CARDINAL, Tantoo 1950(?)–
(Tantoo Martin, Tantoo Martin–Cardinal)

PERSONAL

Born July 20, 1950 (some sources cite 1951), in Anzac (near Fort McMurray), Alberta, Canada; daughter of Julia Cardinal; married Fred Martin (a lawyer and native rights activist), 1968 (divorced, 1976); married John Lawlor (an actor), January 14, 1988 (separated); children: (first marriage) Eric and Bryan (stepsons), Elizabeth and Annie (stepdaughters), Cheyenne (son); (with actor Beaver Richards) Clifford; (second marriage) Riel, Annie. Education: Attended Bonnie Doon High School.

Career: Actress. United Native Youth (Alberta), president, 1970–71.

Awards, Honors: Best Actress Award, American Indian Film Festival, 1986, Genie Award nomination, best actress, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, 1987, People's Choice Award, Toronto Film Festival, and best actress awards from Tairo International Film Festival and Harare International Film Festival, all for Loyalties; award from Alberta motion picture industry, 1987; Elizabeth Sterling Award, best actress, 1990, for All My Relations; Eagle Spirit Award, 1990; Totem Award, First Americans in the Arts, 1993, for Widows; honorary D.F.A., University of Rochester, 1993; Best Actress Award, American Indian Film Festival, 1993, and Rudy Martin Award, outstanding achievement by a Native American in film, 1994, both for Where the Rivers Flow North; Sir Peter Ustinov Award, Banff Television Festival, 1995; award for lasting contribution to the arts, International Women in Film, 1995; Gemini Award, best performance by an actress in a guest role in a drama series, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, 1996, and Gemini Award nominations in the same category, 1997, 1998, all for North of 60; First Americans in the Arts Award, outstanding supporting actress in a television movie or special, 2001, for Navigating the Heart; awarded eagle feather head-dress, Pincher Creek International Aboriginal Film Festival; Outstanding Achievement Award, Toronto Women in Film and Television; named in honor roll, actress of the year, Maclean's.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

He Comes without Calling, 1975.

(As Tantoo Martin) Indian woman, Death Hunt, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1981.

New Day—New Horizon, 1982.

(As Tantoo Martin) Caroline, Running Brave, Buena Vista, 1983.

Annie, Candy Mountain, Metropolis, 1987.

Sonny's mother, War Party, 1988.

Molly Brant, Divided Loyalties, 1989.

Black Shawl, Dances with Wolves, Orion, 1990.

Chomina's wife, Black Robe (also known as Robe noire ), Samuel Goldwyn, 1991.

Sister Amantha, Mustard Bath, [Canada], 1993.

Pet, Legends of the Fall, TriStar, 1994.

Title role, Silent Tongue (also known as Le gardien des esprits ), Trimark Pictures, 1994.

Dawn Rainfeather, Sioux City (also known as Ultimate Revenge ), IRS Releasing, 1994.

Bangor, Where the Rivers Flow North, Caledonia Pictures, 1994.

Dolores, Silence, 1997.

Granma, The Education of Little Tree, Paramount, 1997.

Arlene Joseph, Smoke Signals (also known as Le secret des cendres ), Miramax, 1998.

A Stranger in the Kingdom, Kingdom Come Pictures, 1998.

In Jest, 1999.

Singing Bird, The Hi–Line, Panorama Entertainment, 1999.

Reenie, Postmark Paradise, Outrider Pictures, 2000.

Claire/Mattie, Blood River (short film), 2000.

Ruth, A Wilderness Station (also known as Edge of Madness and Station sauvage ), Lions Gate Films, 2002.

Disappearances, Kingdom County Productions, 2002.

Also appeared in the documentaries Before Columbus and Native Indians: Images of Reality.

Film Director:

Stories from the Seventh Fire (short film), 1999.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Father Lacombe, CBC (Canada), 1971.

(As Tantoo Martin) Tantou, Indian princess, Marie–Anne (also known as Marie Ann ), 1979.

Rosanne Ladouceur, Loyalties (also known as Double allegeance ), CBC, 1986.

Little Doe, Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge, CBS, 1987.

Dr. Vivian Dominguez, Lightning Field (also known as The Lightning Incident ), USA Network, 1991.

Emily Moore, Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, TNT, 1994.

Marilyn St. Claire, "Spirit Rider," WonderWorks Family Movie, PBS, 1994.

Turtle Mother, Tecumseh: The Last Warrior, TNT, 1995.

Nellie, Grand Avenue, HBO, 1996.

Violet Boucher, Heartwood, The Family Channel, 1998.

Mary, Navigating the Heart, Lifetime, 2000.

Aunt Mary, "The Lost Child," Hallmark Hall of Fame, CBS, 2000.

Dodson's Journey, CBS, 2001.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Francoise, By Way of the Stars (also known as Der Lange Weg des Lukas B. ), CBC (Canada), 1992–1993, The Disney Channel, 1994.

Voice, The West, PBS, 1996.

Voice, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, PBS, 1997.

Running Second, Big Bear, syndicated, 1998.

Old Pawnee woman, DreamKeeper, ABC, 2003.

Television Appearances; Specials:

(As Tantoo Martin–Cardinal) Rose Lesperance, Places Not Our Own (also known as Daughters of the Country: Places Not Our Own and Histoire sans fin ), 1988.

Sarah Winnemucca, Nobody's Girls (also known as Nobody's Girls: Five Women of the West ), PBS, 1994.

Voice, 500 Nations, CBS, 1995.

Narrator, In the Light of Reverence, PBS, 2001.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Renee Stonehouse, "Breach of Trust," Street Legal, CBxC (Canada), 1992.

Renee Stonehouse, "November," Street Legal, CBC, 1992.

Helena, "Auggie's End," Harts of the West, 1993.

Gabe LaRoche's mother, "Bounty," Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years, syndicated, 1996.

"Salty Cheever," Cold Squad, CTV (Canada), 1998.

Mrs. Grant, "Americans," Family Law, CBS, 2001.

Walloha, "Red Wolf's Daughter," MythQuest, 2001.

Judge Crowfoot, "Royalty," Tom Stone, CBC, 2002.

Also appeared as Maria Brant, "Miles to Go," The Campbells.

Television Appearances; Series:

Host, As Long As the Rivers Flow (documentary), Canadian Public Television, 1991.

Snow Bird, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, CBS, 1993–1995.

Betty Moses, North of 60, CBC (Canada), beginning 1993.

Appeared as Annie in the series Spirit Bay, CBC.

Television Appearances; Other:

Virgil White Wolf, The Last Best Place (pilot), CBS, 1996.

Irene Musket, A Thief of Time, 2003.

Stage Appearances:

Title role, Jessica, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 1982, then Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1986.

The Young Poundmaker, Saskatoon, 1985.

Kookom, All My Relations, 1990.

Katerina, Widows, 1993.

RECORDINGS

Audio Books:

Reader, Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio, 1995.

WRITINGS

Author of five short radio plays for Alberta school broadcasts, 1978–1979.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Native North American Almanac, Gale, 1994.

Notable Native Americans, Gale, 1995.

Periodicals:

Maclean's, October 20, 1986, pp. 63–64; December 30, 1991, p. 42.