One employer asked him, Have you thought about taking elocution lessons? Others told him his film ideas which explored diversity in innovative ways - were a bit niche. I was 28 and at the end of my tether, he recalled. I was working a minimum wage job in a call centre, my life on hold, trying to break into TV. But the industry felt very Oxbridge and very white dominated by people with cut-glass BBC accents.
Born in June 1952 in Ohsweken, Ontario, on Canada's Six Nations Reserve, Greene worked as a draftsman, high steelworker, welder and carpenter before becoming an actor in the 1970s, beginning with the 1979 Canadian drama series The Great Detective and 1983 film Running Brave. He is best known for his landmark role as Kicking Bird in the 1990 film Dances with Wolves. Greene's 1991 Oscar nomination was one of 12 the movie earned.
"I had a vision and a dream decades ago of impacting the next generation. On day one, seeing the faces of these 21 apprentices brought me to tears because my dream has come true full circle."
"I was not reserved but there's a certain persona you may present when you're going into a space that isn't necessarily designed around you, but I never felt out of place."