The voice behind a Disney icon and a history-making Golden Globe nominee
In short: Irene Bedard has become a defining presence in Native American cinema. From voicing a Disney heroine to making history as the first Native American woman nominated for a Golden Globe, her career spans diverse roles, from historical epics to modern television dramas and even music videos.
An Alaskan native from Anchorage, Bedard arrived on July 22, 1967, possessing Iñupiaq and Yup’ik ancestry through her mother and French and Cree roots via her father. She holds citizenship within Alaska's Native American Village of Koyuk. A major career highlight occurred in 1994, when her portrayal of Mary Crow Dog in Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Her father is of Canadian descent.
This achievement marked a historic first, as she became the inaugural Native American woman nominated for an acting award by the Golden Globes. Beyond historical dramas, Bedard is widely recognized for her vocal work, specifically as the voice of Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney animated film. After returning to that part in the 1998 sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, she appeared briefly in the 2018 movie Ralph Breaks the Internet. She also made a cameo in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Her versatility is evident in her filmography, which includes Terrence Malick's 2005 film The New World, where she portrayed Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske, the mother of Pocahontas. Her work has extended into television series like The Mist, Alaska Daily, and the Paramount+ miniseries The Stand, where she played Ray Brentner. Bedard has also been an active advocate for environmental causes, including hosting benefits for the Dine' People of Big Mountain in 1997. In 2022, she appeared in the Netflix series Avatar: The Last Airbender. She also had a role in the film How to Blow Up a Pipeline.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Irene Bedard
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