Mohawk actor August Schellenberg died Thursday in his Dallas home at the age of 77, after a battle with lung cancer.

Schellenberg was born in Montreal, Quebec on July 25, 1936, to a Swiss father and English-Mohawk mother.

He graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1966, and began his acting career with the Crest Theatre Hour Company in a six-month tour performing for high school students in Ontario. He also appeared at the Shaw and Stratford festivals, and his many stage appearances included roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, The Odd Couple, Mary, Queen of Scots and Master Class. Schellenberg also starred in The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, George Ryga’s groundbreaking two-act play recounting the story of a young Aboriginal woman who leaves the reserve comes to the city, only to be brutalized and marginalized.

Schellenberg began his film career in Rip Off (1971). His credits, over almost four decades, include Power Play, Bear Island (1979), Heavy Metal (1981), Black Robe (1991), Free Willy I, II, and III (1993, 1995, 1997), Terrence Malick’s The New World (2005) and The Green Chain (2007).

On the small screen, he appeared in The New Avengers (1977), The Hitchhiker (1983), The Littlest Hobo (1980, 1982, 1984), Lonesome Dove: The Series (1994) and High Noon (2000). His performance as Sitting Bull in Dick Wolf’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) for HBO earned him an Emmy nomination.

Schellenberg also taught acting seminars at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and York University in Toronto. According to his official website, he was also a skilled amateur chef and a lifelong athlete.

He most recently performed the title role in the all-aboriginal production of King Lear at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in 2012. The centre in a statement said it had lowered its flag to honour Schellenberg’s constribution to Canada and the national stage.

“The legendary actor had a profound impact on the cultural life of the country,” the centre said.

Mi’kmaq-Italian actor-musician Glen Gould, who stars in the upcoming film Rhymes for Young Ghouls, tweeted, “Augie was a great man, talented and tough as nails, with a heart of gold and a mentor to many of us young actors.”

Schellenberg is survived by his wife, Canadian actress Joan Karasevich, and three daughters.