Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means (born February 19, 1985) is an American actor and comedian, of Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Yankton Dakota, and Diné descent. He is best known for his roles in the film Killers of the Flower Moon and on television in the AMC western series The Son and the CBS series Marshals.
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Acting career
Means' first screen role was in 2004 playing lead stunt double in the film Black Cloud, which was shot in the same gym where he had previously trained as a boxer. He has since had major roles in several films and TV series. In the miniseries Into the West (2005) he played the Lakota leader Crazy Horse. In More Than Frybread (2012), he played Buddy Begay, a "hip-hop Navajo fry-bread rock star" who sells fry-bread from a truck on the reservation. A reviewer who described it as the "showiest part" in the film said, "Means .. overdoes it a little ... but that's part of Buddy's personality."
In Tiger Eyes (2012), based on the novel by Judy Blume, he played Wolf Ortiz, a Native American boy who shows the main character his ancestral lands and introduces her to his culture. Critics have applauded Means' casting and performance in Tiger Eyes. One described him as "quietly affecting"; another said that he "could have come off as a holy-native cliche, but instead seems entirely real"; and another wrote that he was "superbly cast ... [with] a voice that can quickly disarm and charm a newcomer ... it's clear that we're seeing something almost never seen in a contemporary feature film, which is an utterly authentic representation of a New Mexican." Another review said he is "New Mexican down to his body language and the expression in his eyes .. a thrill to behold on screen."
