Top 50 Most Popular Native American Actresses

From Lily Gladstone’s history-making awards run to Sacheen Littlefeather’s 1973 Oscar protest, Indigenous actresses have shaped film and television for generations. This guide profiles 50 of them — Oscar nominees, franchise leads, voice artists, playwrights and advocates — with every career checked and updated to November 2026.

A note on scope: inclusion follows documented Indigenous heritage — tribal citizenship, descent or upbringing — as reported by reliable sources. Where a performer’s heritage is mixed, disputed or simply not documented, her profile says so plainly rather than guessing.

Quick answer

• Fifty actresses are profiled, in the list’s established order, each with her photograph, career summary and sourced key facts.
• The most decorated recent run belongs to Lily Gladstone, the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and the first nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
• The newest franchise names include Amber Midthunder, who headlined Prey, and Alyssa Wapanatâhk, who plays White Sun in Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie.
• The longest career span runs from Geraldine Keams, who debuted in The Outlaw Josey Wales in 1976, to the streaming-era leads of Dark Winds and Reservation Dogs.
• The list includes citizens of sovereign nations such as the Blackfeet Nation, the Cherokee Nation, the Navajo Nation and the Kahnawà:ke Mohawk community.

Award firsts and milestones

• 1973: Sacheen Littlefeather declines Marlon Brando’s Oscar on his behalf, protesting Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans and the standoff at Wounded Knee; the Academy formally apologised to her in 2022.
• 1995: Irene Bedard provides the speaking voice and physical model for Disney’s Pocahontas, the studio’s first Native American princess.
• 2008: Misty Upham wins Best Supporting Actress at the American Indian Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Frozen River.
• 2020: Nyla Rose becomes the first transgender wrestler to win a world championship in a major United States promotion, alongside her acting work.
• 2022: Amber Midthunder becomes the first Indigenous actor to headline a major franchise film, leading Prey.
• 2024: Salli Richardson-Whitfield becomes the first Black woman nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
• 2024: Lily Gladstone becomes the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and the first nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.

The new generation

A generation of Indigenous-led series has changed who gets cast and who gets to create. Reservation Dogs, Dark Winds and Little Bird all put Native actresses at the centre, several of them writing and directing as well as performing.

• Devery Jacobs played Elora Danan in Reservation Dogs and also wrote and directed on the series.
• Jessica Matten leads Dark Winds as Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito; season three premiered in March 2025.
• Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers directed the first three episodes of Little Bird, winning Directors Guild of Canada and Canadian Screen Award honours.
• Kaniehtiio Horn wrote, directed and starred in Seeds (2024), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

How this list was researched

• Every profile was rewritten from fresh research carried out in November 2026, using official biographies, major entertainment press and award bodies.
• Tribal affiliation or nation is stated only where a reliable source documents it; where none could be found, the profile records that honestly.
• Earlier versions of this list carried unsourced tables of net worth, zodiac signs and relationship status. Those have been removed in full.
• Each actress keeps the photograph published with her profile. Where the stored photograph could not be confidently matched to its subject, that is flagged in the pack’s editorial report.

The 50 actresses at a glance

The 50 actresses, profiled

1. Lily Gladstone

Lily Gladstone is of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce descent and was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. After years of independent-film work, her performance as Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) made awards history on three fronts.

She became the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, the first to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for a leading film role, and the first nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She followed it with an Emmy nomination for Under the Bridge (2024) and a starring role in The Wedding Banquet (2025).

• Heritage: Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce descent; raised on the Blackfeet Reservation
• Breakthrough role: Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
• Awards firsts: First Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) and the first nominated for the Best Actress Oscar
• Recent work: Under the Bridge (2024); Fancy Dance; The Wedding Banquet (2025)

2. Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers

Elle-Máijá Apiniskim Tailfeathers is a member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe) of the Blackfoot Confederacy and is also Sámi, from Uŋárga in Norway. She works as an actor, writer and director, and co-wrote, co-directed and starred in The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open, which won Canadian Screen Awards for direction and screenplay.

Her acting credits include Night Raiders and Blood Quantum. Behind the camera she directed the acclaimed documentary Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy and the first three episodes of Little Bird, winning a Directors Guild of Canada Award in 2023 and a Canadian Screen Award in 2024. She starred in Sweet Angel Baby (2024).

• Nation: Member of the Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe), Blackfoot Confederacy
• Heritage: Blackfoot and Sámi (from Uŋárga, Norway)
• Known for: The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open; Night Raiders
• Directing: First three episodes of Little Bird; DGC Award 2023 and Canadian Screen Award 2024

3. Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson was born in New York City on 9 May 1979 and was discovered on a stoop in the East Village, leading to her debut in Kids (1995). Her mother is Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican. Her biological father has been described as of American Indian and Irish ancestry, and Dawson herself wrote in 2013 that she is “half Puerto Rican/Afro-Cuban & half Irish/Native Indian”; no specific tribal affiliation is documented.

She went on to star in Rent and Sin City, played Claire Temple across Marvel’s Netflix series, and took on the fan-favourite role of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian (2020) and the spin-off Ahsoka (2023).

• Born: 9 May 1979, New York City
• Heritage: Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican mother; father described as of Irish and Native American ancestry (self-described, 2013)
• Known for: Rent; Sin City; Claire Temple in Marvel’s Netflix series
• Recent work: Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian (2020) and Ahsoka (2023)

4. Tantoo Cardinal

Tantoo Cardinal, born on 20 July 1950 in Anzac, Alberta, is a Cree and Métis actor whose career spans five decades of Canadian and American screen work. She played Black Shawl in Dances with Wolves, appeared in Legends of the Fall and Smoke Signals, and was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Younger audiences know her as Lizzie Q in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and from Marvel’s Echo (2024). In 2021 she founded the Tap Root Actors Academy on the Kikino Métis Settlement to train new Indigenous performers.

• Born: 20 July 1950, Anzac (Fort McMurray), Alberta
• Heritage: Cree and Métis
• Honours: Member of the Order of Canada (2009)
• Recent work: Lizzie Q in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023); Echo (2024)

5. Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens was born on 14 December 1988 in Salinas, California, to a Filipina mother and a father, Greg Hudgens, whose background has been described inconsistently: older biographies called him of Irish and Native American descent, while current references describe his ancestry as mostly English. No specific tribal affiliation is documented, and this profile makes no such claim.

Hudgens became a star through Disney’s High School Musical films, then won acclaim for Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021). She played Kelly in Bad Boys for Life (2020) and returned for Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024).

• Born: 14 December 1988, Salinas, California
• Heritage: Filipina mother; father’s ancestry described inconsistently across biographies
• Known for: High School Musical; Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
• Recent work: Kelly in Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

6. Megan Fox

Megan Fox, born on 16 May 1986 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, became a global star with Transformers and built a following through Jennifer’s Body and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. In 2024 she played the android Alice in the thriller Subservience.

Fox has mentioned Cherokee ancestry in interviews since around 2009. The claim has never been documented to a specific family line or nation, so it is recorded here as an interview claim only.

• Born: 16 May 1986, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• Heritage: Cherokee ancestry mentioned in interviews; no tribal affiliation documented
• Known for: Transformers; Jennifer’s Body
• Recent work: Alice in Subservience (2024)

7. Michelle Latimer

Michelle Latimer is a filmmaker and actor whose documentary Inconvenient Indian won the People’s Choice Documentary Award and an Amplify Voices Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. She also co-created and directed the CBC series Trickster.

In December 2020, a CBC investigation by reporters Ka’nhehsí:io Deer and Jorge Barrera examined her claimed Algonquin and Métis identity and her stated connection to Kitigan Zibi. The community said she was not a member, and a genealogical review found only distant Indigenous ancestors from the 17th century. Latimer apologised for naming the community before verifying, resigned from Trickster, which was later cancelled, and the National Film Board withdrew her film from distribution. No tribal affiliation is stated for her here.

• Known for: Directing Inconvenient Indian; co-creating Trickster
• Honours: TIFF 2020 People’s Choice Documentary Award
• Identity: Claimed Algonquin/Métis connection to Kitigan Zibi was examined and disputed in a 2020 CBC investigation; she apologised and withdrew from projects
• Affiliation: None stated — see profile

8. Irene Bedard

Irene Bedard was born on 22 July 1967 in Anchorage, Alaska, to an Iñupiaq and Yup’ik mother and a Cree and French father, and is an enrolled citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk. She provided both the speaking voice and the physical model for Disney’s Pocahontas (1995), returning for the 1998 sequel and a cameo in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

On screen she played Suzy Song in Smoke Signals (1998) and appeared in Alaska Daily (2022). In 2024 she joined Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender as Yagoda.

• Born: 22 July 1967, Anchorage, Alaska
• Heritage: Iñupiaq and Yup’ik mother; Cree and French father
• Citizenship: Enrolled citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk
• Known for: Voice and model for Pocahontas (1995); Smoke Signals
• Recent work: Yagoda in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)

9. Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams, born on 18 March 1963, became the first African American Miss America when she was crowned in September 1983; she resigned in July 1984, and the organisation’s chief executive publicly apologised to her at the 2016 pageant. She went on to a long recording and acting career, including the role of Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty.

Williams has published the results of a DNA ancestry analysis listing Ghanaian, British Isles, Cameroonian, Finnish, southern European, Togolese, Beninese, Senegalese and Portuguese components. No Native American ancestry was reported, and no reliable source documents an Indigenous affiliation for her, so none is claimed in this profile.

• Born: 18 March 1963
• Milestone: First African American Miss America (crowned 1983; resigned 1984; publicly apologised to in 2016)
• Family history: Published DNA analysis reports African and European ancestry; no Native American component
• Known for: Ugly Betty; a long recording career
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

10. Vivica A. Fox

Vivica A. Fox was born on 30 July 1964 in South Bend, Indiana. Standard biographies describe her as being of African American and Native American descent, although no specific nation is documented in reliable sources.

Her career runs from Independence Day, Set It Off and Soul Food to Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and the series Empire. In 2023 she made her directorial debut with First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story.

• Born: 30 July 1964, South Bend, Indiana
• Heritage: Described in biographies as of African American and Native American descent; nation not documented
• Known for: Independence Day; Set It Off; Kill Bill: Vol. 1
• Recent work: Directorial debut, First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story (2023)

11. Michelle Thrush

Michelle Thrush is a Cree actor born on 6 February 1967 in Calgary, Alberta. She won the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role in 2011 for playing Gail Stoney in Blackstone, and held recurring roles in North of 60 and Arctic Air.

She starred opposite Benicio del Toro in Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian, appeared in Prey (2022), and was named a Distinguished Artist at the 2023 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards. Her one-woman stage show Inner Elder played Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre in May 2025.

• Born: 6 February 1967, Calgary, Alberta
• Nation: Cree
• Honours: Gemini Award for Blackstone (2011); Alberta arts Distinguished Artist (2023)
• Known for: Blackstone; Arctic Air; Jimmy P.
• Recent work: Prey (2022); Inner Elder on stage (2025)

12. Q’orianka Kilcher

Q’orianka Kilcher was born on 11 February 1990 in Schweigmatt, Germany, to a Peruvian father of Quechua-Huachipaeri heritage and a Swiss-German mother, and was raised in Kapa’a, Hawai’i. At fourteen she was cast as Pocahontas in Terrence Malick’s The New World (2005), winning breakthrough honours from the National Board of Review and the ALMA Awards.

She played the title role in Princess Kaiulani (2009), appeared in Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019), and recurred as Angela Blue Thunder in Yellowstone between 2020 and 2022.

• Born: 11 February 1990, Schweigmatt, Germany
• Heritage: Quechua-Huachipaeri father; Swiss-German mother; raised in Hawai’i
• Breakthrough: Pocahontas in The New World (2005)
• Known for: Princess Kaiulani; Yellowstone (2020–22)

13. Carmen Moore

Carmen Moore, born on 24 December 1972, is of Wet’suwet’en heritage and is registered with the Hagwilget Village First Nation in Hazelton, British Columbia. She led the APTN drama Blackstone as Leona Stoney from 2011 to 2015, winning three Leo Awards for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series.

She played Loreen Cassway in Arctic Air and Wahkatiiosta in season four of Outlander. Recent credits include the series Allegiance (2024–) and voice work in Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024–25), plus the 2025 film Meadowlarks.

• Born: 24 December 1972
• Nation: Wet’suwet’en; registered with the Hagwilget Village First Nation
• Honours: Three Leo Awards for Best Lead Performance (Blackstone)
• Known for: Blackstone; Arctic Air; Outlander
• Recent work: Allegiance; Jurassic World: Chaos Theory; Meadowlarks (2025)

14. Kaniehtiio Horn

Kaniehtiio Horn is a Kahnawake Mohawk actor born on 8 November 1985. She is best known as Tanis in the comedy Letterkenny (2016–23), a role that won her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy in 2022, and as Deer Lady in Reservation Dogs.

In 2024 she stepped behind the camera, writing, directing and starring in the feature film Seeds, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won her a Directors Guild of Canada Award.

• Born: 8 November 1985
• Nation: Kahnawake Mohawk
• Known for: Tanis in Letterkenny; Deer Lady in Reservation Dogs
• Honours: Canadian Screen Award, Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy (2022)
• Recent work: Wrote, directed and starred in Seeds (2024)

15. Raven-Symoné

Raven-Symoné was born on 10 December 1985 in Atlanta and grew up on screen, first in The Cosby Show and then as the lead of Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. She returned as star and executive producer of the sequel series Raven’s Home (2017–23) and signed an overall deal with Disney Branded Television in 2024.

In October 2024 she began hosting The CW’s revival of Scrabble. No reliable source documents a Native American affiliation for her, and this profile makes no such claim; she remains in the list on the strength of her career.

• Born: 10 December 1985, Atlanta
• Known for: The Cosby Show; That’s So Raven; Raven’s Home
• Recent work: Host of Scrabble (2024–); overall deal with Disney Branded Television
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

16. Devery Jacobs

Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs is Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Kahnawà:ke, of the Bear Clan, born on 8 August 1993. She broke through in Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013), earning a Canadian Screen Award nomination, and reached a worldwide audience as Elora Danan in Reservation Dogs (2021–23), where she also wrote and directed.

Her Reservation Dogs work brought Critics’ Choice nominations in 2023 and 2024. She played Bonnie in Marvel’s Echo (2024), voiced Kahhori in What If…?, starred in and produced the cheerleading drama Backspot, and appears as Donna in Oh. What. Fun. (2025).

• Born: 8 August 1993
• Nation: Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawà:ke, Bear Clan
• Known for: Elora Danan in Reservation Dogs (also writer and director)
• Honours: Critics’ Choice nominations (2023, 2024)
• Recent work: Echo (2024); Backspot; Oh. What. Fun. (2025)

17. Jennifer Podemski

Jennifer Podemski is an Anishinaabe (Muscowpetung Saulteux Nation) and Ashkenazi Jewish actor and producer who broke through as Sadie in Dance Me Outside. Deciding that Indigenous stories needed Indigenous producers, she co-founded Big Soul Productions in 1999 — Canada’s first full-service Indigenous-owned production company — and launched Redcloud Studios in 2005.

She produced and starred in Empire of Dirt and co-created Little Bird (2023), which became the most nominated drama series in Canadian Screen Awards history. In 2020 she founded the Shine Network Institute to advance Indigenous women in the screen industries, and in June 2025 she received the inaugural Norman Jewison Founder’s Council Award at the Canadian Film Centre gala.

• Heritage: Anishinaabe (Muscowpetung Saulteux Nation) and Ashkenazi Jewish
• Companies: Co-founded Big Soul Productions (1999); founded Redcloud Studios (2005)
• Known for: Empire of Dirt; co-creator of Little Bird (2023)
• Advocacy: Founded the Shine Network Institute (2020)
• Honours: Norman Jewison Founder’s Council Award, Canadian Film Centre (2025)

18. Misty Upham

Misty Upham (6 July 1982 – 5 October 2014) was a member of the Blackfeet Nation, born in Kalispell, Montana and raised in Auburn, Washington. Her performance as Lila Littlewolf in Frozen River (2008) won her Best Supporting Actress at the American Indian Film Festival and a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.

She went on to play Johnna in August: Osage County (2013) and to appear in Jimmy P. and Django Unchained. Upham died in October 2014, aged 32; after she went missing in Auburn, her body was found eleven days later, and the King County Medical Examiner recorded her death as caused by blunt-force injuries to the head and torso.

• Born: 6 July 1982, Kalispell, Montana
• Died: 5 October 2014, Auburn, Washington, aged 32
• Nation: Member of the Blackfeet Nation
• Known for: Lila Littlewolf in Frozen River (2008); Johnna in August: Osage County
• Honours: Best Supporting Actress, American Indian Film Festival; Independent Spirit Award nomination

19. Tonantzin Carmelo

Tonantzin Carmelo descends on her mother’s side from the Tongva and Kumeyaay peoples of Southern California and grew up in Orange County. Her portrayal of Thunder Heart Woman in Steven Spielberg’s miniseries Into the West (2005) earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

She played Paara across La Brea (2021–24) and appeared in The English (2022). In 2025 she guest-starred as Border Patrol Agent Eleanda Garza in season three of Dark Winds. She is also a member of the Tongva Language Committee for Revitalization.

• Heritage: Tongva and Kumeyaay descent (mother’s side)
• Known for: Thunder Heart Woman in Into the West (2005)
• Honours: Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Into the West
• Recent work: La Brea (2021–24); Dark Winds season 3 (2025)
• Advocacy: Member of the Tongva Language Committee for Revitalization

20. Julia Jones

Julia Jones was born on 23 January 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother is of English descent and her father, in her own account, “is part Choctaw, Chickasaw, and African-American”. She is best known as Leah Clearwater in The Twilight Saga films (2010–12).

She played police chief Angela Bishop opposite Michael C. Hall in Dexter: New Blood (2021–22) and Kohana in the acclaimed Westworld episode “Kiksuya”. In 2024 she portrayed Chafa, the first Choctaw, in Marvel’s Echo.

• Born: 23 January 1981, Boston, Massachusetts
• Heritage: Choctaw, Chickasaw and African-American descent through her father; English through her mother
• Known for: Leah Clearwater in The Twilight Saga
• Recent work: Dexter: New Blood (2021–22); Chafa in Echo (2024)

21. Elpidia Carrillo

Elpidia Carrillo was born on 16 August 1961 in Michoacán, Mexico, and built a career across Mexican and American film. She is best known to international audiences as Anna in Predator (1987) — the only character in the franchise to return in a second film, through her cameo in Predator 2.

Her performance as Maria in Salvador (1986) earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination, and her later work includes Bread and Roses, Nine Lives and Blue Beetle (2023). No reliable source documents a specific Indigenous affiliation for her, so she is profiled simply as a Mexican actress from Michoacán.

• Born: 16 August 1961, Michoacán, Mexico
• Known for: Anna in Predator (1987) and Predator 2
• Honours: Independent Spirit Award nomination for Salvador
• Recent work: Blue Beetle (2023)
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

22. Cree Summer Francks

Cree Summer Francks was born on 7 July 1969 in Los Angeles and grew up partly on the Red Pheasant Reserve in Saskatchewan. Her father was Canadian actor and musician Don Francks; her mother, Lili “Red Eagle” Francks, was an African American actress and an adopted member of the Plains Cree First Nations.

One of the most prolific voice actors in animation, she has voiced Penny in Inspector Gadget, Elmyra Duff in Tiny Toon Adventures, Susie Carmichael in Rugrats and Princess Kida in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. On camera she played Freddie Brooks in A Different World, and she voices Lizard in the Indigenous-created Netflix series Spirit Rangers.

• Born: 7 July 1969, Los Angeles
• Background: Raised partly on the Red Pheasant Reserve, Saskatchewan; mother an adopted member of the Plains Cree First Nations
• Known for: Voices of Susie Carmichael (Rugrats), Elmyra Duff and Princess Kida
• On camera: Freddie Brooks in A Different World
• Recent work: Voice of Lizard in Spirit Rangers

23. Amber Midthunder

Amber Midthunder is a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Montana and was born on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. After roles in Legion and Roswell, New Mexico, she carried the Predator prequel Prey (2022) as the Comanche hunter Naru — the first Indigenous actor to headline a major franchise film.

In March 2025 she had two films released on the same day, playing Sherry in the action comedy Novocaine and appearing in Opus.

• Citizenship: Citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, Montana
• Born: On the Navajo Nation, New Mexico
• Known for: Naru in Prey (2022)
• Milestone: First Indigenous actor to headline a major franchise film
• Recent work: Novocaine and Opus (both 2025)

24. Heather Locklear

Heather Locklear was born on 25 September 1961 in Los Angeles. Published biographies, including her encyclopaedia entry, state that she has Lumbee ancestry; she has received multiple First Americans in the Arts honours during her career.

She rose to fame as Sammy Jo Carrington in Dynasty and as Officer Stacy Sheridan in T.J. Hooker, then defined 1990s television as Amanda Woodward in Melrose Place, earning four consecutive Golden Globe nominations. She later co-led Spin City.

• Born: 25 September 1961, Los Angeles
• Heritage: Lumbee ancestry, per published biographies
• Known for: Amanda Woodward in Melrose Place; Dynasty; T.J. Hooker
• Honours: Four consecutive Golden Globe nominations; First Americans in the Arts awards

25. Sheila May Tousey

Sheila May Tousey was born on 4 June 1959 in Keshena, Wisconsin, and is of Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee descent, raised on both reservations. She first planned a legal career at the University of New Mexico before switching to theatre, then trained in the graduate acting programme at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Her first film role was Maggie Eagle Bear in Thunderheart (1992). She went on to appear in Silent Tongue, Ravenous, four adaptations of Tony Hillerman’s novels including Coyote Waits, and the miniseries Into the West (2005).

• Born: 4 June 1959, Keshena, Wisconsin
• Heritage: Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee descent; raised on both reservations
• Training: University of New Mexico; NYU Tisch School of the Arts
• Known for: Maggie Eagle Bear in Thunderheart (1992)
• Other work: Tony Hillerman adaptations; Into the West (2005)

26. Andrea Navedo

Andrea Navedo is a second-generation New York Puerto Rican actor born in the Bronx. After early roles in the soap operas One Life to Live and Guiding Light, she starred for five seasons as Xiomara “Xo” Villanueva in Jane the Virgin (2014–19), winning an Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television.

She has since published a memoir, Our Otherness Is Our Strength: Wisdom from the Boogie Down Bronx. No reliable source documents a Native American affiliation for her, and none is claimed in this profile.

• Born: The Bronx, New York City
• Heritage: Puerto Rican; no Native American affiliation documented
• Known for: Xiomara Villanueva in Jane the Virgin (2014–19)
• Honours: Imagen Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television
• Writing: Memoir, Our Otherness Is Our Strength

27. Althea Sam

Althea Sam is a member of the Diné Nation (Navajo Nation) who was born on the Diné reservation in Tuba City, Arizona. Her IMDb biography records that she served in the United States Navy before turning to acting, and that she began her screen career in Taylor Sheridan’s film Wind River (2017) after raising her daughter.

Because her career has been documented mainly through her professional biography rather than press coverage, this profile is kept brief and limited to those recorded facts.

• Nation: Member of the Diné Nation (Navajo Nation)
• Born: Tuba City, Arizona
• Service: United States Navy veteran
• Screen career: Began with Wind River (2017)
• Source note: Facts as recorded in her IMDb biography

28. Salli Richardson-Whitfield

Salli Richardson-Whitfield was born on 23 November 1967 in Chicago, to an African American mother — some biographies also report Cherokee ancestry on her mother’s side — and a father of English and Italian descent. As an actor she is known for Allison Blake in Eureka (2006–12) and as the voice of Elisa Maza in Gargoyles.

She has since become one of television’s most sought-after directors. In 2024 she became the first Black woman nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, for Winning Time, and she serves as an executive producer and director on The Gilded Age and the 2025 HBO series Task.

• Born: 23 November 1967, Chicago
• Heritage: African American mother (Cherokee ancestry also reported in some biographies); English-Italian father
• Known for: Allison Blake in Eureka; voice of Elisa Maza in Gargoyles
• Milestone: First Black woman nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (2024)
• Recent work: Executive producer and director, The Gilded Age and Task (2025)

29. Kimberly Norris Guerrero

Kimberly Norris Guerrero, born in Oklahoma in 1967, is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and also has Salish-Kootenai heritage. On screen she is best known as Winona, Jerry’s girlfriend, in the Seinfeld episode “The Cigar Store Indian” (1993), and she has twice played Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller. On stage she originated the role of Johnna in the Broadway production of August: Osage County.

She now combines acting with academia: as of September 2025 she is a professor in the Department of Theatre, Film and Digital Production at the University of California, Riverside. Her recent guest credits include It: Welcome to Derry.

• Born: 1967, Oklahoma
• Citizenship: Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Salish-Kootenai heritage
• Known for: Winona in Seinfeld (1993); twice played Wilma Mankiller
• Stage: Originated Johnna in August: Osage County on Broadway
• Current role: Professor at the University of California, Riverside

30. Maya Zapata

Maya Zapata was born on 30 November 1981 in Mexico City and has acted since early childhood. Her performance in De la calle (2001) won her the Ariel Award for Best Actress, Mexico’s highest film honour, and she reached international audiences as Alicia in Under the Same Moon (La misma luna, 2007).

In 2018 she took on the role of Selena Quintanilla in the biographical series El secreto de Selena. No specific Indigenous affiliation is documented for her in reliable sources, so she is profiled as a Mexican actress without one being claimed.

• Born: 30 November 1981, Mexico City
• Honours: Ariel Award for Best Actress for De la calle (2001)
• Known for: Under the Same Moon (2007); Selena Quintanilla in El secreto de Selena (2018)
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

31. DeLanna Studi

DeLanna Studi is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, born on 4 June 1976 in Muldrow, Oklahoma, and a niece of the actor Wes Studi. She played Talks A Lot in Dreamkeeper (2003), winning the American Indian Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress, and appeared in Edge of America and Shameless.

In 2015 she retraced the Trail of Tears with her father along the route their family was forced to walk; the journey became her solo play And So We Walked. She is the Artistic Director of Native Voices at the Autry, chairs SAG-AFTRA’s National Native Americans Committee, and was named a USA Fellow in 2022.

• Born: 4 June 1976, Muldrow, Oklahoma
• Citizenship: Citizen of the Cherokee Nation
• Known for: Talks A Lot in Dreamkeeper (2003)
• Theatre: Author and performer of And So We Walked
• Roles off screen: Artistic Director of Native Voices at the Autry; chair of SAG-AFTRA’s National Native Americans Committee; USA Fellow (2022)

32. Alex Rice

Alexandrea Kawisenhawe Rice was born into a Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk) family on the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec and spent much of her childhood in Brooklyn, New York. She is perhaps best known as Janet Pete in the PBS adaptations of Tony Hillerman’s novels — Skinwalkers (2002), Coyote Waits (2003) and A Thief of Time (2004) — winning the American Indian Film Institute’s Best Actress award for Coyote Waits.

She reached a global audience as Sue Clearwater, mother of Leah and Seth, in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) and both parts of Breaking Dawn (2011–12).

• Born: Kahnawake, Quebec
• Nation: Kanien’kehaka (Mohawk), Kahnawà:ke
• Known for: Janet Pete in the Tony Hillerman films; Sue Clearwater in The Twilight Saga
• Honours: Best Actress, American Indian Film Institute, for Coyote Waits (2003)

33. Crystle Lightning

Crystle Lea Lightning, born on 5 February 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta, is an artist of the Enoch Cree Nation and the daughter of filmmaker Georgina Lightning. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series in 2021 for playing Maggie in Trickster, acting opposite her own mother — three generations of her family appeared in the series.

Her credits since include Three Pines, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Rutherford Falls and Fancy Dance, alongside work as a musician, DJ and hip-hop MC. In September 2026 her mother Georgina died in an accident at a rodeo on the Enoch Cree Nation, where the community mourned her as a trailblazer of Indigenous cinema.

• Born: 5 February 1981, Edmonton, Alberta
• Nation: Enoch Cree Nation
• Family: Daughter of filmmaker Georgina Lightning; sister of actor Cody Lightning
• Honours: Canadian Screen Award, Best Actress in a Drama Series, for Trickster (2021)
• Known for: Trickster; Three Pines; Fancy Dance

34. Carla-Rae Beshaw

Carla-Rae Beshaw is a New York-born stage and screen actor whose professional résumé lists the lead role of Susanna Ridge in the PBS series We Shall Remain, a Lenape medicine woman in the 2007 New Amsterdam pilot, and Mrs. Tihoobaanii in ABC’s Scoundrels. More recently she played Older Aline Spears in Bones of Crows, and her stage work includes productions with Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles.

Published biographies describe Beshaw as being of Seneca and Mohawk descent. Coverage of her career is limited to professional listings and biographical summaries, so this profile is kept to those recorded facts.

• Background: Born in New York; Seneca and Mohawk descent per published biographies
• Known for: Susanna Ridge in We Shall Remain (PBS)
• Television: New Amsterdam pilot; Scoundrels; Bones of Crows
• Stage: Productions with Native Voices at the Autry
• Source note: Facts drawn from her professional résumé and biographical listings

35. Elaine Miles

Elaine Miles was born on 7 April 1960 in Pendleton, Oregon, and is an enrolled citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, of Cayuse and Nez Perce ancestry. She had never acted when she drove her mother to an audition and was spotted in the waiting room; the part her mother sought, Marilyn Whirlwind in Northern Exposure, went to her, and she played it for all six seasons (1990–95).

She played Lucy in Smoke Signals (1998) and Florence, opposite Graham Greene, in The Last of Us (2023). Named Native American Woman of the Year in 1993, she was back in the news in November 2025, when reports described immigration agents in Redmond, Washington, questioning her tribal identification during a stop — an incident widely covered in United States media.

• Born: 7 April 1960, Pendleton, Oregon
• Citizenship: Enrolled citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
• Heritage: Cayuse and Nez Perce ancestry
• Known for: Marilyn Whirlwind in Northern Exposure (1990–95)
• Recent work: Florence in The Last of Us (2023)

36. Karina Lombard

Karina Lombard was born on 21 January 1969 in Tahiti, the youngest of five children. Her mother, Nupuree Lightfoot, was a Lakota medicine woman, and her father was of Swiss-Russian and Italian descent; she was raised mainly in Spain and Switzerland and began her career as a model.

Her best-known roles are Isabel Two in Legends of the Fall (1994), Marina Ferrer in the first season of The L Word (returning as a guest in later seasons), Alana Mareva in The 4400, and Chief Nonhelema in Timeless. She has also received First Americans in the Arts awards for her television work.

• Born: 21 January 1969, Tahiti, French Polynesia
• Heritage: Lakota mother; Swiss-Russian and Italian father
• Known for: Isabel Two in Legends of the Fall; Marina Ferrer in The L Word
• Television: The 4400; Timeless; Rescue Me

37. Sacheen Littlefeather

Sacheen Littlefeather (14 November 1946 – 2 October 2022), born Marie Louise Cruz, made history at the 45th Academy Awards on 27 March 1973. Sent by Marlon Brando, she declined his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather, protesting Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans and the federal standoff at Wounded Knee. The Academy sent her a formal apology in June 2022, read aloud at An Evening with Sacheen Littlefeather that September, weeks before her death.

Littlefeather said her father was of White Mountain Apache and Yaqui heritage. After her death, her sisters Rosalind Cruz and Trudy Orlandi told the San Francisco Chronicle that the family was of Spanish-Mexican descent with no tribal ties. Both accounts are recorded here; her place in this list reflects the historic role she played, which is not in dispute.

• Born: 14 November 1946, as Marie Louise Cruz
• Died: 2 October 2022
• Known for: Declining Marlon Brando’s Oscar at the 1973 Academy Awards
• Recognition: Formal apology from the Academy, June 2022
• Heritage note: Claimed White Mountain Apache and Yaqui parentage; disputed by her sisters after her death — see profile

38. Alyssa Wapanatâhk

Alyssa Wapanatâhk was born on 15 January 1998 in Fort McMurray, Alberta, is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation, and was raised in Conklin. Her first major role was Tiger Lily in Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), in which she speaks Cree and worked with the filmmakers and language consultants to shape the character from her own heritage.

She earned a Leo Award nomination for Bones of Crows and also appeared in Riverdale. She now plays White Sun, an Osage character, in Netflix’s adaptation of Little House on the Prairie, learning Osage for the role with the production’s language consultants.

• Born: 15 January 1998, Fort McMurray, Alberta
• Nation: Member of the Bigstone Cree Nation
• Known for: Tiger Lily in Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
• Honours: Leo Award nomination for Bones of Crows
• Recent work: White Sun in Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie

39. Jenny Gago

Jenny Gago was born on 11 September 1953 in Peru and trained at UCLA, where she earned a BA in Theatre Arts, before winning a scholarship to the Lee Strasberg Institute. She played Maria in Knots Landing (1984–86) and the matriarch Maria Sanchez in Gregory Nava’s My Family (1995).

Her later roles include Anaya in The Agency, President Martinez in Coach Carter (2005) and Detective Josie Ochoa in Southland (2011); she won a Golden Eagle Award for Old Gringo (1989). No Indigenous affiliation is documented for her in reliable sources, and none is claimed here.

• Born: 11 September 1953, Peru
• Training: BA in Theatre Arts, UCLA; Lee Strasberg Institute scholarship
• Known for: Maria in My Family (1995); Knots Landing
• Honours: Golden Eagle Award for Old Gringo (1989)
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

40. Patricia Velásquez

Patricia Velásquez was born on 31 January 1971 in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the fifth of six children of a mestizo father and a mother of Wayuu heritage. A pioneering Latina supermodel, she is best known on screen as Anck-su-namun in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001).

In 2002 she founded the Wayuu Taya Foundation, which works to improve living conditions for the Wayuu people of Venezuela and Colombia while preserving their culture. She was appointed a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2003, published her memoir Straight Walk in 2015, and in 2018 became an OAS Goodwill Ambassador for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.

• Born: 31 January 1971, Maracaibo, Venezuela
• Heritage: Wayuu heritage through her mother; mestizo father
• Known for: Anck-su-namun in The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)
• Advocacy: Founder of the Wayuu Taya Foundation (2002); UNESCO Artist for Peace (2003)
• Writing: Memoir, Straight Walk (2015)

41. Taylor Dooley

Taylor Dooley was born on 26 February 1993 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and became a child star as Lavagirl in Robert Rodriguez’s The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005). She stepped back from acting to study, graduating in psychology from California State University, Northridge, before returning to the role as an adult in We Can Be Heroes (2020).

Biographies of Dooley list Sioux among her family’s ancestries, although accounts differ on which side of the family it comes from and no tribal affiliation is documented. This profile records the claim with that caution.

• Born: 26 February 1993, Grosse Pointe, Michigan
• Known for: Lavagirl in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005)
• Recent work: Reprised Lavagirl in We Can Be Heroes (2020)
• Education: Psychology graduate, California State University, Northridge
• Heritage: Sioux ancestry listed in biographies; details inconsistent and affiliation not documented

42. Jessica Matten

Jessica Matten is a Canadian Métis actor best known as Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito in AMC’s Dark Winds. Season three, which premiered in March 2025, took Manuelito out of the tribal police and into a Border Patrol storyline, the series’ most prominent arc for the character so far.

Her earlier work includes the series Frontier, Tribal and Burden of Truth, and the 2024 basketball film Rez Ball.

• Heritage: Métis (Canadian)
• Known for: Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito in Dark Winds
• Recent work: Dark Winds season 3 (premiered March 2025); Rez Ball (2024)
• Television: Frontier; Tribal; Burden of Truth

43. Geraldine Keams

Geraldine Keams was born on 19 August 1951 in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, and was raised on the Navajo reservation before studying drama and film at the University of Arizona. In New York she wrote and performed with the Native American Theater Ensemble at La MaMa, adapting a Navajo creation story for the stage in 1972.

Her film debut came as Little Moonlight in Clint Eastwood’s The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). Decades later she returned to screens with a recurring role in the sitcom Rutherford Falls (2021). She is also a storyteller and the author of children’s books including Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun.

• Born: 19 August 1951, Flagstaff, Arizona
• Citizenship: Citizen of the Navajo Nation; raised on the Navajo reservation
• Known for: Little Moonlight in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
• Recent work: Recurring role in Rutherford Falls (2021)
• Other work: Storyteller; children’s author (Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun)

44. Shauna Baker

Shauna Baker was born on the Stellat’en First Nation in British Columbia and is Carrier (Dakelh); in keeping with Carrier-Sekani tradition she and her identical twin sister Shannon were raised by their grandmother, Emma Baker. Together the two work as the Baker Twins, models, actors and spokespeople who have spoken publicly about First Nations stereotyping in media, including on The Tyra Banks Show in 2007.

The twins’ screen appearances together include Smallville, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Blue Mountain State, and they starred in the music video for Slipknot’s “Killpop”.

• Nation: Carrier (Dakelh), of the Stellat’en First Nation, British Columbia
• Family: Identical twin sister Shannon; together they are the Baker Twins
• Known for: Modelling and media advocacy as the Baker Twins
• Television: The Tyra Banks Show (2007); Smallville; CSI; Blue Mountain State

45. Yvonne DeLaRosa

Yvonne DeLaRosa was born in Los Angeles in 1978 to a Colombian mother and a Native American father; her IMDb biography describes her as part Cheyenne on her father’s side. A true Los Angeles native, she studied theatre from childhood, graduated from Hollywood High’s performing arts school, and earned a BA in directing and an MFA in screenwriting at UCLA.

Director Betty Thomas cast her as the lead of the Fox pilot Señor White (2003), and she starred as Alma Valenzuela opposite Esai Morales in the Imagen Award-winning series Los Americans (2011). Her many guest roles include NCIS, Weeds, How I Met Your Mother and Longmire. She has since become known as a cannabis-industry entrepreneur in Malibu.

• Born: 1978, Los Angeles
• Heritage: Colombian mother; Native American father — part Cheyenne per her IMDb biography
• Education: BA in directing and MFA in screenwriting, UCLA
• Known for: Alma Valenzuela in Los Americans (2011)
• Breakthrough: Series lead in the Fox pilot Señor White (2003)

46. Catherine Bach

Catherine Bach, born Catherine Bachman in Warren, Ohio, became one of the most recognisable television stars of her era as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–85). She later played Margo Dutton in African Skies and joined The Young and the Restless as Anita Lawson in 2012.

Her father was of German ancestry. Her mother was a Verdugo: her grandfather was born in Mexico, and her mother claimed descent from one of the oldest Californio families of California. That Mexican and Californio heritage is documented; a specific Indigenous affiliation is not, and none is claimed here.

• Born: Warren, Ohio (born Catherine Bachman)
• Heritage: German father; mother of Mexican and Californio (Verdugo family) descent
• Known for: Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–85)
• Recent work: Anita Lawson in The Young and the Restless (from 2012)
• Affiliation: None documented — see profile

47. Nyla Rose

Nyla Rose was born on 3 August 1982 in Washington, D.C., and is of Oneida and African American ancestry. She works in two spotlights at once: as an actor she played the lead in the Canadian comedy series The Switch (2016), and as a professional wrestler she signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

That signing made her the first openly transgender wrestler signed by a major American promotion; in February 2020 she defeated Riho to become AEW Women’s World Champion, the first transgender wrestler to win a world title in a major United States promotion. In 2025 she returned to the independent circuit and won the Pro Wrestling EVE championship in August.

• Born: 3 August 1982, Washington, D.C.
• Heritage: Oneida and African American ancestry
• Acting: Lead role in The Switch (2016)
• Milestone: First openly transgender wrestler signed by a major US promotion (AEW, 2019)
• Titles: AEW Women’s World Champion (2020); Pro Wrestling EVE champion (2025)

48. Marisa Quintanilla

Marisa Quintanilla, credited on screen as Marisa Quinn, was born in McAllen, Texas, and graduated from Brown University. She is best known as Huilen, the aunt of the hybrid Nahuel, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012).

Her television credits include Sons of Anarchy, Private Practice and Criminal Minds, and she founded Monarch Media Productions, executive producing and starring in Sweet Mary & Jane. A Yaqui affiliation attached to her name in older listicles could not be verified from reliable sources, so none is claimed in this profile.

• Born: McAllen, Texas
• Education: Graduate of Brown University
• Known for: Huilen in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)
• Television: Sons of Anarchy; Private Practice; Criminal Minds
• Affiliation: None verified — see profile

49. Ashley Callingbull

Ashley Callingbull is a member of the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta. In 2015 she won Mrs. Universe, becoming both the first Canadian and the first Indigenous winner of the title. She broke another barrier in 2022 as the first Indigenous woman to appear as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.

On 27 July 2024 she was crowned Miss Universe Canada — again the first Indigenous woman to win it — and went on to place in the Top 12 at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico. Her acting credits include the series Blackstone and Tribal.

• Nation: Member of the Enoch Cree Nation (Plains Cree), Alberta
• Titles: Mrs. Universe 2015; Miss Universe Canada 2024
• Milestones: First Indigenous winner of both titles; first Indigenous Sports Illustrated swimsuit model (2022)
• Recent result: Top 12 at Miss Universe 2024
• Acting: Blackstone; Tribal

50. Acquanetta

Acquanetta (17 July 1921 – 16 August 2004) was a B-movie star whom Universal Pictures billed as “the Venezuelan Volcano”. She starred in Captive Wild Woman (1943) and Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946), trading on an exotic persona whose origins she kept deliberately mysterious.

She claimed to have been born Burnu Acquanetta in Ozone, Wyoming, orphaned by Arapaho parents. Census-based research instead identifies her as Mildred Davenport, from a Pennsylvania family whose son Horace became the first African American judge in Montgomery County, and the Arapaho story is generally treated as a studio-era invention. She is included here for the identity she publicly claimed, with that dispute recorded in full.

• Born: 17 July 1921 (birth name and origins disputed — see profile)
• Died: 16 August 2004
• Known for: Captive Wild Woman (1943); Tarzan and the Leopard Woman (1946)
• Persona: Billed by Universal as “the Venezuelan Volcano”
• Heritage note: Claimed Arapaho birth; census records point to Mildred Davenport of Pennsylvania

Check also: Top 30 Most Beautiful 90s Actresses (Then and Now)

Final word

The through-line of these fifty careers is a shift in who holds the pen. The earliest names here worked inside an industry that cast Indigenous women as atmosphere; the newest write, direct and produce their own stories — and several, like Jennifer Podemski and DeLanna Studi, have built the institutions that train the next generation.

This list is reviewed and refreshed as careers develop. Where a fact could not be verified from a reliable source, it has been left out rather than repeated — that includes several heritage claims carried by older versions of this article.

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first Native American actress nominated for the Best Actress Oscar?

Lily Gladstone, for Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). She was also the first Native American to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for a leading film role.

Who voiced Disney’s Pocahontas?

Irene Bedard, an enrolled citizen of the Native Village of Koyuk. She provided the character’s speaking voice and served as her physical model in the 1995 film, returning for the 1998 sequel and a 2018 cameo.

Who stars in Prey, and what is her tribal background?

Amber Midthunder, a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, plays the Comanche hunter Naru. Prey (2022) made her the first Indigenous actor to headline a major franchise film.

What happened at the 1973 Academy Awards?

Sacheen Littlefeather declined Marlon Brando’s Best Actor Oscar on his behalf, protesting Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans and the standoff at Wounded Knee. The Academy formally apologised to her in 2022. After her death that year, her sisters disputed her claimed Apache and Yaqui heritage; both accounts are set out in her profile above.

Are all fifty women enrolled citizens of tribal nations?

No. The list mixes enrolled citizens, women of documented Indigenous descent, and performers whose claimed or listed affiliation could not be verified from reliable sources. Each profile states exactly what the sources support, and flags the cases — including Vanessa Williams, Raven-Symoné and Andrea Navedo — where no affiliation is documented.

Who plays Bernadette Manuelito in Dark Winds?

Jessica Matten, a Canadian Métis actor. Season three of Dark Winds premiered in March 2025 and moved Manuelito into a Border Patrol storyline.