Irene Bedard

Irene Bedard
Bedard at a pow wow in Livingston, Texas, June 2007.
Born	(1967-07-22) July 22, 1967 Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Notable work	Speaking voice of Princess Pocahontas in Disney's Pocahontas (1995), Suzy Song in Smoke Signals, Margaret in Into the West
Spouse(s)	Deni Wilson (1993–2012; divorced)
Children	Quinn Wilson

Irene Bedard (born July 22, 1967) is a Native American actress who has played many Native American characters in a variety of films. She is perhaps best known for her voice role as the title character in the 1995 animated film Pocahontas.

In 2012, she started "Sleeping Lady Films" and "Waking Giants Productions" with Canadian businessman Thom Denomme. The production companies, based out of Anchorage and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are dedicated to bringing stories that are both positive and inspirational from Indian Country to the world.

Early life and career

Bedard was born in Anchorage, Alaska, and is of Inupiat, Yupik, Inuit, Cree and Métis ancestry. Her first role was as Mary Crow Dog in the television production, Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, which depicted the 1970s standoff between police and Native Americans, many of the Pine Ridge Reservation, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. She is probably best known as the voice of the eponymous heroine in the Disney animated film Pocahontas and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Bedard was also the physical model for the character. She appeared in a different take of the story in Terence Malick's 2005 film The New World, as Pocahontas's mother, Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske. Bedard attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she studied Musical Theatre. In 2005, she was cast in the television mini-series Into the West, portraying the half-Lakota, half-white adult Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler.

Irene Bedard is known for bringing a powerful emotional presence to her characters. She was chosen in 1995 as one of People magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People'.^[1]

Personal life

Bedard was married to singer Deni Wilson in 1993. They had a son, Quinn Wilson. In November 2010, it was revealed that Bedard was being sexually and physically abused by Wilson throughout their marriage, taking her earnings and forbidding her to work in her career field, unless he specifically approved the project, as said by her niece Alia Davis. The couple eventually divorced in 2012.^[2]

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

• Irene Bedard Biography at who2.com
• Irene Bedard at the Internet Movie Database
• Irene Bedard at AllMovie