Irene Bedard

Irene Bedard
Born	(1967-07-22) July 22, 1967 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
Residence	Alaska, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Denny Wilson (m.1993–present, filed for divorce; 1 child)
Children	Quinn Wilson (b. 2003)

Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Native American characters in a variety of films.

In 2012, Irene started "Sleeping Lady Films" and "Waking Giants Productions" with Canadian businessman Thom Denomme. The production companies, based out of Anchorage and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are dedicated to bringing stories that are both positive and inspirational from Indian Country to the world.

Early life and career

Irene Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska and is of Inupiat, Inuit and Métis ancestry. Her first role was as Mary Crow Dog in the television production Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, which depicted the 1970s standoff between police and Native Americans at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. She is probably best known as the voice of the eponymous heroine in the Disney animated film Pocahontas and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Bedard was also the physical model for the character. She appeared in a different take of the story in the 2005 film The New World, as Pocahontas' mother whose name was Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske. Bedard attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she studied Musical Theatre.

In 2005, she was cast in the television mini-series Into the West, portraying the half-Lakota, half-white adult Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler.

Irene Bedard is known for bringing a powerful emotional presence to her characters. She was chosen as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People for 1995.^[1]

Personal life

Bedard married singer Denny Wilson in 1993. Their son, Quinn Wilson, was born in 2003. In 2010, Bedard left Wilson, alleging physical, sexual, and mental abuse, and fled to Alaska.^[2] A letter written by Bedard's niece, Alia Davis, alleged that during their marriage, Wilson maintained control over Bedard's career, and that his abuse had cost her multiple jobs, as she could not work with visible bruises.^[3][4] Wilson responded by filing 49 motions in Greene County, Ohio, forcing Bedard to return to the state and relinquish her son to Wilson's custody. An article on the Native Spirit PR & Entertainment website requests that fans of Bedard and those concerned for her welfare assist her by writing letters to Ohio and Alaska representatives, requesting that her son be returned to her custody, and that the court venue be transferred to Alaska. Supporters of Irene Bedard have requested financial assistance to assist with legal costs, alleging that Wilson still maintains control of her finances and image.^[5][6]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Film	Result
1995	Golden Globe	Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV	Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee	Nominated
	Western Heritage Awards	Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film		Won
1999			Two for Texas	Won
2004	American Indian LA Film and TV Awards	Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film	Greasewood Flat	Won
2006	NAMIC Vision Awards	Best Dramatic Performance	Into The West	Won
	Western Heritage Awards	Bronze Wrangler - Television Feature Film		Won

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1994	Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee	Mary Crow Dog	TV movie
	Squanto: A Warrior's Tale	Nakooma
1995	The Marshal	Melissa Carey	1 episode: "Twoslip"
	Pocahontas	Pocahontas	(voice)
1996	Grand Avenue	Reyna	TV movies
	Crazy Horse	Black Buffalo Woman
	Adventures from the Book of Virtues	Morning Light and Sharp Eyes / Chief's Daughter	(voice); 2 episodes: "Honesty" and "Perseverance"
	The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest	Alice Starseer	2 episodes: "Return of the Anasazi"; "Trouble on the Colorado"
	Navajo Blues	Audrey Wyako
1997	Song of Hiawatha	Minnehaha
	Profiler	Maddy Duvall	1 episode: "The Sorceror's Apprentice"
	Det store flip	Oglala	AKA, Wild Flowers
	True Women	Tobe	TV movie
1998	6/29	Laura Cooper
	Naturally Native	Tanya Lewis
	Smoke Signals	Suzy Song
	Two for Texas	Sana	TV movie
	Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World	Pocahontas	Direct-to-video; (voice)
	12 Bucks	Babe
1999	Blood Money	Naomi Lister	TV movie
	Wildflowers	Ruby
	Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles	General Miriam Redwing	(voice); 4 episodes (1999–2001)
2000	Pussykat
	The Lost Child	Grace	TV movie
2001	Your Guardian	Katherine 'Kat' Damon
	The Outer Limits	Callie Whitehorse Landau	1 episode: "In the Blood"
	The Agency	Diah Siagian	1 episode: "The Year of Living Dangerously"
2003	Paris	Sandy
	Greasewood Flat	Abbey
	Edge of America	Annie Shorty	TV movie
2004	What's New, Scooby-Doo?	Cody Long	(voice); 1 episode: "New Mexico, Old Monster"
2005	Planting Melvin	Billie Lawrence
	Higglytown Heroes	Forest Ranger Hero	(voice); 1 episode: "Fran Takes a Hike/Mystery at Kip's House"
	Into the West	Margaret Light Shines	3 episodes: "Hell on Wheels"; "Casualties of War"; "Ghost Dance"
	Miracle at Sage Creek	Sunny
	Love's Long Journey	Miriam Red Hawk McClain	TV movie
	The New World	Pocahontas' Mother (Nonoma)
2007	Cosmic Radio	K.C.
	Tortilla Heaven	Liberata
	The Red Chalk	Eve
2008	Turok: Son of Stone	Catori	(voice); Direct-to-video
	The Spectacular Spider-Man	Jean DeWolff	(voice); 4 episodes (2008–2009)
2011	Timberwolf	Eleni	Pre-Production
2012	Young Justice: Invasion	Shelly Longshadow	(voice); 1 episode

References

External links

• Irene Bedard Biography at who2.com
• Irene Bedard at the Internet Movie Database
• Irene Bedard at AllRovi

Authority control VIAF: 165745571 GND: 1028906161

Persondata
Name	Bedard, Irene
Alternative names
Short description	American actor
Date of birth	July 22, 1967
Place of birth	Anchorage, Alaska
Date of death
Place of death