Martin Sensmeier

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Martin Sensmeier
Martin Sensmeier.jpg
Born (1985-06-27) June 27, 1985 (age 38) [1] [2]
Occupation(s) Actor, Model
Years active2012–present
PartnerKahara Hodges
Children1

Martin Sensmeier (born June 27, 1985) is an American actor and model. Of Alaska Native and European American descent, he is known for playing various Native American roles. He starred in the 2016 remake The Magnificent Seven and had a recurring role as "Wanahton" in the HBO television series Westworld (2018). More recently, he has played a physical therapist in the TV series Yellowstone and a Comanche warrior named Sam in the prequel 1883 , both directed by Taylor Sheridan.

Contents

Early life

Sensmeier was born in 1985 in Anchorage, Alaska, [3] to Raymond and Eva Sensmeier, but was raised in Yakutat. His father is German-Tlingit and his mother is Koyukon-Athabascan from Ruby, Alaska, on the Yukon River. Sensmeier identifies with the cultures of his Alaska Native grandmothers, which his parents stressed. [4] Martin’s paternal grandfather, Gilbert Michael Sensmeier, was born in Indiana of German descent.

Career

Sensmeier began his working career as a welder, then worked on an oil rig for Doyon Drilling. He quit to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles. [5] [6] There and in New York, Sensmeier worked as a professional model; he gradually found work as an actor in Los Angeles.

His first feature film was the sci-fi thriller Beyond the Sky . [1] He appeared in a leading role, as one of the "seven", in the 2016 feature film The Magnificent Seven , a remake of an earlier version.

In 2017, Sensmeier was cast in the lead role in the biopic The Chickasaw Rancher, portraying Montford Johnson (Chickasaw), a man who built a ranching empire near the Chisholm Trail. [7] That year he also had a role as Chip Hanson in the film Wind River , and will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel Wind River: The Next Chapter . [8]

Sensmeier joined the cast in the second (2018) season of the HBO television series Westworld , in the recurring role of Wanahton.

In 2020, he took on the role of Chief Eddy in the original English version of the video game Tell Me Why from Dontnod Entertainment. The game is set in Alaska and the character belongs to the indigenous Tlingit people, as does Sensmeier.

More recently, he has played a physical therapist in Season 2 of Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone , the four-season saga of the Dutton family and their patriarch's determination to keep the ranch intact, and the character of Sam, a Comanche warrior, in 1883 , Sheridan's prequel to Yellowstone . 1883 centers on a group of covered-wagon settlers seeking a new life in Oregon after banding together in Texas. It stars Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill & newcomer Isabel May as Elsa Dutton, the series narrator and love interest of Sam's.

Personal life

Sensmeier is a member of the Native Wellness Institute, a youth advocacy group. He is proud of his Alaska Native heritage. [9]

In January 2020, he and partner Kahara Hodges announced they were expecting their first child. [10]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2014K'ina Kil: The Slaver's SonTintahShort Film
Salem MohawkUncredited
2016Lilin's BroodWolf
The Magnificent Seven Red Harvest
Westworld Native WarriorUncredited; Episode: "The Original"
2017 Wind River Chip Hanson
2018PerfectThe Harvester
Westworld WanahtonRecurring role
Beyond the Sky Kyle Blackburn
Spare RoomDavid
2019 Yellowstone MartinRecurring role (Season 2)
2020 FBI: Most Wanted Reginald WatersEpisode: "Ghosts"
The Liberator Samuel Coldfoot Miniseries, main cast
2021 The Ice Road Cody
Rutherford Falls Ray
2022 1883 SamRecurring role (Season 1)
La Brea TaametRecurring role (Season 2)
9 Bullets Eddie
2023 Frybread Face and Me Marvin
TBA Takeover Hilario post-production [11]
TBA Wind River: The Next Chapter Chip Hanson post-production [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 Patil, Tulsi (September 23, 2016). "How Alaskan actor Martin Sensmeier became one of 'The Magnificent Seven'". KTUU.
  2. @sensmeier (June 28, 2015). "Birthday Selfie. 6/27/15 #Grind" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Schreffler, Laura (August 25, 2016). "The Magnificent Seven Star Martin Sensmeier's Haute Secrets to LA". Haute Living .
  4. "From Yakutat to Hollywood". Alaska Dispatch News.
  5. Dunham, Mike (October 22, 2013). "Model Martin Sensmeier Hearts Moose. Plus: Moose Heart". Indian Country Today Media Network . ICTMN Staff. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  6. Dunham, Mike (September 24, 2016). "From Yakutat to Hollywood". Alaska Dispatch News . Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  7. N'Duka, Amanda (May 30, 2017). "Martin Sensmeier To Star In 'The Chickasaw Rancher'; Lydia Hearst Joins Indie Film '50K'". Deadline. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  8. Vlessing, Etan (November 9, 2022). "'Falcon and the Winter Soldier' Director Kari Skogland to Helm 'Wind River' Sequel". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. "Native American models: much more than pretty faces". Traditional Native Healing. March 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  10. "Instagram".
  11. Major, Michael (September 6, 2022). "Serayah Joins Quavo & Billy Zane in Cast of Action Thriller TAKEOVER". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  12. "What's Shooting in Alberta". ACTRA . Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.