chief of the Sac and Fox Nation.[1]
Early life
Saginaw Morgan Grant was born at the Indian Hospital in Pawnee, Oklahoma on July 20, 1936, the son of Sarah (née Murray) and Austin Grant.[2] He was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma.[3] His mother's ancestry was from the Iowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes of Oklahoma.[citation needed] He was a United States Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War.[4]
Career
Grant appeared in numerous films and television shows. He played Grey Cloud, an ally of Indiana Jones, opposite Harrison Ford in a 1993 episode "Mystery of the Blues" of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. During the 1993 television season Grant had the recurring role of Auggie Velasquez, owner of the small-town general store and trading post, in Harts of the West.[5]
He played the Gatekeeper in the 1999 film Purgatory. He played Chief Big Bear in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. The same year, Grant appeared as a man who sells his truck to Walter White in the Breaking Bad episode "Ozymandias."
From 2012, Grant was a prominent member of the American Indian Advisory Board at the San Diego International Film Festival.[6][7]
Accolades
Grant was awarded the American Legacy Award from the San Diego Film Festival,[8] the lifetime achievement award from the Oceanside International Film Festival[9][10] and a Living Legend Award by the Native American Music Awards (NAMA).[11] In 2018, his album "Don't Let the Drums Go Silent" won the Record of the Year from NAMA.[12]
Death
Grant died in his sleep on July 27, 2021, at the age of 85.[13] His friend and publicist said the cause of death was natural causes.[14]
Filmography
Film
- War Party - Freddie Man Wolf (1988)
- Small Time - The Holy Man (1996)
- Grey Owl - Brother of the Pow Wow Chief (1999)
- Legend of the Phantom Rider - Medicine Man (2002)
- Black Cloud - Grandpa (2004)
- Social Guidance - Red Hightower (2005)
- The World's Fastest Indian - Jake (2005)
- Beyond the Quest - Apparition (2007)
- Slipstream - Eddie (2007)
- Maneater - Stanley Hipp (2009)
- Walking on Turtle Island - Catches the Bear (2009)
- Awful Nice - Jonas (2013)
- Winter in the Blood - Yellow Calf (2013)
- The Lone Ranger - Chief Big Bear (2013)
- Wind Walkers - Native Elder (2015)
- The Ridiculous 6 - Screaming Eagle (2015)
- Valley of the Gods - Tall Bitter Water (2017)
- Journey to Royal (and the 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron) - Himself (2017)
Television
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - episode - The Mystery of the Blues - Grey Cloud (1993)
- Harts of the West - 15 episodes - Auggie (1993-1994)
- The Last Frontier- episode - The One with the Friends' Theme - Alaskan (1996)
- Nash Bridges - Ol'Larry/1 episode (1997)
- Stolen Women: Captured Heartss - Chief Luta/TV movie (1997)
- Baywatch - Eyes That See At Night/1 episode (1997)
- Purgatory - Ancient Gate Keeper/TV movie (1999)
- Auf Wiedersehen, Pet - Medecine Man/3 episodes (2002)
- Skinwalkers - Wilson Sam/TV movie (2002)
- Miracles - Most Respected Elder/1 episode (2003)
- DreamKeeper - Old Medecine Man/TV movie (2003)
- The Fallen Ones - Joseph/TV movie (2005)
- My Name is Earl - Dakota/1 episode (2005)
- Saving Grace - Mudwa/1 episode (2007)
- American Horror Story - Tribal Elder/1 episode (2011)
- Eagleheart - Saginaw/1 episode (2012)
- Family Tree - White Feather/1 episode (2013)
- Breaking Bad - Native American Man - episode "Ozymandias" (2013)
- Shameless - Great Grandfather/1 episode (2014)
- Community - Chief Blue Sky/1 episode (2014)
- The League - Sam/1 episode (2014)
- Workaholics - American Indian Man/1 episode (2015)
- Sin City Saints - Shaman/1 episode (2015)
- Baskets - Old Man/1 episode (2016)
- Veep - Marjorie's Grandpa/1 episode (2016)
References
- ^ Moya-Smith, Simon (2013-06-13). "A Conversation with Saginaw Grant, Chief Big Bear from 'The Lone Ranger'". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ "Saginaw Grant Biography". AAA Native Arts. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ Breslauer, Jan (February 20, 1996). "The Spirit Moves Him in New and Traditional Ways". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Greenwalt, Galen (2018-07-28). "Seminole Nation Honor Guard takes trip to Wheaton, Illinois". Pawhuska Journal-Capital. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present, 7th Edition, page 428, Ballantine Books, 1999
- ^ "American Indian Advisory Board". San Diego International Film Festival. 2018-04-19. Archived from the original on 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
- ^ Wood, Beth (2017-07-13). "San Diego International Film Festival names American Indian Advisory Board". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "2014 San Diego Film Festival Award Winners". San Diego International Film Festival. 2014-10-04. Archived from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
- ^ Bidney, Beverly (2014-09-30). "Native actor Saginaw Grant offers advice to Tribal youth • The Seminole Tribune". The Seminole Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ "Indian Voices - Promoting and Sharing Native Indigenous Values and Traditions - Saginaw Grant Lifetime Achievement Award". www.indianvoices.net. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ "HALL OF FAME". Native American Music Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
- ^ "Native American Music Awards - NAMA 18". nativeamericanmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ Rickert, Levi (29 July 2021). "American Indian Actor Saginaw Grant, 86, Passes Away". Native News Online. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ "Saginaw Grant, noted Native American character actor, dies". AP NEWS. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
