APTN National News
Metis actor August Schellenberg has died. Schellenberg was born in Montreal in 1936 to a Swiss German father and Mohawk mother. The actor started his career with the National Theatre School in Toronto and went on to star in scores of theatrical productions across the country including both the Shaw and Stratford festivals.
Schellenberg’s movie career also spanned 4 decades with his first film, Rip Off, premiering in 1971. He went on to perform in more than a dozen movies working alongside Kevin Spacey, Charles Bronson, Adam Beach Colin Farrell and Christian Bale.
The 77 year old grandfather also starred in the 1991 move The Black Robe with Tantoo Cardinal.
The flags at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre are flying at half mast. Schellenberg was one of the performers in the NAC’s first theatrical production in 1969. According to a release from the NAC, Schellenberg had dreamed of an all aboriginal cast of King Lear long before the NAC opened it’s doors. In 2012, that dream became a reality when Schellenberg starred in that role surrounded by First Nations, Metis and Inuit actors.
The busy actor also starred in dozens of television shows including Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee where he was nominated for an Emmy award for his portrayal of Sitting Bull.
Schellenberg lived in Dallas, Texas with his wife. He died in a Dallas hospital of cancer.
