Gary Farmer: Living Life on Screen for 50 Years

Gary Farmer: Living Life on Screen for 50 Years

From Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine by Minnesota Native News

March 12, 2026 · 29 min · Season 3 · Episode 174

About this episode

Gary Farmer discusses his 50-year career in film and music, emphasizing Indigenous representation and personal motivation.

Today, we're excited to be joined by one of the most recognizable faces in Indigenous film. Gary Farmer is from the Cayuga Nation and has a long career in movies and TV, and he's a musician, performing with his group Gary Farmer & The Troublemakers. Among his screen credits are Smoke Signals , Dead Man , Powwow Highway and, of course, more recently, he played Uncle Brownie in Reservation Dogs . He's also a storyteller and a force for pushing for authentic Indigenous representation. So he joined us to talk about what's going on in his life, his music, his acting career and how they connect with his gifts and purpose in life. Gary grew up in theater and has made a 50-year career on the big and small screen, most notabaly in Reservation Dogs . He's still working and taking on roles. He talks about what keeps him motivated and how his work as a gigging musician with Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers keeps him in shape for his acting day job. He currently lives in Santa Fe. ----- Hosts / Producers: Leah Lemm, Cole Premo Editor: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Photo credit: Cara Romero Photography ----- For the latest episode…

People in this episode

Hosts: Leah Lemm, Cole Premo

Guest: Gary Farmer

Topics covered

  • Indigenous film
  • storytelling
  • music
  • acting career
  • representation
  • personal journey

Keywords

  • Gary Farmer
  • Indigenous film
  • Reservation Dogs
  • Cayuga Nation
  • musician
  • storytelling
  • acting career
  • authentic representation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cayuga Nation

Books & works: Smoke Signals, Dead Man, Powwow Highway, Reservation Dogs

Places: Santa Fe

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