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August Schellenberg

August Schellenberg brought a grounded authority to film, television and the stage, building a career that could move from intimate drama to family adventure without losing its sense of weight. Born in Montreal on July 25, 1936, he was of English, Mohawk and Swiss-German descent. He trained at the National Theatre School of Canada from 1963 to 1966 before beginning his screen work in Don Shebib’s 1971 coming-of-age film Rip-Off. Schellenberg became especially familiar through a run of substantial roles in the 1990s. He played Chomina in Black Robe, a performance that earned him a Genie Award, and Randolph Johnson in Free Willy and its sequels. The same decade brought Iron Will, True Heart and the television film Crazy Horse, in which he portrayed Sitting Bull. Schellenberg called Sitting Bull his favorite role, and he later returned to the character in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, receiving an Emmy nomination for his performance. His later work continued to draw on his ability to give historical figures and community elders a strong, measured presence. He starred as Pete Chasing Horse in Dreamkeeper, played Chief Powhatan in Terrence Malick’s The New World and appeared in Disney’s Eight Below. In 2011, he joined Stargate Universe for two episodes as Yaozu. The stage remained an important part of Schellenberg’s work. In 2012, he took the title role in an all-Indigenous production of King Lear at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. He was also an acting teacher, leading seminars at Toronto’s Centre for Indigenous Theatre and York University, as well as motivational workshops for schools and cultural and community organizations across North America. Across those different settings, Schellenberg’s career joined performance with teaching, carrying his experience beyond the screen and into the wider acting community.