Iconic actor Graham Greene, who seemingly made every movie or TV show better simply by agreeing to be in it, has moved on to the next life. The 73-year-old First Nations actor died Monday, according to Deadline, after a long illness.

"I was just thinking that of all the trails in this life, there are some that matter most. It is the trail of a true human being," Greene said as Kicking Bird in 1990's Dances With Wolves. "I think you are on this trail, and it is good to see.

For decades, Greene was the primary actor cast when a major production needed a well-respected Native American or First Nations leader. He did that (well, I might add) in Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves, Robert De Niro's Thunderheart, and more recently in Marvel Studios' Echo, Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone prequel, 1883, and then in Sylvester Stallone's Tulsa King. 

Although best known for his more serious roles, it was Greene's comedic side that endeared me most to his performances. That is both in the aforementioned serious roles mentioned previously, but also in more straight-up comedic parts such as Leonard Quinhagak in Northern Exposure, Maximus in Reservation Dogs, and the mid-'90s kids show, The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon as Mr. Crabby Tree.

"I inject a lot of humor into what I do," Greene told CineMovie in 2021. "Through the years, I've played a lot of different roles. I've played the ghost of a black tranvestite who jumped out of a window in their underwear, wearing high heels. I've played judges. I've played God twice. I've played doctors, lawyers, I've played more police officers than I can think of."

"Some people don't get my style of humor. Others do," says Greene. "But I always inject humor."

Graham, a dedicated actor to the end, has filmed parts in the upcoming road trip comedy Northbound, the foster care drama A Life Connected, the crime movie Ice Fall starring Joel Kinnaman, and the survival drama Afterwards.

Our sincere condolences go out to his wife, daughter, and grandson as they deal with his departure and hopefuly find some solace - and maybe some humor - in the memories they made together.