Russell Means (1939-2012)

Means meant more to American history in general than he did to the history of the movies, but art allowed him to expand upon life by playing indisputable Native American heroes like Chingachgook in Michael Mann's ingeniously free adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans. In the novel, Chingachgook looks on as Hawkeye avenges the death of Uncas, Chingachgook's son. Rarely has a deviation from a literary original seemed more justified than Mann's, and Means's authoritative authenticity definitely helps legitimize the choice. Here's the scene climaxing with Means's fight with Wes Studi, here playing one of recent cinema's greatest villains, as clipped and uploaded to YouTube by admiralfeng.