Members of the Native American Saulteaux Tribe, he and his brothers grew up on the Dog Creek Reservation until their parents died when he was 8.
Made his small-screen debut in the 1990 made-for-TV movie Lost in the Barrens.
Won the Best Actor award at the American Indian Film Festival for his turn in the 1994 drama Dance Me Outside, a portrait of Native American teens living on a reservation.
Learned Navajo for his role as Ben Yahzee in John Woo's World War II drama Windtalkers (2002), the story of marines assigned to protect Navajo radiomen.