Actor. He is probably best remembered for his role as whale trainer 'Randolph Johnson' in the "Free Willy" films, beginning with "Free Willy" (1993), "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (1995), and "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" (1997). He was born August Werner Schellenberg of Mohawk and Swiss-German ancestry and lived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada until he moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1995. He received his theatrical training at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. His film credits other than "Free Willy" include "Rip-Off" (1971), a voice role the animated film "Heavy Metal" (1981), "Black Robe" (1991, as 'Chomina'), "Iron Will' (1994, as 'Ned Dodd'), the television film "Crazy Horse" (1996, as 'Sitting Bull'), "True Heart" (1997, as 'Khonanesta'), "The New World" (2005, as 'Chief Powhatan, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie), and the film version of Dee Brown's bestseller "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' (2007, as 'Sitting Bull'). He also had roles in Walt Disney's "Eight Below" (2006) and the documentary within the film "The Green Chain" (2007). In 2011, he appeared in two episodes of the television series "Stargate Universe" as 'Yaozu'. He taught acting seminars at Toronto's Centre for Indigenous Theatre and York University. He was nominated for two Gemini Awards and three Genie Awards, winning one Genie Award for his performance in "Black Robe." In 2012 he performed the title role in an all-aboriginal production of William Shakespeare's "King Lear" at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He relocated to Dallas, Texas with his wife, actress Joan Karasevich and died there, at the age of 77.
Actor. He is probably best remembered for his role as whale trainer 'Randolph Johnson' in the "Free Willy" films, beginning with "Free Willy" (1993), "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home" (1995), and "Free Willy 3: The Rescue" (1997). He was born August Werner Schellenberg of Mohawk and Swiss-German ancestry and lived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada until he moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1995. He received his theatrical training at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. His film credits other than "Free Willy" include "Rip-Off" (1971), a voice role the animated film "Heavy Metal" (1981), "Black Robe" (1991, as 'Chomina'), "Iron Will' (1994, as 'Ned Dodd'), the television film "Crazy Horse" (1996, as 'Sitting Bull'), "True Heart" (1997, as 'Khonanesta'), "The New World" (2005, as 'Chief Powhatan, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie), and the film version of Dee Brown's bestseller "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' (2007, as 'Sitting Bull'). He also had roles in Walt Disney's "Eight Below" (2006) and the documentary within the film "The Green Chain" (2007). In 2011, he appeared in two episodes of the television series "Stargate Universe" as 'Yaozu'. He taught acting seminars at Toronto's Centre for Indigenous Theatre and York University. He was nominated for two Gemini Awards and three Genie Awards, winning one Genie Award for his performance in "Black Robe." In 2012 he performed the title role in an all-aboriginal production of William Shakespeare's "King Lear" at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He relocated to Dallas, Texas with his wife, actress Joan Karasevich and died there, at the age of 77.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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