Adam Beach
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Adam Ruebin Beach was born on November 11, 1972 in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada. He is a Canadian actor of Saulteaux descent.
Shortly afterward, Beach was cast as an extra in Lost in the Barrens, starring Graham Greene and Evan Adams. The next few years saw him playing the title role in Disney's family film Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994) and earning a Best Actor Award from First Americans in the Arts for his performance in the television film My Indian Summer (1995). He also frequently appeared on both Canadian and U.S. television, in shows such as Walker, Texas Ranger, Legend, Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years, Touched By an Angel, Dead Man's Gun, First Wave, The Rex, and Madison.
By 1998, Beach had a recognizable face and well-refined talent. He landed a starring role in Sherman Alexie's Smoke Signals (1998) after only his second reading. The film, which achieved international acclaim, earned both the Filmmaker's Trophy Award and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as re-teamed Beach with Lost in the Barrens star Evan Adams.
He went on to play a small role in the Russell Crowe vehicle Mystery, Alaska (1999), which basically required that he play his favorite sport, ice hockey, for three months. After starring in the thriller The Last Stop (2000), Beach showed off his comedic skills as David Spade's sidekick, Kicking Wing, in 2001's Joe Dirt. That same year, he played the romantic lead in Helen Lee's comedy The Art of Woo and appeared in the independent film Now & Forever.
Beach was living in Canada when producers asked him to fly to Los Angeles to audition for the lead part in John Woo's big-budget action film Windtalkers. Only days later, he was introduced to Woo and cast as Ben Yahzee, a Navajo codetalker charged with deciphering crucial U.S. military dispatches during World War II. The star-studded production includes Nicolas Cage, Mark Ruffalo, and Christian Slater, and required that Beach, who speaks Saulteaux, learn Navajo for the part. The hype surrounding the film influenced Beach to make the permanent move to Los Angeles.
Besides future plans to star in the film version of the comic book and video game Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and appear in a Leonard Peltier biopic, the actor hopes to go back to school and earn a degree in political science. He intends to act for two more decades and then to go into politics. Beach uses his present fame to visit Canadian schools and serve as an inspirational speaker to Native American children.
Beach was married Meredith Porter. Beach and Porter divorced in 2002. In July 2003, Beach married his second wife, Tara Mason
Credits by Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
Filmography
- Older Than America (2008)
- "Comanche Moon" (2007)
- "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (8 episodes, 2007)
- "Moose TV" (8 episodes, 2007)
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
- Luna: Spirit of the Whale (2007)
- Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
- Bottoms Up (2006)
- Johnny Tootall (2005)
- "JAG" (1 episode, 2004)
- A Thief of Time (2004)
- "Third Watch" (2 episodes, 2003-2004)
- Sawtooth (2004)
- "Everwood" (1 episode, 2003)
- Coyote Waits (2003)
- Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story (2003)
- The Big Empty (2003)
- Skinwalkers (2002)
- "The Dead Zone" (1 episode, 2002)
- Now & Forever (2002)
- Windtalkers (2002)
- "Bliss" (1 episode, 2002)
- Posers (2002)
- The Art of Woo (2001)
- Joe Dirt (2001)
- The Last Stop (2000)
- "Higher Ground" (1 episode, 2000)
- Harry's Case (2000)
- Little Boy Blues (1999)
- "First Wave" (1 episode, 1999)
- Mystery, Alaska (1999)
- My Brother (1999)
- Smoke Signals (1998)
- "Dead Man's Gun" (1 episode, 1997)
- "Madison" (3 episodes, 1997)
- Song of Hiawatha (1997)
- "Touched by an Angel" (1 episode, 1996)
- "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years" (1 episode, 1996)
- Coyote Summer (1996)
- "The Rez" (1996)
- "CBS Schoolbreak Special" (1 episode, 1995)
- "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1 episode, 1995)
- Dance Me Outside (1995)
- A Boy Called Hate (1995)
- "North of 60" (4 episodes, 1993-1995)
- Prey (1995)
- Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994)
- "Lonesome Dove: The Series" (1 episode, 1994)
- Spirit Rider (1993)
- Cadillac Girls (1993)
- Lost in the Barrens (1990)
