Rudy Youngblood (born September 21, 1982), is an American actor, musician, dancer, and artist.

Early life and background

Born in

Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 in Texas, Interstate 35 corridor between Austin, Texas, Austin and Waco, Texas, Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County, Texas, Bell County and is the fifth largest city in t ...

, Rudy Youngblood grew up with two younger sisters. They were supported by their mother, who Rudy identifies as being of Comanche descent. Rudy has stated that his biological father was of

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 ...

background. His adoptive father was of Cree descent. Going up, Rudy went by Rudy Gonzales, using his stepfather's surname. David A. Yeagley told the ''L.A. Times'', "He has no Indian blood in him that anyone can validate." At the time, Youngblood's website stated, "Rudy is from the Tahchawwickah Comanche family, his father is the late Preston Tahchawwickah. He is adopted Cree."

Comanche Nation The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

spokeswoman Jolene Schonchin states that Youngblood "is not on our tribal rolls, but he does have Comanche blood" through his father Preston Tahchawwickah. Other members of Preston Tahchawwickah's family questioned that. Dawn Tahchawwickah, daughter of Preston Tahchawwickah, stated that Youngblood was "only a family friend" and "He is nothing to my father," while other children of Preston have said Youngblood is their brother. Youngblood told the ''L.A. Times'' that, "Preston Tahchawwickah was not his biological father but his ceremonially adoptive father" and that it was his mother who had Comanche ancestry.

Education and early career

At the age of ten, he started working at construction jobs and learned skills and stories from the men. He has learned carpentry, brick laying, and other skills. He went to local schools and was competitive in

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and track athletics while attending Belton High School. He frequently went to movies and became a fan of film. Upon graduation, he was offered scholarships to major colleges in both art and track and field, but he chose Native dance instead. He has performed with the

American Indian Dance Theatre American Indian Dance Theatre is a professional performing arts company presenting the dances and songs of Native Americans in the United States and the First Nations of Canada. History The group was founded in 1987 with Hanay Geiogamah as director ...

Acting career

Going to a general casting call, Youngblood was selected by the director

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

to play the leading role of Jaguar Paw in the

epic film Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...

Apocalypto ''Apocalypto'' () is a 2006 action adventure film produced, co-written, and directed by Mel Gibson. The film features a cast of Native American and Indigenous Mexican actors consisting of Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo, Dalia H ...

'' (2006), in which he also performed his own

stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...

s. He learned the

Yucatec Maya language Yucatec Maya (; referred to by its speakers simply as Maya or as , is one of the 32 Mayan languages of the Mayan language family. Yucatec Maya is spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and northern Belize. There is also a significant diasporic commu ...

in order to appear as a tribesman in the film, in which all dialogue was in Maya. For his work in the film, he won the Best Actor award at the 15th annual

First Americans in the Arts First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) is a non-profit organization based in Beverly Hills, California. According to its website, the organization was created "to recognize, honor and promote" Native Americans in the United States Native Ame ...

awards.

Personal life and activism

Youngblood has participated in

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

activism, engaging in AIDS walks and visiting HIV-positive children in hospitals — in particular to draw attention to the rate of HIV infection in the Native community. Having seen a family member die of AIDS-related complications, he felt it important to "give back and make a difference" and has spoken out about the importance of education in combating ignorance around HIV/AIDS,

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

and

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

. Having grown up looking after his sisters as a result of his mother's struggles with alcoholism, he regained a close relationship with her subsequently.

Filmography

References

External links

*
"Undaunted Spirit"
''A&U Magazine'', November 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Youngblood, Rudy 1982 births Living people 21st-century American male actors Musicians from Texas American people of Comanche descent American people of Yaqui descent Belton High School (Belton, Texas) alumni Male actors from Texas People from Belton, Texas