Rudy Youngblood

RUDY YOUNGBLOOD

Date of Birth: c. 1982

Raised in Washington State, Texas and Arizona, Rudy Youngblood is a Native American of the Comanche, Cree and Yaqui people. Prior to making his film debut in Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, Youngblood worked as a laborer and toured with several Native American dance/theatrical productions, including two seasons in Peter Buffett's Spirit - The Seventh Fire as the Warrior Protector. Youngblood also toured with the Native American Dance Theatre.

In July 2005 he moved to Los Angeles to try launching an acting career. Within three months, he'd been cast as the lead role, Jaguar Paw, in Apocalypto (2006). Youngblood spent eleven months preparing for and filming the movie, for which he had to learn the Yucatan Maya language. Because of his natural athleticism, Rudy performed most of the stunts in the film himself, including a death-defying freefall from the top of a raging waterfall. Apocalypto stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers said, "Rudy is the purest athlete I've ever seen. He has his head together and is totally on top of his game. If he wasn't an actor, he could be a stuntman."

However, it took four years before he was cast in another movie, Beatdown (2010), starring Eric Balfour and Danny Trejo. Then five years later he played Matty Kingston in the feature film, Wind Talkers (2015). He then took on a supporting role in the limited release Crossing Point (2016) alongside Tom Sizemore. Most recently, he worked with Steven Seagal in Attrition (2018) and was directed by Wes Miller in the Lionsgate feature western, Hell on the Border (2019).

Youngblood, whose ancestors who fought at Wounded Knee and Little Big Horn, is a skilled equestrian, avid outdoorsman, championship boxer and cross-country runner. A talented artist, Youngblood incorporates oil and acrylic paints, prismacolors, pastels and charcoal into his work.

Youngblood divides his time between Los Angeles and Texas.

Filmography:

Hell on the Border (2019)
Attrition (2018)
Crossing Point (2016)
Wind Walkers (2015)
Beatdown (2010)
Apocalypto (2006)