This is big news in the world of TV Indians. Native actors have had recurring roles before: Elaine Miles on Northern Exposure, Michael Horse on Twin Peaks and Roswell, Larry Sellars on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Graham Greene on Wolf Lake, John Redcorn on King of the Hill. But this may be the first time a Native actor has had a starring role on an American network TV show. For the next six years, Adam Beach will be solving crimes and portraying a modern Indian on a weekly basis.
Congratulations to Adam for snagging this plum assignment. No doubt he got it because of his fine work in Flags of Our Fathers. Now he won't have to worry where his next paycheck is coming from.
21 comments:
Writerfella here --
Oh, boo. Burt Reynolds, who is part Native, played HAWK, a Native investigator in the NYC Attorney General's office in 1966 on ABC Television and Robert Forster, who is part Native, played NAKIA, a Native New Mexico deputy sheriff in 1974 on ABC TV. These were contemporary crime dramas that unfortunately went roughly half a season each. Thus, Adam Beach only is the latest Native to have a starring role on an American network TV show.
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Needless to say, I'm not counting part-Natives in this context. Otherwise, I would've credited Heather Locklear (Lumbee) for her starring roles in Spin City and LAX. Or Robert Beltran (Latino/Indian) for his role in Star Trek: Voyager. Or Jonathan Winters (Cherokee).
If Reynolds, Forster, or anyone else you can name is an enrolled member of a recognized tribe, then I'll amend my claim. Otherwise, it stands.
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM --
BUT -- Adam Beach cast in such a role could mean merely being a supporting player, but writerfella recognizes there would be a chance for 'Chester Lake stories' involving Native Special Victims (especially children) because of a peculiar situation seen back in 1979. On his way to Middletown, CT, to teach in a summer writing course at Wesleyan University and thereafter to fly on to London, UK, writerfella's bus stopped at the Manhattan Port Authority bus station in the dead of night. He had time to find a restaurant and a meal but could not find a single baggage locker that was not taken. When he went upstairs, luggage in tow, writerfella saw something both amazing and horrible. Hundreds of children and teenagers were bedded down along almost every wall and corridor, with NYPD and MPA uniformed officers patrolling among them -- the lost and homeless and runaways, likely many not from New York. His writer 'Spidey' sense tingled and thus he knew why there were no lockers available at all. It was a sobering sight, one that still haunts him from time to time, as he wondered how many Native children there might have been among them...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
We don't even need to get into the whole recognition debate for me to make my point. Did Reynolds or Forster identify themselves exclusively or primarily as Native actors? If not, they don't qualify for the purposes of this posting.
If Beach replaces Ice-T, he'll be a regular cast member--one who appears in almost every show. He doesn't need to be the first- or second-billed actor for this to be a breakthrough.
Writerfella here --
POSTSCRIPTUM 2 -- Early on, Burt Reynolds took several Native roles and Robert Forster took some, as well. But in those days, both actors ran the risk of being 'stereotyped' for Native roles ONLY and so there is no mention of Native ancestry in their bios and neither did either take later roles in much number. On GUNSMOKE, 1962-65, he was Quint Asper, a Native Blacksmith; in 1966, he was the lead in the film NAVAJO JOE; in 1968, he was a Native stuntman in the film FADE IN; in 1969, he was Yaqui Joe Herrera in the film 100 RIFLES; and in 1970, he was Simon Zuniga, a Native rodeo rider in the TV-movie, RUN, SIMON, RUN. A similar filmography could be quoted for Robert Forster. That either actor did not remain self-identified as Native talent likely is the reason both have had long and memorable careers, and that to discriminate against them for career-wise decisions is antithetically illogical in the face of having criticized Jay Silverheels for his career-wise decisions...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
What about Cher? She is very proud of her Cherokee roots...
Lots here...
http://www.nativecelebs.com/actors1.htm
An interesting link here too:
http://www.b-westerns.com/native.htm
Writerfella here --
Um, er, uh, there's only one thing wrong with that. Cher is about as much Native as Rob Schmidt. Cher's mother was interviewed on CNN Entertainment News and answered the question, 'No, my daughter has no Native blood. She used to pretend she was an Indian princess when she was a child and somehow today she still believes that.'
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
I did not like Adam Beach's character on SVU at all. He had no charisma with the rest of the squad, and I like Ice-T's character on SVU a lot better.
Writerfella here --
Well, writerfella knows the ins and outs of network series 'development' and 'evolution', so it is likely that the Lake character popped up in staff story arc discussions, was perhaps a one-shot that grew on the staff and the producers. Now Lake is undergoing character development that will not be apparent until the character has had many inclusions and even his own stories or partial stories in episodes to come. Not every new character on a series can be Seven Of Nine, ya know...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Re "That either actor did not remain self-identified as Native talent likely is the reason both have had long and memorable careers": It's also the reason I didn't include them in this context. But if you think I'm denigrating their abilities or ancestry, you don't know what you're talking about.
In fact, I've included Hawk and Nakia in my list of Native-themed TV shows. Which alone is proof that I recognize their efforts. If you weren't aware of this, you should've done some research before you wrote.
In other words, quit fantasizing about what you think my intent is and read my actual words. Beach is a Native actor because he and others identify him as such. By the same token, Reynolds and Forster aren't.
I understand the reasons why they didn't want to identify themselves as Native actors. But that doesn't change the correctness of my comment. Now that you've told us about them, I suggest you quit wasting our time quibbling over semantics.
Incidentally, I don't claim that Beach is a better actor than Ice-T or that he'll improve SVU. I'm fine with the cast the way it is. To the extent that Beach changes the chemistry between the characters, his presence may harm the show. Even if it's a breakthrough for him and his career.
Another note: I forgot to credit Jay Silverheels as the first Native actor to have a starring TV role. Even if he was the Lone Ranger's sidekick, he appeared in almost every episode. Thus, he counts.
So let's say Adam Beach may be the first Native actor to have a starring TV role in the modern era. For Russ's sake, let's say he's the first Native actor with a majority of Indian blood to have a starring TV role in the modern era. All clear?
By the way, Russ, it's a good thing Burt Reynolds is part Cherokee rather than part Chickasaw. Even though these tribes have similar cultures and histories, you've championed one while dismissing and denigrating the other. If Reynolds were 1/4 Chickasaw, you'd be laughing him off the tube and lampooning me for listing Hawk as a Native-themed TV show.
Oh, and last I heard, Cher is supposedly 1/16 Cherokee. Whether that's true or not, she's also not a Native actor for the purposes of this posting. Get it, Russ? I've been consistent in who I included for the purposes of this posting.
But for all I know, Cher may have a "genetic racial memory" or an "awareness granted by heredity" of being an Indian. Which would make her an Indian by your vague standard of Indianness. I await further evidence on these points.
Writerfella here --
Not so. writerfella has met Burt Reynolds and thus knows quite well that the man is/was caught in the trappings and trapped in the catchings of his own image. writerfella and Reynolds went evening skiff fishing in '79 up past Jupiter Inlet, just the pair, with beer and glass shrimp and an inexpensive boombox. They caught fish and drank beer and shared a few secrets and had the best time the either of them recalled having in ten years. In the years Burt Reynolds saw it all coming apart, writerfella got postcards from him saying he sure wished they were off fishing somewhere...
But Cher doesn't even remember where she was LAST NIGHT!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
At least Burt Reynolds is not a member of the Pequot!
Writerfella here --
Heaven forfend! That really would be the pot calling the kettle -BLACK-!
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
Writerfella here --
And writerfella also knows that 'semantics' is not a viable medium for discussion and thus avoids it entirely. Semantics is that part of linguistic studies that chronicles the nature, structure, development, and CHANGE in the meanings of words. Thus, what a word meant at one time may CHANGE and its value in a discussion decreases if the parties are using differing increments of its meaning from differing eras. Once, 'gay' meant 'carefree' as in the film titles THE GAY DIVORCEE and Disney's THREE GAY CABALLEROS. But in more recent times, the term has come to mean homosexual and homophilic pursuits. THE GAY DIVORCEE still is listed under that title on Turner Classic Movies, but Disney adjusted its movie title to THE THREE CABALLEROS. Now, that is a fine example of 'semantics'.
However, 'semantics' also can mean the study of relations between signs, symbols, icons, and their meanings, with emphasis on their influence on human behavior. Thus, Rob Schmidt has chosen to dismiss a topic quite meaningful to his own pursuit of how 'stereotypes' affect human behavior. It is a poor workman who curses his own tools...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'
The Adam Beach rumor spreads:
http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showtopic=727339
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/semantics
se·man·tics /sɪˈmæntɪks/
–noun (used with a singular verb)
1. Linguistics.
a. the study of meaning.
b. the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form.
2. Also called significs. the branch of semiotics dealing with the relations between signs and what they denote.
3. the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.
The common, non-academic meaning of "semantics" is the third one. It refers to how we interpret a word or phrase.
In this case, the phrase is "Native actor." It's a matter of definition and interpretation--i.e., semantics--whether we count Reynolds and Forster as Native actors. In this context, of course.
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