Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon, born on October 24, 1966, in Denver, Colorado, is a Native American actor of Hunkpapa Lakota and Irish descent.
Raised in a culturally rich environment, McClarnon’s childhood was shaped by frequent moves across states like Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming due to his father’s work with the National Park Service at Glacier National Park.
His mother, a Hunkpapa Lakota, grew up on the Standing Rock Reservation, and McClarnon often visited the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, staying with his maternal grandparents.
McClarnon’s early life was not without challenges; he struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol, a trait he attributes to familial patterns, but achieved sobriety in 2000 after surviving a heart attack at age 33.
Siblings
Zahn has a fraternal twin brother named Zane.
Born alongside Zahn in 1966, details about Zane remains largely undisclosed, respecting the family’s preference for privacy.
Career
McClarnon’s journey began with a role in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Chanticleer Theater in Council Bluffs, Iowa, igniting a lifelong passion for performance.
After connecting with Omaha casting director John Jackson, McClarnon gained local roles before relocating to Los Angeles in the early 1990s to pursue film and television.
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Early credits included minor parts in shows like Baywatch and NYPD Blue, but his career gained traction with roles in films such as Skins (2002), Bone Tomahawk (2015), and Doctor Sleep (2019).
His breakthrough came in 2015 as Hanzee Dent in the second season of Fargo, earning critical acclaim for his nuanced portrayal of a complex Native American character.
This role opened doors to recurring parts in Longmire (2012–2017) as Officer Mathias, Westworld (2018) as Akecheta, and The Son (2017–2019), where he learned the Comanche language for authenticity.
Since 2022, McClarnon has starred as Joe Leaphorn in Dark Winds, also serving as an executive producer, a milestone in his advocacy for authentic Native American representation.
Other notable projects include Reservation Dogs (2021–2023), Hawkeye (2021), Echo (2024), and voicing Olrox in Castlevania: Nocturne (2023–present).
Accolades
In 1996, McClarnon won two FAITA (First Americans in the Arts) Awards for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series, recognizing his early television work.
In 2006, he received another FAITA Award for Outstanding Actor Performance in a TV Movie/Special for his role in the miniseries Into the West, as well as a Bronze Wrangler Award for Television Feature Film for the same project.
His performance in the 2012 miniseries The Red Road earned him a Red Nation Film Award of Excellence for Outstanding Supporting Actor.
In 2015, McClarnon won the American Indian Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor, further cementing his reputation.
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