--- name: "Russell Means" canonical: "https://film.one/person/russell-means" fi1m_id: "russell-means" imdb_id: "nm0575184" tmdb_id: 3203 wikidata_id: "Q319799" roles: ["Actor"] born: "10 November 1939" died: "22 October 2012" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 68 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-09-24T02:09:17.082766+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Russell Means ## Identity Russell Means - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/russell-means - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** russell-means - **IMDb ID:** nm0575184 - **TMDB ID:** 3203 - **Wikidata ID:** Q319799 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Means, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q319799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575184/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3203 Actor. Born 10 November 1939 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, USA. Died 22 October 2012. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 10 November 1939, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, USA - **Died:** 22 October 2012 - **Active:** 1992–2013 - **Also known as:** Russel Means - **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 67 (3), 2010s 72 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 64 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Crime 2, Adventure 1, Animation 1, Family 1, History 1 - **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $532m across 3 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Means, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q319799, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0575184/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3203 ## Streaming the US now - **Disney+:** [*Pocahontas*](https://film.one/film/pocahontas.md) (54) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Russell Means > Russell Means could make a supporting character seem worth a film of his own. We value that authority, particularly in *The Last of the Mohicans*, while wishing the writing gave him as much to do as his presence promised. As Chingachgook in *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Russell Means suggests a life that the screenplay has not made enough room to explore. Michael Mann’s film is stirring entertainment, and Means gives us a reason to wish it would slow down occasionally. He and Wes Studi, playing Magua, make their characters seem more substantial than their allotted time. We felt frustrated by how little we were allowed to know Chingachgook, because Means made us want to stay with him. The limitation is chiefly in the writing. That was his first major film appearance; *Natural Born Killers* (1994) followed, with Oliver Stone casting him as Old Indian. Here, our enthusiasm is more qualified. The committed performances and restless editing make it worth an evening for the interested, but the blunt dialogue and repeated lectures on violence and fame become tiring. Our reservations concern Stone’s determination to tell us what our fascination with the killers means. The performances give us a reason to keep watching, though we would not recommend the film to anyone hoping for a searching account of that fascination. His later parts included the voice of Powhatan in *Pocahontas* (1995) and the title role in *Pathfinder* (2007). Voice work was part of a career encompassing more than 30 film and television roles. He was often cast as an authoritative Native American figure. That recurring demand for authority makes us wary of praising the casting without looking closely at the part. A performer can supply the necessary weight and still be left waiting for something substantial to play. Mann’s film gives us the clearest reason to seek Means out, despite its shortcomings. We do not need every supporting character to have a separate story, but Chingachgook makes the shortage of attention matter. That is a considerable contribution to a film already capable of stirring us with its action and music. Start with *The Last of the Mohicans*, prepared to wish it would spend longer with him. ## Biography Russell Means was an Oglala Sioux actor and activist. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, he became a prominent member of the American Indian Movement and a leading figure in the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee. He began acting in the early 1990s. Means made his film debut as Chingachgook in *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992). He appeared as the Old Indian in *Natural Born Killers* (1994) and voiced Powhatan in the Disney animated features *Pocahontas* (1995) and its sequel (1998). He took further roles in films and television series including *Pathfinder* (2007) and *Banshee* (2013). Means died in 2012. *Sources: imdb.com, latimes.com, nytimes.com, britannica.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *Banshee* (2013), Fi1m 72, as Benjamin Longshadow — [page](https://film.one/tv/banshee.md) - *Pocahontas* (1995), Fi1m 54, as Powhatan (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/pocahontas.md) - *Natural Born Killers* (1994), Fi1m 64, as Old Indian — [page](https://film.one/film/natural-born-killers.md) - *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Fi1m 84, as Chingachgook — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md) ## Complete filmography (32) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Days and Nights* (2014), as Big Jim - *Banshee* (2013), series, as Benjamin Longshadow — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/banshee.md) - *Tiger Eyes* (2012), as Willie Ortiz - *Holy Man: The USA vs. Douglas White* (2011), Actor - *Questions for Crazy Horse* (2010), Actor - *Rez Bomb* (2008), as Dodds - *Turok: Son of Stone* (2008), as Shaman / Chief Sentry (voice) - *Unearthed* (2007), as Grandpa - *Pathfinder* (2007), as Pathfinder - *Into the West* (2005), series, as Older Running Fox - *Black Cloud* (2004), as Bud - *Cowboy Up* (2002), as Joe - *29 Palms* (2002), as The Chief - *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Wandering Bear — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md) - *Thomas and the Magic Railroad* (2000), as Billy Twofeathers - *Wind River* (2000), as Wódz Washakie - *Family Law* (1999), series, as James Saginaw - *Black Cat Run* (1998), as Ten Reed - *Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World* (1998), as Powhatan (voice) - *Song of Hiawatha* (1997), as Mudjekeewis - *Profiler* (1996), series, as Uncle Joe - *The Pathfinder* (1996), as Arrowhead - *Remember WENN* (1996), series, as Joseph Greyhawk - *Pocahontas* (1995), as Powhatan (voice) — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/pocahontas.md) - *Buffalo Girls* (1995), as Sitting Bull - *Touched by an Angel* (1994), series, as Edison - *Natural Born Killers* (1994), as Old Indian — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/natural-born-killers.md) - *Wagons East!* (1994), as Chief - *WindRunner* (1994), as Wa Tho Huck (Country Ghost) - *Duckman* (1994), series, Actor - *Walker, Texas Ranger* (1993), series, as Luther Iron Shirt - *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), as Chingachgook — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md) ## Gallery - ![Russell Means](https://film.one/media/person/81608/gallery-6e3df0900d5d.jpg) Russell Means — Carolmooredc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/RussellMeans1987.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Russell Means speaks with reporters as Dennis Banks stares ahead](https://film.one/media/person/81608/gallery-86f48b7a0019.jpg) Russell Means speaks with reporters as Dennis Banks stares ahead — The Alliance Times-Herald, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Russell_Means_with_Dennis_Banks_in_car_1973.jpg/1280px-Russell_Means_with_Dennis_Banks_in_car_1973.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![Russell Means](https://film.one/media/person/81608/gallery-5d96eb669fd4.jpg) Russell Means — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/russell-means