Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means is a Native American activist, actor, boxer, comedian and entrepreneur of Oglala Lakota, Omaha, Yankton Dakota and Dine descent. He is best known for his roles in Saints & Strangers and Tiger Eyes. If you want to know more about him read this article.
Tatanka Biography
He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on February 19, 1985. Means’ first screen role was in 2004 playing lead stunt double in the film Black Cloud ,which was shot in the same gym where he had previously trained as a boxer. He has since had major roles in several films and TV series. In the miniseries Into the West (2005) he played Crazy Horse.
In More Than Frybread (2012), he played Buddy Begay, a “hip-hop Navajo fry-bread rock star” who sells fry-bread from a truck on the reservation. A reviewer who described it as the “showiest part” in the film said, “Means .. overdoes it a little … but that’s part of Buddy’s personality.
In Tiger Eyes (2012), based on the novel by Judy Blume, he played Wolf Ortiz,a Native American boy who shows the main character his ancestral lands and introduces her to his culture. Critics have applauded Means’ casting and performance in Tiger Eyes. One described him as “quietly affecting”; another said that he “could have come off as a holy-native cliche, but instead seems entirely real”; and another wrote that he was “superbly cast … [with] a voice that can quickly disarm and charm a newcomer … it’s clear that we’re seeing something almost never seen in a contemporary feature film, which is an utterly authentic representation of a New Mexican.”
Another review said he is “New Mexican down to his body language and the expression in his eyes .. a thrill to behold on screen.Other major roles include Hobbamock, an elite Pokanoket warrior, in Saints & Strangers (2015), Delvin in Neither Wolf Nor Dog (2016), and Charges the Enemy in The Son.
Means has also appeared in The Burrowers (2008) as ‘Tall Ute’, Sedona (2011) as Chuck, The Host (2013), Banshee (2014) as ‘Hoyt Rivers’ Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), The Night Shift (2014-2015),Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015),and Graves (2016).In 2019, he appears in Once Upon a River as Bernard Crane, in Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher as Rising Wolf, and in The Dust Monologues as The Jackrabbit.
Also in 2019, he is cast in a film version of Alex Kershaw’s book The Liberator, as Private Thomas Otaktay, a Lakota soldier fighting with the 157th Field Artillery Regiment during World War II.Means takes pride in portraying Native men as modern, complex people rather than the racist or stereotypical characters sometimes found in Hollywood films
Tatanka’s Wife
He is married to wife Christine Begay. Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means is the short form of her entire name, which is Tatanka Wanbli Sapa Xila Sabe Means.
She is a yoga teacher, an actress, and a supporter of sobriety. She was born in South Dakota, and in 2021, she will turn 35.
Tatanka has been involved in the film industry as well as social media for many years. Tatanka Means is of ordinary height and weight.
Tatanka’s Movies
- The Son,2017
- Saints & Strangers,2015
- Banshee,2014
- Scoundrels,2010
- Into the West,2005
- Sedona
- More Than Frybread
- Tiger Eyes
- A Million Ways to Die in the West
- The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
- Burning Bodhi
- Shangri-La Suite
- Neither Wolf Nor Dog
- Once Upon a River
- The Host
Tatanka’s Net Worth
The amount is speculated to be between $1 million and $5 million, however we are unable to provide specific details regarding his pay or earnings.
His clothing business, Tatanka Clothing, is a cultural marvel of her native people and he is best recognized for his work as an actor and comedian.
He wed the sobriety champion and yoga instructor Christine Begay Means, but neither of them have made their identities public.
In 2009, he made his acting debut in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. His most well-known role is that of Embry Call in the hit movie “Tiger Eyes.” he is a rising celebrity in the entertainment sector.
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