Adam Beach
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| Adam Beach | |
 Adam Beach doing an interview. |
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| Born | November 11, 1972 (age 34) Ashern, Manitoba, Canada |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) | Meredith Porter (divorced) Tara Mason (present) |
| Notable roles | Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers (2002) Victor Joseph in Smoke Signals (1998) |
Adam Ruebin Beach (born November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada) is a Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent. His most notable roles are Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers and Private Ben Yahzee in Windtalkers.
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[edit] Biography
He grew up with his two brothers on the Dog Creek Indian Reserve. When he was eight, his mother, who was eight months pregnant, was killed in a car accident caused by drunk driving. Soon after the car crash, his father died in a boating accident. Beach and his brothers were moved to Winnipeg to live with an aunt and uncle.[1]
In high school, he attended a drama class. The class was originally supposed to be a place to "goof off" with his friends, but Beach soon exhibited natural talents in acting. Beach began performing in local theatre productions, He eventually dropped out of school to take a lead role at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. At age 18, he won a small role in a miniseries called Lost In the Barrens. In the following years, he continued to work in local theatre and guest starred on television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and Touched by an Angel. Shortly afterwards, Beach was cast as a regular on the television show North of 60.[1]
In 1994, Beach received his first lead role in a feature film as Squanto in Disney's Squanto: A Warrior's Tale. The following year Beach had a number of new projects. Lonesome Dove, My Indian Summer, Prey and A Boy Called Hate, but Dance Me Outside was considered his most memorable early role. He played a quick-witted street kid on a Native American reservation. Dance Me Outside, which was based on a book of short stories, and was in series called The Rez, that was based on the film of the same name. Beach was also cast in the television series, but as a different character.[1]
In 1996, Beach's first child, Noah Beach, was born from first wife Meredith Porter.
Chris Eyre's 1998 film, Smoke Signals was the first film that was written, produced, directed and acted by Native Americans and Beach had the leading role. This was Beach's breakout role. He portrayed Victor Joseph, a reservation kid who had to collect the remains and property of his estranged father. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and the Filmmaker's Trophy. It was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. This role brought international attention to Beach. [1]
Also in 1998, Beach's second child was born. His name is Luke Beach.
After Smoke Signals, there was a call for Beach in Hollywood, but he took his time in answering it. He took a small role in Disney's Mystery, Alaska in 1999 and in 2000 accepted a role in the thriller, The Last Stop. Comedy-wise, Beach displayed his skills in The Art of Woo and the 2001 hit Joe Dirt as Kicking Wing, a Native American who sells fireworks.
In 2002, Windtalkers, starring Beach, came out in theaters. To prepare for this role, Beach spent six months learning the Navajo language. He was also able to use this skill in his next project, Skinwalkers. The film was directed by the Chris Eyre, who gave him his breakout role in Smoke Signals. 2002 brought a divorce between Beach and his first wife, Meredith Porter.
Between epic projects, he made small appearance on television on such shows as JAG and Third Watch. Also, in 2003, he returned to his character that he first portrayed in Skinwalkers in the movie Coyote Waits. He also made a quest appearance in the hit show The Dead Zone as the Indian Shaman (in the episode Shaman).
In July of 2003, Beach married his second wife, Tara Mason.[2]
In 2006, Beach would portray Native American, Ira Hayes in Clint Eastwood's featured film Flags of Our Fathers. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother died and best friend died. "And if you add those up, there’s a lot of emotion. When you’re doing a movie, when you let go emotionally, there’s nothing to grab onto." he said about the deaths.[3] About playing the part, Beach said, "For me, playing Ira was a meaningful relationship, I would call it – trying to find out how he was, or how he thought and felt."[3]The movie won two Academy Award nominations and Beach got nominated for numerous supporting actor honors from many different organizations.
Currently, Adam Beach is working on a few projects. His new project he is attached to is Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things and begins filming in the spring of 2007.
[edit] Notable Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Squanto: A Warrior's Tale | Squanto | |
| 1995 | Dance Me Outside | Frank Fencepost | |
| 1998 | Smoke Signals | Victor Joseph | |
| 2001 | Joe Dirt | Kicking Wing | |
| 2002 | Windtalkers | Private Ben Yahzee | |
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers | Ira Hayes |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Adam Beach" Northern Stars (accessed March 14, 2007)
- ^ "Biography for Adam Beach: Trivia" Internet Movie Database (accessed March 14, 2007)
- ^ a b "Interview: Adam Beach" MovieHole.net (accessed March 14, 2007)
