Elaine Miles (born in

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actress known for her role as Marilyn Whirlwind in the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...

''.

Biography

Elaine Miles was born in

, of Cayuse/

Nez Perce The Nez Percé (; autonym in Nez Perce language: , meaning "we, the people") are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who are presumed to have lived on the Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest region for at least 11,500 years.Ames, K ...

ancestry, and lived to the age of three on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in eastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

.Taylor, Catherine
Marilyn Speaks
A Conversation with Elaine Miles", ''Radiance Magazine'', Fall 1993 Issue Her family then moved to Renton, Washington, where her father was a Boeing machinist. She learned many of the traditional skills in her youth—storytelling, beading, pottery and weaving—and is a prize-winning traditional dancer.
on Northern Exposure site. Access date 26 Sep 2009

Career

Miles was offered the role of Marilyn Whirlwind when she was spotted in the waiting room at an audition. This came as a surprise as she had not come with any intent to audition—she was only there to give her mother, Armenia Miles, a ride. She had no previous acting experience. However, Elaine ("Choppie") Miles, in her teens, used to work summers, portraying Sacajawea at the Fort Vancouver Historic Site, in Vancouver, Washington. She gained respect in the American Indian community, not only for portraying a

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

woman, but for her efforts to make sure the character was a culturally accurate representation. Miles was named Native American Woman of the Year in 1993, and America's Celebrity Indian of the Year in 1995. In 1995, Miles was nominated for a

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to me ...

Award as part of the ''

'' cast in the category, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.Awards for Elaine Miles
at IMDbPro: Screen Actors Guild Awards. Access date 26 Sep 2009 Since ''Northern Exposure'', Miles has done tours with her dancing and

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

, has emceed at numerous

Pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

s, and had roles in independent films such as '' Smoke Signals'', '' Skins'' and ''

The Business of Fancydancing ''The Business of Fancydancing'' is a 2002 film written and directed by Sherman Alexie. It is loosely based on his 1992 book of the same name, a collection of stories and poems. Plot The film explores the tension between two Spokane men who grew ...

''. With fellow comedian Drew LaCapa (

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 a ...

), she has made an exercise video ("RezRobics") addressing

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

rates among Native Americans. The video mixes pow wow dancing, martial arts and aerobics moves with nutritional advice. In contrast to the usual FBI warning, the creators encourage people to copy the video freely and distribute it among friends and relatives in Indian Country.Rez Robics

Filmography

References

External links

*

RezRobics Youtube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Elaine Living people American film actresses American television actresses People from Pendleton, Oregon Native American actresses Nez Perce people Actresses from Oregon 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Cayuse people Year of birth missing (living people) Native American people from Oregon 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans