Lily Gladstone
American actress (born 1986)
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Lily Catherine Gladstone (born August 2, 1986) is an American actress. Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, Gladstone is of Piegan Blackfeet, Nez Perce, and European heritage. She[a] earned critical acclaim for portraying Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who survived the Osage Indian murders, in Martin Scorsese's crime drama film Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), receiving several accolades; she became the first Native American to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[4][5][6]
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Lily Gladstone | |
|---|---|
Gladstone in 2024 | |
| Born | August 2, 1986 Kalispell, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | University of Montana (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Relatives | Red Crow (great-great grandfather) |
| Awards | Full list |
Gladstone made her feature film debut in Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian (2012), and collaborated with filmmaker Kelly Reichardt on the independent films Certain Women (2016) and First Cow (2019).[7] She also appeared in the television series Room 104 (2017–2020), Billions (2016–2023), and Reservation Dogs (2022–2023). Her performance in the crime drama miniseries Under the Bridge (2024) earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Early life and education
Gladstone was born on August 2, 1986, in Kalispell, Montana.[8][9] Raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning, Montana,[10] she is of Piegan Blackfeet (Siksikaitsitapi) and Nez Perce (Nimíipuu) ancestry on her father's side,[4][11] and European and Cajun heritage on her mother's side.[12][13][14] She is descended from the first cousin of British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.[15][16] One of her paternal great-great-grandfathers was Kainai Nation chief Red Crow.[17]
Gladstone's desire to portray an Ewok after watching Return of the Jedi at the age of five inspired her to become an actress.[18][19][20] One of her first acting experiences as a child was when Missoula Children's Theatre came to her East Glacier, Montana, hometown and cast her as an evil step-sister in Cinderella.[21] Gladstone's family moved to the Seattle area during her middle school years[22] to be closer to her grandmother. There she enrolled in Stone Soup Theatre, a nonprofit educational theatre company for Seattle youth, starring in student films and theses.[23]
In 2004 she graduated from Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.[22] In 2008 she graduated from the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting/Directing and a Native American Studies minor. At the University of Montana, she became interested in Theatre of the Oppressed.[24] At UM, she performed in Riders to the Sea (2006), Richard III (2006), Miss Julie (2007) and Coyote on a Fence (2008). Upon graduating, she taught acting classes and workshops in her Native community. She taught an image theatre acting method she called a "sculpture garden" as violence prevention sponsored by the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.[24] In 2010, she performed in The Frybread Queen, a co-production by Native Voices at the Autry, the UM School of Theatre and Dance and the Montana Repertory Theatre.[25]
Career
Gladstone began her career in independent film, gaining early critical recognition for her role in Kelly Reichardt's Certain Women (2016), which earned her the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress.[26] Her 2022 film The Unknown Country, which she co-wrote with director Morrisa Maltz, earned her the Gotham Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.[26] Her role as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) brought her international recognition and nominations across major industry awards bodies.[27][28] She has also appeared in television, including Reservation Dogs and Under the Bridge, the latter earning her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series.[27]
Early work and breakthrough (2012–2022)
Gladstone made her film debut in Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian (2012). She then acted in Winter in the Blood (2012) and Buster's Mal Heart (2016) before making her career breakthrough as Jamie, a rancher, in Kelly Reichardt's film Certain Women (2016). The role earned Gladstone the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress.[29][30] She also received nominations for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor.[31][32]
Gladstone performed the role of Kate Keller in the 2014 Montana Repertory Theatre's national touring production of The Miracle Worker. Gladstone was in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival acting company in 2017 and starred in the Yale Repertory Theatre production of Mary Kathryn Nagle's Manahatta in 2020.[33] In 2017, Gladstone hosted a series on the educational YouTube channel Crash Course about film production.[34] Gladstone had a small role in Reichardt's 2019 film First Cow[7] before starring in the 2022 film The Unknown Country, directed by Morrisa Maltz, for which she received the Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.[35]
Career progression (2023–present)
Gladstone was cast in the lead role of Mollie Kyle in Martin Scorsese's 2023 feature film Killers of the Flower Moon, which was released theatrically in October 2023.[36][37] Her performance received critical acclaim and was described as a highlight of the film.[38][39][40] Critic Josh Spiegel of /Film said that she "brought [Mollie] to life with incredible passion".[41] In January 2024, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama; she was the first Indigenous (Native American) person to win an acting Golden Globe.[5][42] She also became the first Native American nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[4][5][6] In February 2024, she became the first Indigenous actor to win the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.[43]
Earlier in 2023, Gladstone starred in Fancy Dance which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and was distributed worldwide by Apple TV+.[44][45] In 2024, Gladstone starred in the crime drama miniseries Under the Bridge, about the murder of Reena Virk.[46] Her performance earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.[47]
Gladstone also costarred in Jazzy, written and directed by Maltz.[48] Gladstone appeared in The Wedding Banquet, which began filming in May 2024.[49] Also in May, Gladstone served as a member of the jury for the main competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.[50][51] In June 2024, Gladstone was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[52] In October 2024, it was announced that Gladstone would join Sharon Stone in the upcoming comedy film, In Memoriam.[53]
Gladstone is a signatory of the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge that was published in September 2025.[54]
Acting style and critical reception
Critics have described Gladstone's performances as understated and emotionally restrained. Rather than relying on dramatic expression, her performances often emphasize stillness and quiet intensity.[26] This approach has been noted across multiple projects, with reviewers highlighting her ability to convey complex emotion through minimal dialogue and subtle physical choices.[26] Director Martin Scorsese, who first noticed Gladstone in Certain Women, described her as one of very few actors who trust in stillness and quiet, adding that she demonstrates a complete command of her craft that he described as rare.[55] IndieWire noted that her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon earned her the publication's annual Performance Award, describing her as an actress who consistently centers the perspectives of the communities whose stories she tells.[27]
Impact and representation
Gladstone has received recognition for her contributions to Indigenous representation in mainstream film. Her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon drew attention to Native actors in leading roles and prompted broader discussion about inclusion in the film industry.[27] She became the first Native American woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the first Indigenous recipient of the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama.[27][56] Film historian Monica Roxanne Sandler of Emory University described Gladstone as an unusual example of a Native American actress cast in a strong Native American role, and noted that it remained to be seen whether her recognition would lead to broader opportunities for Indigenous performers or prove to be an isolated case.[27] According to research from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Native Americans account for less than one quarter of one percent of speaking roles in top-grossing films, despite comprising nearly three percent of the U.S. population.[27][56]
At the 81st Golden Globe Awards in January 2024, Gladstone opened her acceptance speech in the Blackfeet language, marking the first time the language had been spoken at the ceremony, according to Golden Globes Executive Vice President Tim Gray.[28] She also referenced the historical practice in Hollywood of requiring Native actors to record their lines in English, which were then reversed in post-production to simulate Native speech.[56][28] In closing, she dedicated the award to Native youth across the country.[56][28]
Personal life
Gladstone goes by both "she" and "they" pronouns. She explained in 2023, "In most Native languages, most Indigenous languages, Blackfeet included, there are no gendered pronouns. There is no he/she, there's only they... my pronoun use is partly a way of decolonizing gender for myself."[1][2][3] Gladstone is "middle-gendered" and a member of the LGBTQ community.[57][58]
Gladstone stated in 2025 that she "can’t put a label on" her sexual orientation, and referred to herself as queer, pansexual, straight, and demisexual.[59]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian | Sunshine First Raise | |
| 2013 | Winter in the Blood | Marlene | |
| 2015 | Subterranea | Heather | |
| 2016 | Certain Women | Rancher | |
| Buster's Mal Heart | Morning Shift Concierge | ||
| 2017 | Walking Out | Lila | |
| 2019 | First Cow | Chief Factor's Wife | |
| 2020 | Two Eyes | Enola | |
| 2021 | Freeland | Mara | |
| 2022 | The Unknown Country[60] | Tana | Also story writer |
| Quantum Cowboys | Linde | ||
| The Last Manhunt | Maria | ||
| 2023 | Fancy Dance | Jax | Also executive producer |
| Killers of the Flower Moon | Mollie Kyle | ||
| 2024 | Bring Them Home[61] | Narrator | Also executive producer |
| Jazzy[62] | Tana | Also executive producer | |
| 2025 | The Wedding Banquet[63] | Lee | |
| 2026 | In Memoriam † | Samantha | Post-production |
| 2027 | The Thomas Crown Affair † | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | Lone Wolf † | TBA | Post-production |
TV
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Scalped[64] | Carol Red Crow | Pilot |
| 2017 | Crash Course[34] | Host | 15 episodes |
| 2017–2020 | Room 104[65][66] | 911 Operator / Abby | 2 episodes |
| 2019–2023 | Billions | Roxanne | 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Tuca & Bertie | Hawk Mechanic (voice) | Episode: "Bird Mechanics" |
| 2022–2023 | Reservation Dogs | Hokti | 2 episodes |
| 2024 | Under the Bridge | Cam Bentland | 8 episodes |
