Steve Reevis (August 14, 1962 – December 7, 2017) was a Native American actor and member of the

Blackfeet Tribe The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

known for his roles in the films '' Fargo'', ''

Last of the Dogmen ''Last of the Dogmen'' is a 1995 American Western film written and directed by Tab Murphy (in his feature directorial debut). It stars Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey, Kurtwood Smith, and Steve Reevis. Set in the mountains of northwest Montana, U ...

'', and ''

Dances with Wolves ''Dances with Wolves'' is a 1990 American epic western film starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner in his feature directorial debut. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 novel ''Dances with Wolves'' by Michael Blake that tells the s ...

''.

Early life and education

Steve Reevis was born on August 14, 1962 in Browning, Montana, to father Lloyd "Curley" and mother Lila Reevis. The fourth oldest of six children, he had two brothers and three sisters. Reevis grew up on the

Blackfeet Indian Reservation The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Monta ...

in northwestern

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. Reevis attended and graduated from Flandreau Indian School in Flandreau,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. Following high school graduation, he attended

Haskell Indian Junior College Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, where he received an associate of arts degree.

Career

Reevis' first movie appearance was with his brother, Tim Reevis, as a stunt rider in the 1987 film ''War Party''. Reevis' first acting role was in 1988 in the

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

film ''

Twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

'', starring

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

and

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...

. Following Twins, he was cast in a nonspeaking role as a Sioux Warrior in the 1990

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

film, ''

''. Reevis was next cast as Chato, an

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

scout, in '' Geronimo: An American Legend'' with fellow-Native actor

Wes Studi Wesley Studi ( chr, ᏪᏌ ᏍᏚᏗ; born December 17, 1947) is a Native American (Cherokee Nation) actor and film producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and awards throughout his career, particularly for his portrayal of Native Americans ...

.''Calhoun Times''
"Flutist, actor to perform at New Echota Saturday"
July 10, 2002, p. 3A. Retrieved May 23, 2013. In 1995, Reevis played Yellow Wolf in ''

'' alongside

Tom Berenger Tom Berenger (born Thomas Michael Moore; May 31, 1949) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in ''Platoon'' (1986). He is also known for playing Jake ...

and

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

. He was cast in the critically acclaimed 1996 film, ''Fargo'' as well as the made-for-television movie, ''Crazy Horse''. Reevis was honored with awards for his roles in both movies by First Americans in the Arts (FAITA) in 1996. In 2004, Reevis was once again honored by FAITA for his work on the ABC series ''Line of Fire''. Reevis appeared in Columbia’s 2003 film '' The Missing'', in the 2005 remake of '' The Longest Yard'', and in

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

's 2005 miniseries '' Into the West''. Reevis also appeared on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

's drama series ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

''.

Personal life and death

In 1991, Reevis married his wife, Macile, a member of the

Choctaw tribe The Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people originally based in the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, Southeastern Woodlands, in what is now Alabama and Missis ...

, an artist, and a clothing designer. Together, they lived in

Morongo Valley, California Morongo Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) on State Route 62 in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2010 census, up from 1,929 at the 2000 census. The town is bordered by Yucca Valley, Californi ...

and the Missoula, Montana area and had three children together. Reevis died on December 7, 2017, of undisclosed causes in

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

, at the age of 55. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, their children, and three grandchildren.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reevis, Steve 1962 births 2017 deaths People from Browning, Montana American male film actors American male television actors Native American male actors Native American actors Male actors from Montana People from Morongo Valley, California Blackfeet Nation people