ADAM BEACH
Name: Adam Beach
Born: 11 November 1972 Ashern, Manitoba, Canada
Adam Ruebin Beach (born November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba) is a Golden Globe
nominated Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent. He is best known for his roles as
Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yahzee
in Windtalkers, Dr. Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
and Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In high school (Gordon Bell 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. He began performing in local theatre
productions, and 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 the
miniseries Lost in the Barrens, based on the Farley Mowat novel. 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 shows North of 60 and
The Rez.
After his roles in Dance Me Outside and Smoke Signals brought international
attention to him, 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, directed by Chris Eyre, who
gave him his breakout role in Smoke Signals.
Between large-scale projects, he made small appearances 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 an Indian shaman (in the
episode "Shaman").
In 2006, Beach portrayed Ira Hayes in Clint Eastwood's featured film Flags of
Our Fathers. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother and his
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. 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." The movie won two Academy Award nominations
and Beach was nominated for multiple Best Supporting Actor honors.
In 2007, Beach starred in HBO Films' adaptation of Dee Brown's novel, Bury My
Heart at Wounded Knee. In the film, Beach portrays the Sioux advocate, author
and medical doctor Ohiyesa (Charles Eastman) and his changing understanding of
Indian-US relations during the period leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Currently, Beach is working on a few projects. In addition to joining the cast
of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Chester Lake in 2007, as well
as starring in the Canadian television series Moose TV; Adam is currently also
executive producing and starring in the movie Older Than America, the
independent feature shot in Cloquet, Minnesota mostly on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe
reservation.
In 2006, Beach unsuccessfully attempted to run for the leadership of his Lake
Manitoba First Nation, but has stated he will try again during the next election.
Name: Adam Beach
Born: 11 November 1972 Ashern, Manitoba, Canada
Adam Ruebin Beach (born November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba) is a Golden Globe
nominated Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent. He is best known for his roles as
Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yahzee
in Windtalkers, Dr. Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa) in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
and Chester Lake in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In high school (Gordon Bell 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. He began performing in local theatre
productions, and 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 the
miniseries Lost in the Barrens, based on the Farley Mowat novel. 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 shows North of 60 and
The Rez.
After his roles in Dance Me Outside and Smoke Signals brought international
attention to him, 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, directed by Chris Eyre, who
gave him his breakout role in Smoke Signals.
Between large-scale projects, he made small appearances 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 an Indian shaman (in the
episode "Shaman").
In 2006, Beach portrayed Ira Hayes in Clint Eastwood's featured film Flags of
Our Fathers. During the filming of this movie, both Beach's grandmother and his
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. 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." The movie won two Academy Award nominations
and Beach was nominated for multiple Best Supporting Actor honors.
In 2007, Beach starred in HBO Films' adaptation of Dee Brown's novel, Bury My
Heart at Wounded Knee. In the film, Beach portrays the Sioux advocate, author
and medical doctor Ohiyesa (Charles Eastman) and his changing understanding of
Indian-US relations during the period leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Currently, Beach is working on a few projects. In addition to joining the cast
of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Detective Chester Lake in 2007, as well
as starring in the Canadian television series Moose TV; Adam is currently also
executive producing and starring in the movie Older Than America, the
independent feature shot in Cloquet, Minnesota mostly on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe
reservation.
In 2006, Beach unsuccessfully attempted to run for the leadership of his Lake
Manitoba First Nation, but has stated he will try again during the next election.