1. Gordon Tootoosis, was a First Nations actor of Cree and Stoney descent.
19 Facts About Gordon Tootoosis
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Gordon Tootoosis was acclaimed for his commitment to preserving his culture and to telling his people's stories.
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Gordon Tootoosis offered encouragement, support and training to aspiring Aboriginal actors.
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Gordon Tootoosis served as a leading Cree activist both as a social worker and as a band chief.
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In Open Season and Boog and Elliot's Midnight Bun Run, Gordon Tootoosis was the voice of Sheriff Gordy.
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Gordon Tootoosis was awarded membership in the Order of Canada on October 29,2004.
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Gordon Tootoosis's citation recognizes him as an inspirational role model for Aboriginal youth.
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Gordon Tootoosis's first acting role was in the film Alien Thunder, alongside Chief Dan George and Donald Sutherland.
9.
Gordon Tootoosis portrayed Albert Golo in 52 episodes of North of 60 in the 1990s.
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Gordon Tootoosis is best known to British audiences for playing the Native American Joe Saugus, who negotiates the purchase of the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet series 3.
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Gordon Tootoosis appeared in the CBC Television mini-series By Way of the Stars with Eric Schweig as Black Thunder and Tantoo Cardinal as Franoise.
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Gordon Tootoosis appeared in the award-winning movie Legends of the Fall, and starred with Russell Means in Disney's Pocahontas and Song of Hiawatha.
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Gordon Tootoosis won a Gemini Award for his work on the animated show Wapos Bay: The Series and was nominated twice for his work on North of 60.
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Gordon Tootoosis was raised with his 13 siblings in the Plains Cree tradition until he was forced from his home; taking indigenous children away from their communities and into residential schools was Canadian government policy at the time.
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Gordon Tootoosis was placed in a Catholic residential school, where he was treated harshly and forbidden to speak his own language.
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Gordon Tootoosis's father John Tootoosis was an activist for aboriginal rights, which got young Gordon into trouble at school.
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Gordon Tootoosis's father was one of the founders of the National Indian Brotherhood and former head of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
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Gordon Tootoosis himself served as the chief of his band and as a vice-president of FSIN.
19.
Gordon Tootoosis died on July 5,2011, aged 69, after being hospitalized for pneumonia at St Paul's Hospital in Saskatoon.