Irene Bedard

Biography

Irene Bedard, born on July 22, 1967, in Anchorage, Alaska, is an American actress recognized for her roles portraying Native American characters. Of Inupiat, Inuit, and Métis descent, Bedard gained prominence with her performance as Mary Crow Dog in the television film Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee. She is widely celebrated for voicing the title character in Disney's Pocahontas and its sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, for which she also served as the physical model. In the 2005 film The New World, she portrayed Pocahontas' mother, Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske. Bedard's other notable work includes her role as Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler in the mini-series Into the West. A graduate of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, she is noted for her emotional depth in performances and was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1995.