August Schellenberg
About
Biography
Biography
Canadian actor August Schellenberg has played a number of great fictional and real-life Native-American roles throughout his career. Schellenberg got his start acting in numerous stage productions after graduating from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1966. He made his television debut in 1970 on an episode of "Castle Zaremba" and got introduced to film audiences when he appeared in the Canadian coming-of-age drama "Rip-Off" the following year. Schellenberg's career has included a number of intriguing projects. He's voiced characters in the 1981 cult animated film "Heavy Metal," gotten cast as a Mob soldier in 1994's "Getting Gotti," and played a prospector murder suspect in the 1980 docudrama "L'Affaire Coffin." But Schellenberg's most cherished parts have been Native Americans, be it the Apache warrior Cochise ("Geronimo"), his award-winning turn as the fictional 1600s-era Algonquin guide Chomina ("Black Robe"), or the full-blooded Choctaw grandfather of Holly Hunter's Grace Hanadarko ("Saving Grace"). The Canadian actor's favorite portrayal has been of Sitting Bull, whom he has played three times: in an episode of the 1970s historical reenactment series "Witness to Yesterday," the 1996 made-for-cable TNT movie "Crazy Horse," and the 2007 HBO adaptation of the Dee Brown book "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1971
Made film debut in "Rip-Off"
1981
Lent his voice to the animated film "Heavy Metal"
1983
Co-starred with Robby Benson in "Running Brave" a biopic of Olympic medalist Billy Mills
1988
Co-starred in the Canadian drama "Tramp at the Door"
1991
Earned a Canadian Genie Award as Algonquin chief, Chomina in Bruce Beresford's "Black Robe"
1993
Played a Comanche warrior in the TNT movie, "Geronimo"
1993
Portrayed wise handyman, Randolph Johnson in the family feature "Free Willy"
1994
Co-starred in the TNT drama "Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee"
1994
Played Grey Wolf, a recurring character on "Walker, Texas Ranger" (CBS)
1994
Played an Indian handyman in the family adventure film "Iron Will"
1995
Reprised the role of Randolph Johnson in "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home"
1995
Cast in the CBS TV-movie of the Broadway play "The West Side Waltz," starring Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine and Kathy Bates
1996
Portrayed Sitting Bull in TV movie "Crazy Horse"
1997
Once again starred as Randolph Johnson in "Free Willy 3: The Rescue"
2000
Cast in the TBS remake of the Western classic "High Noon"
2005
Cast in the Terrence Mallick-directed "The New World"
2007
Reprised role of Sitting Bull in the HBO original movie, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee"; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
