Eric Schweig
Born
Ray Dean Thrasher

(1967-06-19) 19 June 1967
OccupationActor/Artisan/Outreach Worker
Years active1985-present
Children2 foster children

Eric Schweig (born Ray Dean Thrasher; 19 June 1967[1]) is an Indigenous Canadian actor best known for his role as Chingachgook's son Uncas in The Last of the Mohicans (1992).

Early life

Schweig was born in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He is of mixed race (Inuvialuk, Chippewa-Dene and German).[2] He is the oldest of seven children, who were all adopted out as part of the Canadian government's failed attempt at forcing Inuit and First Nations children to assimilate into white society. Schweig's biological mother died of alcoholism in 1989. He never met her. "She didn’t drink a drop of alcohol until we were taken away," says Schweig. "We were part of the whole assimilation program—forcibly taken away, although my adoptive parents told me I wasn't."[3] Schweig was adopted at six months of age by an English-speaking German-French family.[4] He spent his childhood in Inuvik until he was six, when his family moved to Bermuda. They later moved back to Canada.

"I eventually grew tired of living in a prison without walls and ran away when I was 16. What transpired between then and now has been a roller coaster of alcohol, drugs, violence, failed relationships, despair and confusion. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where is my family? Where do I belong? When life's mystery has been shattered by strangers watching over you, a lot of these questions are lost."[5]

Schweig ran away to Toronto, Ontario, where he supported himself by framing houses. In 1985, he was part of the cast of The Cradle Will Fall, an experimental adaptation of Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening produced by Theatre of Change at the Actor's Lab; this was his first experience as an actor. In 1987, at twenty years old, he was approached by a producer who suggested he audition for a role in the movie called The Shaman's Source (1990). With little formal education or experience he won the role. The film launched his career in the film industry.

Career

Schweig's numerous screen credits (over thirty) include his portrayal of Uncas in the epic motion picture The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Pike Dexter in the movie Big Eden (2000), for which he won the Grand Jury Prize at the Outfest film festival. In 1992, he was cast as Black Thunder in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation mini-series By Way of the Stars. Among his period film credits since The Last of the Mohicans, Eric became the famous Mohawk leader Joseph Brant/Thayendanegea for TNT's telefilm The Broken Chain (1993), playing for the first time the main character in a movie (Schweig appeared with Wes Studi again for this motion picture). It was shot primarily in North Carolina. He starred in Disney's The Scarlet Letter and Tom and Huck with Amy Wright in 1995. In 1996 he appeared as a Comanche protagonist, Buffalo Hump, in the Larry McMurtry miniseries Dead Man's Walk. More recently, he played the lead role in films addressing more contemporary issues facing aboriginal and Native American people: Skins (2002), Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story (2003) and One Dead Indian (2006).

Personal life

During the 1990s, Schweig began carving masks as a natural extension of his artistic expression. Since his childhood, Eric found he was emotionally pre-disposed to carving small objects out of wood (figures, kayak, etc.). Under the tutelage of artist Vern Etzerza, he studied traditional Pacific Coast carving before directing his talent specifically towards custom and traditional Inuit Spirit Masks, in collaboration with master carver Art Thompson. His collection of masks are not only successful attempts to reconnect with his heritage and with Inuit art, but his carvings are also necessary labours of psychological resilience facing a traumatized childhood. As a disastrous consequence of this uprooting and abuse, Schweig struggled for many years with alcohol abuse. He has stated that Big Eden (2000) was the first movie in which he was entirely sober. His fame as an actor gives him the opportunity to share his life's experience in numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the United States of America. He is able to make large audiences aware of aboriginal issues, including adoption, the foster care system, addictions, and suicide. He currently resides in Vancouver BC working at Vancouver Native Health's "Positive Outlook" program where residents of the city's downtown eastside who are HIV positive can gain access to health care, hot meals, and social programming to maintain community connections.

In 2017, Eric adopted two foster siblings. When asked about the transition to fostering, Eric said, "I went from 30 years of bachelorhood to Mr. Mom overnight. Everything changed, I went from only having to consider myself for every decision to centering everything on my foster kids. It was a real 180". Eric now lives in Vancouver with his son and daughter.

Awards

  • 2000 - Grand Jury Award L.A. Outfest, Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film for Big Eden
  • 2008 - Honorary Doctorate of Education from Nipissing University
  • 2011 - Nomination for a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for his role as corrupt band Chief Andy Fraser in the TV series Blackstone.

Others

In 1993, he came in 5th on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1987The Shaman's SourceRobert Crow
1992By Way of the Stars (TV mini-series)Black Thunder
The Last of the MohicansUncas
1993For Love and Glory (TV)Moses Moon
The Broken Chain (TV)Joseph Brant / Thayendanegea
1994Due South (Pilot)Inuit Hunter
Squanto: A Warrior's TaleEpenow
Pontiac MoonErnest Ironplume
1995500 Nations (TV)(voice)
Follow the River (TV)Wildcat
The Scarlet LetterMetacomet
Tom and HuckInjun Joe
1996Red River (TV)Napoléon
Dead Man's Walk (TV)Buffalo Hump
2000Big EdenPike Dexter
2002SkinsRudy Yellow Lodge
2003 Mr. BarringtonSamuel
Cowboys and Indians: The John Joseph Harper Story (TV)Harry Wood
The MissingClub Foot El Brujo / Pesh-Chidin
2005 Into the WestSitting Bull
It WaitsJoseph Riverwind
Shania: A Life in Eight Albums (TV)Jerry Twain
2006 One Dead Indian (TV)Sam George
Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis (TV)Terry Doxtator
Not Like Everyone ElseTim Blackbear
Mr. SoulSteve Lonethunder
2007Bury My Heart at Wounded KneeGall
2009-2014Cashing In (TV series)Matthew Tommy
Kissed by LightningSolomon 'Bug' King
2009-2015BlackstoneChief Andy Fraser
2010A Flesh OfferingMishomis
Casino JackChief Poncho
2013MaïnaQuujuuq
LongmireDolan Lone Elk
2014ElementaryLeon MoodyS3 E6: Terra Pericolosa
2017SupernaturalSergeant Joe PhilipsSeason 13 Episode 6
2018The GrizzliesHarry Aviak
2020BarkskinsChief TehonikonhrakenSeason 1, Episodes 7 & 8
Brother, I CryDean
TBALittle BirdTV series

References

  1. Mike Antonucci, "An actor's odyssey: Drinking, homelessness preceded movie success", San Jose Mercury News, 25 September 2002
  2. "I get the peace I didn’t have as a kid by providing it to these kids"
  3. , "Urban NDN" January 2009
  4. Inuvik Drum
  5. "Adoption Speech" 19 February 1999, Vancouver Inner City Foster Care Conference, (Retrieved 11 October 2009)
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