Documentary: Harry Potter Kids: Biography

Harry Potter Kids: Biography: Reveal the Magic Behind the Success of the Harry Potter Stars A&E  2008.

This is a good documentary to say where the Harry Potter Kids are from, but I was hoping for something about where they are now.  In this I was disappointed.  I guess I should have realized this from the elongated title; and also from the date the movie came out.  It predates the finish of the Harry Potter series.   However, only Daniel Radcliffe had previous movie acting experience.  He had portrayed the young David Copperfield in a movie made the year previous to harry Potter.  Emma Watson and Rupert Grint had stage experience, at school and community theater, but had never been in movies prior to Harry Potter.  It interviewed each of the three about getting the parts.  Looking back now, these three are the characters, harry Potter, Hermione and Ron Weasley.  So in the end, a good bit of data about how they were cast, and nothing of their life after Harry Potter.

Native American Biography: Jay Silverheels: Actor, Mohawk

Jay Silverheels is best known as his character, Tonto, who was the Lone Ranger's sidekick for many years on television.  There were 221 episodes from 1949 to 1957.  There were also a couple of movies.  He was also in several other movies, including Broken Arrow as Geronimo with Jimmy Stewart.  He also was involved in race horses.  He helped other actors, and tried to gain better rolls for native Americans.  he was form the Six Nations of Canada, where many of the Iroquois had moved after the Revolutionary War.

Native American Biography: Graham Greene, Oneida, Actor

Like Jay Silverhills (Tonto), Graham Greene is from the Six Nations Reserve in Canada.  His first movie roll was in "Running Brave" the story of Billy Mills.  He played Mills' friend.  He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in "Dances With Wolves."  He also portray Ishi in "The Last of His Tribe."  Overall he has dome over 20 plays and 30 movie rolls.

Native American Biographies: Chief Dan George and Centennial Speech.

Chief Dan George is a native American, Salish form British Columbia, Canada.  He entered acting late in life, but had been entertaining as a musician for some time.  When George was 60 he had his first small parts in television.  However his big break in the entertainment field came with his part in "Little Big Man" for which he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor.  I also loved him in "The Outlaw Josey Wales."  He also did stage acting.
George also became a popular speaker.  His BYU talk is classic.  He was active in countering negative depictions of Americans, and improving opportunities for native Americans in film.
Dan George also became a writer and poet.  Some of the things he wrote, "I am a chief, but my power to make war is gone, and the only weapon left to me is speech. It is only with tongue and speech that I can fight my people's war."  He did fight for his people with his words.  
His most famous poem is "And My Heart Soars"
The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
  speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain,
the thunder of the sky,
the rhythm of the sea,
  speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars,
the freshness of the morning,
the dew drop on the flower,
  speaks to me.
The strength of fire,
the taste of salmon,
the trail of the sun,
and the life that never goes away,
  They speak to me.
And my heart soars.

Native American Autobiography and Will Sampson Interview | "The First Americans" Circa 1975/1976

I have always thought of Will Sampson in the light of an actor.  His character in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was superb.  He played the stoic Native American who learned how to play basketball.  But in the end, the title talked about him, he was the one who flew.  He has also portrayed several other character.  He was in White Buffalo.  I saw him in the roll of a Native American leader when he was the guest of honor at the Nevada Inter Tribal Council in probably 1984 and I was working for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe.  This short video talks about some of his goals and dreams.

looks like a self portrait

ribbon dance

I also didn't know him as an artist, although I should have.  In fact he was doing art long before he was acting.

American Indian Biography: Cher - Half Breed [Official Music Video]

Cher is a performer of world renown.  She has sung since she was a child, and then became a serious actor.  Her mother was of Cherokee and French descent, and consequently her song, "Half-breed."  As a younger man, I remember watching the Sonny and Cher show.  Sonny Bono, and Cher were a husband and wife team, that had been performing together for many years before they were part of the variety show.  Sonny and Cher's first big hit was "I Got You Babe" which was always their trade mark.
However after eleven years of marriage, they divorced, but remained friends.  With their separation their singing group also broke up as did the variety show.  Sonny Bono went into politics.  Cher continued as a performing artist, but also became a movie star with "The Witches of Eastwick," "Moonstruck" and "Mask."  She won an Oscar for Moonstruck.  She also became heavily involved in humanitarian causes including the International Carniofacial Foundation which was the theme of the movie "Mask."
Sonny Bono turned to politics.  He became a congressman.  He died in a skiing accident.  Cher appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and presented a short biographical picture of her life.