Amber Midthunder

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Amber Midthunder
Amber Midthunder at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (cropped).jpg
Midthunder in 2024
Born (1997-04-26) April 26, 1997 (age 28)
Shiprock, New Mexico, U.S. [1]
Citizenship Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, United States
OccupationActress
Years active2001–present

Amber Midthunder (born April 26, 1997) [2] is an American actress.

Contents

She had regular roles in the FX series Legion and The CW series Roswell, New Mexico , and also appeared on Longmire , Banshee , and Reservation Dogs . [3] [4] [5] In 2022, she starred as Naru in Prey , the fifth installment and first prequel of the Predator franchise. [6]

Early life

Midthunder's mother Angelique, who is originally from Thailand and of Thai-Chinese ancestry, [7] is a casting director and stunt performer, and her father David is an actor of Hunkpapa Lakota, Sisseton Dakota, and Sahiyaiyeskabi Assiniboine descent; [8] [9] Angelique and David met while working on the 1995 Japanese film East Meets West . [10]

Midthunder is a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribe. [11] [12] [13] She was born on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico, and eventually returned there after spending much of her childhood in Santa Fe where she attended the Academy for Technology and the Classics and where her mother worked in a casting firm. [10] [14]

Midthunder developed an interest in acting as a child. She would memorize and recite lines from her favorite shows. But she disliked her first experience in the job, leading her to take some time before another performance. [15] [16] She even considered a career in make-up, where she worked as an intern, or mixed martial arts, having trained and taught Brazilian jiu-jitsu. [17] [18]

Career

Her first acting credit was a small role in 2008's Sunshine Cleaning . [14] Midthunder worked in various productions filmed in New Mexico, then moved to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue more acting opportunities. [17]

She played a hotshot trucker in the 2021 Liam Neeson thriller The Ice Road . [19]

In 2022, Midthunder starred in Prey , the fifth installment of the Predator franchise. [6] She played Naru, a young Comanche healer who wants to prove herself as a hunter, and was widely praised for her performance. [20] Prey was the first feature film to have a full Comanche language dub, and the first Hollywood franchise film to have an all-Native American cast. [21]

In 2025, Midthunder co-starred in the action-comedy Novocaine and the thriller Opus . [22] [23]

Awards and nominations

In 2022, Midthunder received the Breakthrough Performance Award as part of the Saturn Awards, and a Critics' Choice Awards nomination for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, both for her performance in Prey . [24] [25]

Filmography

Film

Key
†Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released
YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2001The Homecoming of Jimmy WhitecloudLittle Girl [26]
2002Deadly SpeciesCalusa TribeDirect-to-video film [26]
2008 Sunshine Cleaning Candy Store Girl [14]
Swing Vote Female Student #3 [26]
2009 Not Forgotten Amaya Bishop (young) [26]
2014 Drunktown's Finest Model #1 [27] [28]
2015 Spare Parts Nikki [26]
Bare MalyaUncredited [26]
2016 Hell or High Water Natalie Martinez (bank teller) [29] [30]
Priceless Maria [31]
2018 14 Cameras Danielle [32] [33]
2019Only MineJulie DillonDirect-to-video film [34] [35] [36]
She's Missing Honey [26]
2020 Centurion: The Dancing Stallion Elissa Hall [37]
2021 The Marksman Gas Station Clerk [26]
The Ice Road Tantoo [38] [39]
The Wheel AlbeeCo-producer [1]
2022 Prey Naru [40] [41]
2023 Dream Scenario Haley
2024 Rez Ball Dezbah Weaver [42]
2025 Opus Belle [43]
Novocaine Sherry Margrave [44]
Predator: Killer of Killers NaruCameo; likeness only

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
2012–2014 Longmire Lilly StillwaterEpisodes: "Pilot", "Miss Cheyenne" [14]
2014 Banshee Lana ClearyEpisodes: "The Warrior Class", "Bloodlines"[ citation needed ]
2015 Dig StarletEpisode: "Emma Wilson's Father"[ citation needed ]
2016 The Originals Kayla McInnisEpisode: "Alone with Everybody"[ citation needed ]
2017–2019 Legion Kerry LoudermilkMain role [45] [46] [47]
2018The Misadventures of Psyche & MeLizzieTelevision miniseries[ citation needed ]
2019–2022 Roswell, New Mexico Rosa OrtechoRecurring role (season 1); main role (seasons 2–4) [48] [49] [50] [51]
2021 Long Gone Gulch BWVoice role [52]
2022 Reservation Dogs MissM8tri@rchEpisode: "Decolonativization" [5]
2024 Avatar: The Last Airbender Princess YueRecurring role [53]
TBA Carrie Rita Desjardin In production

References

  1. 1 2 Young, Allie (August 4, 2022). "Prey's Amber Midthunder Is the Action Star We've Been Waiting For" . Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ "22, what a year you were. I'll miss you (and having a @taylorswift song titled after my age). Hello 👋🏼 23. Thank you for all the birthday wishes💖". Amber Midthunder on Instagram. April 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 22, 2016). "'Legion' FX Pilot Casts Amber Midthunder". Deadline.
  4. ↑ "Amber Midthunder's blossoming career with Marvel Studios". Tworowtimes. March 1, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Radish, Christina (August 31, 2022). "Amber Midthunder on Her 'Reservation Dogs' Character and the Positive Reaction to 'Prey'". Collider . Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Villei, Matt (June 7, 2022). "Prey Poster Shows Amber Midthunder in the Predator's Crosshairs". Collider . Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ "'Roswell, New Mexico' star Amber Midthunder walks us through Season 2". New York Post. March 27, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  8. ↑ Quinnell, Kenneth (November 16, 2023). "Native American Heritage Month Profiles: David Midthunder". AFL-CIO . Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  9. ↑ Amber Midthunder [@ambermidthunder]; (November 3, 2021). "I'm proudly Sahiya Nakoda, Hunkpapa Lakota, and Sisseton Dakota" . Retrieved August 11, 2024– via Instagram.
  10. 1 2 Stelnicki, Tripp (February 7, 2017). "Santa Fe actress stars on much-hyped Marvel X-Men series 'Legion'". The Santa Fe New Mexican . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Amber Midthunder Kicks Butt as a Native Woman Superhero on FX Network's 'Legion'". Indian Country Media Network. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Amber Midthunder in X-Men TV Pilot "Legion" - PowWows.com - Native American Pow Wows". PowWows.com - Native American Pow Wows. February 25, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Goddess Strides". natalienoel.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 June 2017 - Cover Story: Amber Midthunder , New Mexico Entertainment
  15. ↑ 'Prey' breakout Amber Midthunder talks axe throwing, outwitting the Predator and representation, USA Today
  16. ↑ Transcript: Race in America: Giving Voice with Amber Midthunder
  17. 1 2 Galuppo, Mia (August 4, 2022). "Next Big Thing: 'Prey' Star Amber Midthunder on Bringing an Indigenous Action Hero Into 'Predator' Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  18. ↑ Hewitt, Chris (August 8, 2022). "Prey's Amber Midthunder Talks MMA, Native American Culture, And Meeting The Predator".
  19. ↑ Knight, Chris (June 25, 2021). "Fasten your parkas". The Leader-Post. pp. NP9. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Prey's Amber Midthunder Didn't Know If She Would Make It Through the Grueling Shoot". CBR. September 2, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Prey: Hollywood's first blockbuster to star an all-Native American cast". KX NEWS. August 5, 2022. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Novocaine (2025) | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes .
  23. ↑ "Opus (2025) | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes .
  24. ↑ Dick, Jeremy (October 21, 2022). "Prey Star Amber Midthunder Honored with Saturn Award for Breakthrough Performance". MovieWeb.
  25. ↑ Nordyke, Kimberly (January 15, 2023). "Critics Choice Awards: Full List of Winners". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Woman Crush Wednesday: 'Prey' Star Amber Midthunder". Decider.com. August 3, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Drunktown's Finest". North Coast Journal. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Drunktown's Finest (2014)". Letterboxd. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  29. ↑ Bassett, Shane (January 9, 2017). "DVD Review - Hell Or High Water (2016)". thepeoplesmovies.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  30. ↑ Cline, Rich (September 1, 2016). "Hell or High Water". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  31. ↑ Leydon, Joe (October 14, 2016). "Film Review: 'Priceless'". Variety. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  32. ↑ "'14 Cameras': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. July 26, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  33. ↑ Graham, Adam. "Review: Send exploitative '14 Cameras' to trash bin". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  34. ↑ Adelgaard, Karina (January 15, 2019). "Only Mine (2018) – Review". Heaven of Horror. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  35. ↑ White, Brett (January 22, 2019). "Is 'Only Mine' on Netflix Based on a True Story?". Decider. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Only Mine – cast and crew". Radio Times. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Amber Midthunder Grabs Lead in Drama 'Centurion the Dancing Stallion' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  38. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (February 20, 2020). "'The Ice Road': First Look At Liam Neeson In Action Rescue Mission Movie Currently Shooting In Canada – EFM". Deadline. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Laurence Fishburne set for role in The Ice Road". MSN. February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  40. ↑ Fisher, Jacob (May 21, 2021). "Amber Midthunder Cast in Lead Role of New 'Predator' Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Discussing Film. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Exclusive: New 'Predator' Movie Title, Plot Details, and Timeline Revealed by Producers John Davis and John Fox". Collider. July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  42. ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 17, 2023). "'Rez Ball': Netflix Sets Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Amber Midthunder, Kiowa Gordon & More For Sydney Freeland's Native American Basketball Underdog Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  43. ↑ Grobar, Matt (November 8, 2023). "Ayo Edebiri & John Malkovich To Topline A24 Horror Opus; Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder & Others Also Aboard, With Juliette Lewis In Talks". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  44. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 1, 2024). "Jack Quaid & Amber Midthunder Thriller 'Novocaine' Acquired By Paramount; Robert Olsen & Dan Berk Direct". Deadline. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  45. ↑ August, Alexandra (April 3, 2018). "Legion: Amber Midthunder Promises Lots of New Turmoil in Season 2". CBR.com. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  46. ↑ Radish, Christina (August 12, 2019). "'Legion': Amber Midthunder, Bill Irwin and Jeremie Harris on Bringing the Show to an End". Collider. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  47. ↑ Travers, Ben (June 24, 2019). "'Legion' Review: Season 3 Takes an Exciting Approach to Time Travel, Even If It Gets a Bit Lost". IndieWire. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  48. ↑ "TV Review: 'Roswell, New Mexico'". Variety. January 14, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  49. ↑ Petski, Denise (April 25, 2019). "'Roswell, New Mexico': Amber Midthunder Upped To Series Regular for Season 2 Of CW Drama Series". Deadline. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  50. ↑ Swift, Andy (April 25, 2019). "Roswell Promotes Amber Midthunder to Series Regular for Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  51. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (May 12, 2022). "The CW's 'Roswell, New Mexico' Canceled After Four Seasons". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  52. ↑ "Long Gone Gulch". January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021– via YouTube.
  53. ↑ "Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Has Reportedly Found Its Princess Yue". Comic Book. June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
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