Eddie Spears

Edward Spears (born November 29, 1982) is an Indigenous American actor. He is a member of the Kul Wičaša Oyate Lakota from the Lower Brulé Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.

Eddie Spears
Spears in 2008
Born
Edward Spears

(1982-11-29) November 29, 1982
Chamberlain, South Dakota, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1992–present
FamilyMichael Spears (brother)

Early life

Spears was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota near the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation.[1] He has five brothers and one sister; his older brother Michael is also an actor.[2] Spears grew up on the Lower Brulé Indian Reservation until the first grade when his family moved to Pierre, South Dakota.[3] After that, his family moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota where he grew up and attended Aberdeen Central High School.[4]

Career

Acting

Spears has been in the spotlight since age ten, starting with his first role in TNT's production of Geronimo, which was shot in Arizona.

Spears has said his most rewarding role to date was Shane Chasing Horse in the 2003 film Dreamkeeper.

When cast for the lead in the 2004 film Black Cloud (directed by Rick Schroder), he trained for three months with boxing trainer Jimmy Gambia to perfect his boxing skills before filming started. The film is about a Navajo boxer training for the Golden Gloves with the promise of a spot at the Olympics while struggling with the secrets of his family's past. One of the scenes was filmed in Las Vegas during the 2003 Golden Gloves National Championship.

In 2011 and 2012, Spears played the popular [5] Joseph Black Moon in AMC's TV series, Hell On Wheels.[6] Spears was the voice of "Grey Beaver" in the 2018 animated film White Fang.

Recent TV spots include a 2019 supporting role in season 2 of the TV series Yellowstone and a cameo in season 2 of Rutherford Falls on Peacock.

Other work

In 2005, Spears and his brother Michael modeled for Cochiti Pueblo fashion designer Virgil Ortiz for his "Indigene" clothing line, and were featured on the cover of the August 2005 issue of New Mexico Magazine.[7]

Awards
  • FAITA Best Actor Award in 2004 for Hallmark Entertainment's miniseries Dreamkeeper.[2]
  • Phoenix Film Festival Best Actor Award in 2004 for his lead role in Black Cloud.[2]
  • Bronze Wrangler Award at the Western Heritage Awards in 2012 for lead actor in Yellow Rock
  • Red Nation Film Festival and Awards: Nominated in 2014 for Best Supporting Actor in TV Movie, Miniseries, Special, Comedy or Pilot as Joseph Black Moon in Hell on Wheels .[8]

Personal life

Spears co-hosted the 39th Annual American Indian Film Institute Awards this November along with actress Tonantzin Carmelo.[9] Spears attended and was a mentor at the second annual HatcH Audiovisual Festival in Bozeman, Montana in October 2005.

Spears and his brother Michael also worked with Native Wind[10] and ICOUP (Intertribal Council on Utility Policy), of which their father Patrick Spears was formerly president. ICOUP was formed in 1994 to provide a forum for utility issues discussion from regulatory and economic perspectives.[11]

Spears speaks some Lakota. He is an avid outdoorsman, powwow singer, and Traditional and Grass dancer. He also travels nationally as a keynote speaker. He currently resides in Montana.[2]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1993 Geronimo Ishkiye TV
1998 The Witness Wampishe Film
2002 The Slaughter Rule Tracy Two Dogs Film
2003 Dreamkeeper Shane Chasing Horse TV
2003 Edge of America Franklin TV
2004 Black Cloud Black Cloud Film
2005 Into the West Red Lance TV mini-series
2007 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Chasing Crane TV
2008 Comanche Moon Quannah Parker TV mini-series
2011 Guns, Girls and Gambling Darkeyes Film
2011 The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy Wakaree Film
2011 Yellow Rock Angry Wolf Film
2011-2012 Hell On Wheels Joseph Black Moon TV series
2013 We The People Narrator Documentary
2014 Sleepy Hollow Big Ash TV series
2015 Z Nation Gordon Red Hawk TV series
2015 Bone Tomahawk Warrior Film
2017 Longmire Elwood TV series
2018 White Fang Grey Beaver Animated Film
2019 Yellowstone Marcus TV series
2021 Chief Tendoy General Parker Short Film
2022 Rutherford Falls Curtis TV series
2022 Deep Woods Nick Youngblood Film

References
  1. Berumen, Frank Javier Garcia (2020). American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood. McFarland. p. 252. ISBN 9781476636474.
  2. Eddie Spears Biography Page Spears Brothers Fans http://spearsbrothersfans.webs.com/eddie.htm Archived 2013-01-26 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  3. Morreale, Marie "DreamKeeper: Meet Eddie Spears" "Scholastic News: Dreamkeeper". Archived from the original on 2004-09-04. Retrieved 2013-03-23. Scholastic News February 25, 2004.
  4. Aberdeen News "Aberdeen: Former resident on TV series" http://articles.aberdeennews.com/2012-01-14/news/30628880_1_aberdeen-central-high-school-midcontinent-communications-series January 14, 2012.
  5. Talking Hell on Wheels Podcast "Hell on Wheels Eddie Spears" http://www.spreaker.com/user/indyradio/20_eddie_spears_aka_joseph_blackmoon October 22, 2013.
  6. Hill, Pat "Native Stars The Spears Brothers Native Stars Call Bozeman Home" "Native Stars - the Spears Brothers". Archived from the original on 2014-04-28. Retrieved 2014-11-03. The Montana Pioneer, February 2012.
  7. Haaland, Debra "An Eye for Fashion: Cochiti Pueblo's renowned potter Virgil Ortiz has expanded his artistic talents to the world of fashion, now rubbing elbows with famed international designer Donna Karan" "New Mexico Magazine | Current Issue Contents and Editor's Note". Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2013-03-20. New Mexico Magazine, August 2005, Volume 83, Number 8.
  8. 11th Red Nation Film Festival & Awards Show http://www.rednationff.com/the-show/ Retrieved November 02, 2014.
  9. American Indian Film Festival http://aifisf.com/festival/2014/program/american-indian-motion-picture-awards-show/ Archived 2014-11-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 02, 2014.
  10. "NativeEnergy - Carbon Offset Providers | Programs & Projects for Emission Reduction".
  11. Renaud, Roseanna "KILI celebrates 25 years and wind turbine dedication" http://www.lakotacountrytimes.com/news/2008-08-07/local_news/009.html Lakota Country Times, August 07, 2008.
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