| Rod Rondeaux | |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Actor, stuntman |
Rod Rondeaux is a Native American actor and stuntman. As an actor, his work includes the 2005 miniseries Into the West, Comanche Moon in 2008, the Cayuse character in the 2010 Kelly Reichardt film Meek's Cutoff (in which he co-starred with Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Will Patton, Paul Dano, and Michelle Williams), and the lead role in the 2015 film, Mekko. His stunt work includes Reel Injun and Comanche Moon.
Rondeaux is a citizen of the Crow Tribe and is also of Cheyenne descent.[1] He grew up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.[2] [3] For years, Rondeaux was on the rodeo circuit as a horse rider, bull rider, steer wrestler and team roper. His entry into film stunt work was accidental. He was asked to be the double for actor Michael Greyeyes in the film Crazy Horse.
In 2001, he received the outstanding achievement in stunts award from the First Americans in the Arts.[4]
Rondeaux won two awards for his role in the 2015 film, Mekko. He won the best actor award at the 40th Annual American Indian Film Festival and at the 2015 Red Nation Film Festival.[5]
Rondeaux's earliest role was as Tall Bull in the 1996 film Crazy Horse, which was directed by John Irvin.[6] [7] For his role in Meek's Cutoff, as a mysterious and suddenly appearing Native American who joins a lost wagon train on the Oregon Trail, the language he spoke was his own native tongue.[8] [9]
Rondeaux had his first lead role in the 2015 film, ''Mekko. He played a man who served 19 years incarcerated for murder. Upon his release he discovers his family doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. He has to come to terms with his current situation.[10] In addition, he also has to deal with a violent man (played by Zahn McClarnon).[11] Director Sterlin Harjo actually cast Rondeaux the night before the shooting began. Having talked to the actor a couple of times, Harjo had a good feeling about him. With Rondeaux's background as a rodeo bull rider and Hollywood stuntman, he felt he had the right life experience for the role.[12] Film critic Dennis Harvey of Variety complimented Rod Rondeaux's "soulful performance", and made comparisons the film to two classic films set on skid row, On the Bowery (1956) and The Exiles (1961).[13]
Rondeaux played Raymond in Babak Jalali's 2018 film, Land.[14] Also in 2018, he was in Susanna White's Woman Walks Ahead.[15]
| Title | Episode # | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Into the West | "Hell on Wheels" | Roman Nose | Michael W. Watkins | 2005 | |
| Comanche Moon | Episode #1.1 | Slow Tree | Simon Wincer | 2008 | |
| Comanche Moon | Episode #1.2 | Slow Tree | Simon Wincer | 2008 | |
| Tyrant | "The Other Brother" | Uthal | Kari Skogland | 2015 | |
| The English | "Path of the Dead" | Trooper Charlie White | Hugo Blick | 2022 | |
| Title | Role | Director | Year | Notes # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Horse | Tall Bull | John Irvin | 1996 | made for television |
| The Missing | Hudlao / 'The One Who Laughs' | Ron Howard | 2003 | |
| Meek's Cutoff | The Indian | Kelly Reichardt | 2010 | |
| Mekko | Mekko | Sterlin Harjo | 2015 | |
| Hostiles | Derby | Scott Cooper | 2017 | |
| Woman Walks Ahead | Indian Robber | Susanna White | 2017 | |
| Land | Raymond Yellow Eagle | Babak Jalali | 2018 | |
| The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | Sioux Chief | Ethan Coen Joel Coen | 2018 | segment "The Gal Who Got Rattled" |