Saginaw Morgan Grant (July 20, 1936 – July 27, 2021) was a Native American character actor. He appeared in The Lone Ranger, The World's Fastest Indian, Community, and Breaking Bad and was a musician, pow wow dancer, motivational speaker and the Hereditary Chief of the Sac and Fox Nation.[1]

Saginaw Grant
Grant in 2015
Born
Saginaw Morgan Grant

(1936-07-20)July 20, 1936
DiedJuly 27, 2021(2021-07-27) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actor, dancer, motivational speaker, Hereditary Chief of the Sac and Fox Nation
Years active1988–2016

Early life

edit

Saginaw Morgan Grant was born at the Indian Hospital in Pawnee, Oklahoma on July 20, 1936, the son of Sarah (née Murray) and Austin Grant.[2] He was a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma.[3] His mother's ancestry was from the Iowa and Otoe-Missouria tribes of Oklahoma.[citation needed] He was a United States Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War.[4]

Career

edit

Grant appeared in numerous films and television shows. He played Grey Cloud, an ally of Indiana Jones, opposite Harrison Ford in a 1993 episode "Mystery of the Blues" of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. During the 1993 television season Grant had the recurring role of Auggie Velasquez, owner of the small-town general store and trading post, in Harts of the West.[5]

He played the Gatekeeper in the 1999 film Purgatory. He played Chief Big Bear in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. The same year, Grant appeared as a man who sells his truck to Walter White in the Breaking Bad episode "Ozymandias."

From 2012, Grant was a prominent member of the American Indian Advisory Board at the San Diego International Film Festival.[6][7]

Accolades

edit

Grant was awarded the American Legacy Award from the San Diego Film Festival,[8] the lifetime achievement award from the Oceanside International Film Festival[9][10] and a Living Legend Award by the Native American Music Awards (NAMA).[11] In 2018, his album "Don't Let the Drums Go Silent" won the Record of the Year from NAMA.[12]

Death

edit

Grant died in his sleep on July 27, 2021, at the age of 85.[13] His friend and publicist said the cause of death was natural causes.[14]

Filmography

edit

Film

edit

Television

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Moya-Smith, Simon (2013-06-13). "A Conversation with Saginaw Grant, Chief Big Bear from 'The Lone Ranger'". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  2. ^ "Saginaw Grant Biography". AAA Native Arts. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  3. ^ Breslauer, Jan (February 20, 1996). "The Spirit Moves Him in New and Traditional Ways". Los Angeles Times.
  4. ^ Greenwalt, Galen (2018-07-28). "Seminole Nation Honor Guard takes trip to Wheaton, Illinois". Pawhuska Journal-Capital. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  5. ^ Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present, 7th Edition, page 428, Ballantine Books, 1999
  6. ^ "American Indian Advisory Board". San Diego International Film Festival. 2018-04-19. Archived from the original on 2019-09-04. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  7. ^ Wood, Beth (2017-07-13). "San Diego International Film Festival names American Indian Advisory Board". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  8. ^ "2014 San Diego Film Festival Award Winners". San Diego International Film Festival. 2014-10-04. Archived from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  9. ^ Bidney, Beverly (2014-09-30). "Native actor Saginaw Grant offers advice to Tribal youth • The Seminole Tribune". The Seminole Tribune. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  10. ^ "Indian Voices - Promoting and Sharing Native Indigenous Values and Traditions - Saginaw Grant Lifetime Achievement Award". www.indianvoices.net. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  11. ^ "HALL OF FAME". Native American Music Awards. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  12. ^ "Native American Music Awards - NAMA 18". nativeamericanmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  13. ^ Rickert, Levi (29 July 2021). "American Indian Actor Saginaw Grant, 86, Passes Away". Native News Online. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  14. ^ "Saginaw Grant, noted Native American character actor, dies". AP NEWS. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
edit