Michael Horse (born Michael James Heinrich; December 21, 1949) is an American actor known for his portrayals of Native American characters in film and television.

Early life

Horse was born Michael James Heinrich near

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, on December 21, 1949. At age 10, Horse moved to Los Angeles. His mother, Nancie Belle Posten, was Swedish. Horse's adoptive father, George Heinrich, was born in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

to parents from Austria. Nancie died in California in 2004.

Career

Horse's film debut came in the role of

Tonto Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native American (either Comanche or Potawatomi) companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western character created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. Tonto has appeared in radio and tele ...

in the 1981 movie, ''

The Legend of the Lone Ranger ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' is a 1981 American Western film that was directed by William A. Fraker and stars Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd. It is based on the story of The Lone Ranger, a Western character create ...

'', which was a commercial failure. Before taking the role, Horse had been concerned that the character might be perceived as a stereotype. After appearing in

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's short film ''

The Cowboy and the Frenchman ''The Short Films of David Lynch'' (2002) is a DVD collection of the early student and commissioned film work of American filmmaker David Lynch. As such, the collection does not include Lynch's later short works, which are listed in the filmogr ...

'' (1988), Horse portrayed

Deputy Hawk The following is a list of characters from the television series ''Twin Peaks'', the film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', and the 2017 revival. Overview Concepts Bob Frank Silva was a set decorator who worked on the pilot episode ...

, a Native American policeman, in Lynch's TV series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

'' (1990–91). He also acted in ''

Passenger 57 ''Passenger 57'' is a 1992 American action thriller film directed by Kevin Hooks. The film stars Wesley Snipes and Bruce Payne, with Snipes portraying a security consultant who finds himself forced to foil a plot to free a captive terrorist during ...

'' (1992), ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an expression that dates back to 1645 meaning a structu ...

'' (1993), the 1990s version of the television series ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'' (1993), and '' North of 60'' (1995–97). He also appeared in the ''

Thanks Thanks may refer to: * ''Thank you'' (phrase), a common expression of gratitude Film and television * ''Thanks'' (film), a 2011 American film * ''Thanks'' (TV series), a 1999 American sitcom Music Albums * ''Thanks'', by Ivan Neville, 1994 ...

'' episode "Thanksgiving" in 1999, portraying

Squanto Tisquantum (; 1585 (±10 years?) – late November 1622 O.S.), more commonly known as Squanto Sam (), was a member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the Native American population in Southern New England and t ...

. He appeared as Deputy Owen Blackwood in four episodes of the first season of '' Roswell'' (1999). Horse also appeared as Sheriff Tskany in ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' episode "

Shapes A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type. A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie on ...

" in 1994. Horse portrayed

American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American grassroots movement which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1968, initially centered in urban areas in order to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police ...

(AIM) activist

Dennis Banks Dennis Banks (April 12, 1937, in Ojibwe – October 29, 2017) was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urb ...

in the 1994 TNT movie '' Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee''. Eight years later, he lent his voice to "Little Creek's friend" in '' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron''. He portrayed Mike Proudfoot on ''

Sons of Tucson ''Sons of Tucson'' is an American sitcom starring Tyler Labine, Frank Dolce, Matthew Levy and Benjamin Stockham. It premiered on Fox on March 11, 2010. The show was announced as a midseason show to air on Sunday nights at 8:30 pm ET/PT in ...

''. In 1995 he portrayed Dirty Bob in the Western movie ''Riders in the Storm''. He played the character Jindoga in ''Hawkeye''. In 2017, Horse reprised his role as

in the third season of TV series ''

''. He also portrayed Twamie Ullulaq in the seventh season of ''The Blacklist'' in 2020.

Personal life

Horse has at times described himself as

Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the Río Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Stat ...

, and at other times as "of Yaqui descent", or "of Yaqui,

Mescalero Apache Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-cen ...

Zuni Pueblo Zuni Pueblo (also Zuñi Pueblo, Zuni: ''Halona Idiwan’a'' meaning ‘Middle Place’) is a census-designated place (CDP) in McKinley County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 6,302 as of the 2010 Census. It is inhabited largely b ...

and

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

" descent", but is not enrolled or recognized by any tribe. On November 23, 1993, Horse married Sandra Dee Dombrowski in Nevada. An actress, Dombrowski appeared in episodes of ''

Batman Beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaboration ...

'', ''

The Zeta Project ''The Zeta Project'' is an American science fiction animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It first aired on Kids' WB in January 2001. It is a spin-off series based on the character Zeta from the ''Batman Beyond'' episode ...

'', and ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

''. As of 2019, on his personal website, Pennie Opal Plant listed herself as his partner.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
45-minute audio interview of Michael Horse
Wide-ranging discussion on

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conceiv ...

station

KPFA KPFA (94.1 FM) is an American listener-funded talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station sign ...

's weekly program
Bay Native Circle
(May 7, 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Horse, Michael 1951 births Living people 20th-century American painters 21st-century American painters American illustrators American jewellers American male film actors American male painters American male television actors American male voice actors American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent Male actors from California People from Sun Valley, Los Angeles 20th-century American male artists