Gary Farmer: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Gary Dale Farmer, born on June 12, 1953, is a Canadian First Nations actor and musician, boasting a vast and diverse career spanning over three decades. His most renowned roles include his performances as Nobody in both Dead Man (1995) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), as well as a notable role in Smoke Signals (1998). These roles and others have garnered him three Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Supporting Male. Farmer was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, as a part of the Cayuga Nation and Wolf Clan of the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois Confederacy. He later moved to Buffalo, USA, where he grew up and eventually attended Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University, studying photography and film production. His first acting gig was in the 1976 play On The Rim of a Curse, which laid a solid foundation for a prosperous career in the industry.

Beyond his acting career, Gary Farmer is respected for his substantial contributions to First Nations media in Canada. He had a fundamental role in its development, founding the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network. His musical inclinations led to the formation of a blues band named Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers, which released two albums in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Additionally, Farmer has offered regular support to the University of Nebraska Omaha Wambli Sapa Memorial Pow Wow and is considered a 'very good friend' by the UNO. In recent years, he performed as Uncle Brownie in the critically acclaimed FX series Reservation Dogs from 2021 to 2023 and as Dan Twelvetrees in the Syfy series 'Resident Alien'.