Irene Bedard | |
---|---|
![]() Bedard at GalaxyCon Columbus in 2022 | |
Born | [1] Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. | July 22, 1967
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1994–present |
Spouse | Denny Wilson (m. 1993;div. 2012) |
Children | 1 |
Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is an American actress, who has played mostly lead Native American roles in a variety of films. She is perhaps best known for the role of Suzy Song in the 1998 film Smoke Signals , [2] an adaptation of a Sherman Alexie collection of short stories, as well as for providing the speaking voice for the titular character in the 1995 animated film Pocahontas . Bedard reprised her role as Pocahontas in the film's direct-to-video follow-up, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) and for a cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska, to an Iñupiaq mother and a Cree/French Canadian father. [3] [4] She is an enrolled citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk in Alaska. [5] Bedard graduated from Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska in 1985. Bedard attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she studied musical theater.[ citation needed ]
In 1994, Bedard appeared in her first role as Mary Crow Dog in the television production of Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee , which depicted the 1970s standoff between the US government and citizens of several Native nations, including many of the Pine Ridge Reservation, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film. [6] She is probably best known as the voice of the eponymous heroine in the 1995 Disney animated film Pocahontas , the direct-to-video 1998 sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World and in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet . She appeared in a different take of the story in Terence Malick's 2005 film The New World , as Pocahontas's mother, Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske.
In 1995, Bedard was chosen as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People". [7]
In 2001, Irene Bedard hosted the Ninth Annual First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) Awards from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. [8] In 2002, at the Tenth Annual FAITA Awards, Bedard won Outstanding Guest Performance by an Actress in a TV Drama Series for The Agency. [9]
In 2005, she was cast in the television mini-series Into the West as Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler. [10] Bedard has been very active in environmental groups to protect sacred lands. [11] In 1997, she co-hosted with Floyd Westerman a benefit for the Dine' People of Big Mountain at The Loft Theatre, in Pasadena. In 2015, she appeared in Chloé Zhao's debut feature film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me . In 2016, Bedard announced an agreement with the Catawba Nation of South Carolina to join in a production agreement. [12] In 2017, she appeared as a recurring character in the TV series The Mist . Bedard made an appearance in the music video for Jay-Z's 2017 song "Family Feud". [13] [14]
In 2020, Bedard played a recurring character in seasons one and two of the drama series FBI: Most Wanted . She then was a starring cast member in the Paramount+ miniseries The Stand, as Ray Brentner, a gender-swapped version of Ralph Brentner from the 1994 adaptation. [15] [16]
In 2022, she was cast as Yagoda in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender and as Sylvie Nanmac in Alaska Daily , the mother of a missing indigenous woman. [17] She also appered in the film How to Blow Up a Pipeline.
In 1993, Bedard married musician Denny Wilson. [18] Between her films, the pair toured for several years with other musicians in a band called "ID," which came from the initials of their first names, Irene and Deni. In 2012, the couple divorced following Bedard's allegations of Wilson abusing Bedard. [19] [18] [20] Denny however, denied all these accusations. [18]
In 2020, Bedard was arrested twice in three days. The first arrest was for alleged domestic violence, assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and criminal damaging; the second was for alleged disorderly conduct. [21] In 2022, she was again arrested for disorderly conduct in Xenia, Ohio. [22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Squanto: A Warrior's Tale | Nakooma | |
1995 | Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) | |
1996 | Navajo Blues | Audrey Wyako | |
1997 | Song of Hiawatha | Minnehaha | |
Det store flip | Oglala | AKA, Wild Flowers | |
1998 | 6/29 | Laura Cooper | |
Naturally Native | Tanya Lewis | ||
Smoke Signals | Suzy Song | ||
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World | Pocahontas (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
12 Bucks | Babe | ||
1999 | Wildflowers | Ruby | |
2000 | Pussykat | Un-produced | |
2001 | Your Guardian | Katherine 'Kat' Damon | |
2003 | Paris | Sandy | |
Greasewood Flat | Abbey | ||
Edge of America | Annie Shorty | TV movie | |
2005 | Planting Melvin | Billie Lawrence | |
Miracle at Sage Creek | Sunny | ||
Love's Long Journey | Miriam Red Hawk McClain | TV movie | |
The New World | Pocahontas's Mother (Nonoma) | ||
2007 | Cosmic Radio | K.C. | |
Tortilla Heaven | Liberata | ||
The Red Chalk | Eve | Short film | |
2008 | Turok: Son of Stone | Catori (voice) | Direct-to-video |
2011 | The Tree of Life | Messenger | |
2013 | Vertical | Lucy Mills | |
2014 | Ron and Laura Take Back America | Mrs. Alma | |
2015 | Songs My Brothers Taught Me | Lisa Winters | |
2017 | Spreading Darkness | Marci Gippolin | |
2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Pocahontas (voice) | |
2019 | The Bygone | Mrs. Call | |
2022 | The Harbinger | Floating Hawk | Also executive producer |
How to Blow Up a Pipeline | Joanna | ||
Mending the Line | Mrs. Redcloud | ||
2023 | On Sacred Ground | Mary Singing Crow | |
Hey, Viktor! | Irene | ||
2024 | The Heart Stays | Aunt Celia |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee | Mary Crow Dog | TV movie |
1995 | The Marshal | Melissa Carey | Episode: "Twoslip" |
1996 | Grand Avenue | Reyna | TV movies |
Crazy Horse | Black Buffalo Woman | ||
Adventures from the Book of Virtues | Morning Light and Sharp Eyes / Chief's Daughter (voice) | Episodes: "Honesty" and "Perseverance" | |
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest | Alice Starseer (voice) | Episodes: "Return of the Anasazi"; "Trouble on the Colorado" | |
1997 | Profiler | Maddy Duvall | Episode: "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" |
True Women | Tobe | TV movie | |
1998 | Two for Texas | Sana | TV movie |
1999 | Blood Money | Naomi Lister | TV movie |
1999–2001 | Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles | General Miriam Redwing (voice) | 4 episodes |
2000 | The Lost Child | Grace | TV movie |
2001 | The Outer Limits | Callie Whitehorse Landau | Episode: "In the Blood" |
The Agency | Diah Siagian | Episode: "The Year of Living Dangerously" | |
House of Mouse | Pocahontas (voice) | Episode: "Thanks to Minnie" | |
2004 | What's New, Scooby-Doo? | Cody Long (voice) | Episode: "New Mexico, Old Monster" |
2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Forest Ranger Hero (voice) | Episode: "Fran Takes a Hike/Mystery at Kip's House" |
Into the West | Margaret Light Shines | Episodes: "Hell on Wheels"; "Casualties of War"; "Ghost Dance" | |
2008–2009 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Jean DeWolff (voice) | 4 episodes |
2012 | Young Justice: Invasion | Shelly Longshadow (voice) | 1 episode |
2012–2015 | Longmire | May Stillwater | 3 episodes |
2017 | The Mist | Kimi Lucero | 9 episodes |
Scalped | Gina Bad Horse | Pilot | |
2018 | Westworld | Wichapi | Episode: "Kiksuya" |
2020 | FBI: Most Wanted | Mary Lou Skye | 8 episodes |
2020–2021 | The Stand | Ray Brentner | Television miniseries |
2022–2023 | Alaska Daily | Sylvie Nanmac | 6 episodes |
2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Yagoda | 2 episodes [23] |
The Green Veil | Glennie Sutton | 4 episodes |
Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | "Family Feud" | Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé | Madam President |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1995 | Animated Storybook: Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) |
1996 | Disney's Pocahontas | Pocahontas (voice) |
2021 | Cookie Run: Kingdom | Pocahontas Cookie (voice) |
Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV | Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee | Nominated |
1999 | Western Heritage Awards | Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film | Two for Texas | Won |
2004 | First Americans in the Arts Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film | Greasewood Flat | Won |
2002 | First Americans in the Arts Awards | Outstanding Guest Performance by an Actress in a TV Drama Series | The Agency | Won |
2006 | NAMIC Vision Awards | Best Dramatic Performance | Into the West | Won |
Western Heritage Awards | Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film | Won |
The Inupiat are a group of Alaska Natives whose traditional territory roughly spans northeast from Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the northernmost part of the Canada–United States border. Their current communities include 34 villages across Iñupiat Nunaat, including seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, affiliated with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; eleven villages in Northwest Arctic Borough; and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation. They often claim to be the first people of the Kauwerak.
Yancy Victoria Butler is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 film Hard Target, Jess Crossman in Drop Zone (1994), and Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama series Witchblade. For her performance in Witchblade, she won a Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series.
Pocahontas is a 1995 American animated musical historical drama film loosely based on the life of Powhatan woman Pocahontas and the arrival of English colonial settlers from the Virginia Company. The film romanticizes Pocahontas's encounter with John Smith and her legendary saving of his life. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.
Linda Hunt, born Lydia Susanna Hunt is an American actress of stage and screen. She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye (1980). Her portrayal of the male character Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex. Hunt has also appeared in films such as Dune (1984), Silverado (1985), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Pocahontas (1995), Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998), and Stranger Than Fiction (2006).
Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The New World is a 2005 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, depicting the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia, settlement and inspired by the historical figures Captain John Smith, Pocahontas of the Powhatan tribe, and Englishman John Rolfe. It is the fourth feature film written and directed by Malick.
Rose Marie "Tantoo" Cardinal CM is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a screen and stage actress, and as a founding member of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company."
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder is an American actress. She portrayed Mo'at in the Avatar franchise, Amanda Waller in various DC media, and Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama series The Shield (2002–2008). She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in The X-Files, ER, The Shield, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Q'orianka Waira Qoiana Kilcher is an American actress. Her best known film roles are Pocahontas in Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World, and Kaʻiulani in Princess Kaiulani (2009). In 2020, she starred in a recurring role on the Paramount Network show Yellowstone.
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated musical adventure film and the sequel to the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas. While the first film dealt with her meeting with John Smith and the arrival of the British settlers in Jamestown, the sequel focuses on Pocahontas's journey to England with John Rolfe to negotiate for peace between the two nations, although her death is omitted from the film's ending.
Lakota Woman is a memoir by Mary Brave Bird, a Sicangu Lakota who was formerly known as Mary Crow Dog. Reared on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, she describes her childhood and young adulthood, which included many historical events associated with the American Indian Movement.
Olivia Catherine Hack is an American actress, best known for providing the voice of Rhonda Wellington Lloyd in Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!, and for playing Cindy Brady in the 1990s theatrical Brady Bunch films. She has also done voice work for Fillmore!, Bratz as Cloe, Family Guy, Blood+ and Avatar: The Last Airbender as Ty Lee. She appeared in Star Trek Generations, Party of Five and Gilmore Girls.
Ray Mala was a prominent Alaska Native actor. He was one of Hollywood's Native American movie actors along with Lillian St. Cyr, Jesse Cornplanter, Chief Yowlachie, William Eagle Shirt, and Will Rogers who also had successful careers during that time. Mala's career peaked in the 1930s and he was best known for his lead role in Republic Pictures' 14-part serial Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island (1936) following his feature role in MGM's Eskimo, directed by Woody Van Dyke. He was named a "Top Ten Alaskan" by TIME Magazine in 2009.
Pocahontas is the titular character of Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1995 film Pocahontas, and the seventh addition to the Disney Princess franchise.
Inu-Yupiaq is a dance group at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks that performs a fusion of Iñupiaq and Yup’ik Eskimo motion dance.
Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee is a 1994 TNT film starring Irene Bedard, Tantoo Cardinal, Pato Hoffmann, Joseph Runningfox, Lawrence Bayne, and Michael Horse and August Schellenberg. The film is based on Mary Crow Dog's autobiography Lakota Woman, wherein she accounts her troubled youth, involvement with the American Indian Movement, and relationship with Lakota medicine man and activist Leonard Crow Dog. The film is notable for being the first American film to feature an indigenous Native American actress in the starring role. Lakota Woman is also the third overall and first sound film with an entirely indigenous cast after In the Land of the Head Hunters and Daughter of Dawn.
Ticasuk Brown (1904–1982) was an Iñupiaq educator, poet and writer. She was the recipient of a Presidential Commission and was the first Native American to have a school named after her in Fairbanks, Alaska. In 2009, she was placed in the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.
Edna Ahgeak MacLean a.k.a. Paniattaaq is an Iñupiaq academic administrator, linguist, anthropologist and educator from Alaska, who has specialized in the preservation and revitalization of the Iñupiaq language.
Michelle St. John is an actress, singer, producer and director who has been involved in creative projects in theatre, film, television and music since the 1980s. Her directorial debut, Colonization Road, is a 2016 feature-length documentary that premiered at imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival.
Rachel Matthews is an American actress. She is known for starring in the film Happy Death Day and its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U.