Larry Sellers

Larry Sellers was a Native American actor and stuntman of Osage and Cherokee descent and an adopted member of the Lakota nation. Sellers became known for his regular role as Cloud Dancing in the popular CBS hit series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) for which he received an Emmy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor. He also worked in the capacity of technical advisor on the show, notably on linguistic aspects. Other roles saw Sellers portraying a Comanche in Lightning Jack (1994), a Cheyenne Sheriff in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) and a Native American casino owner in an episode of The Sopranos (1999). At the age of 28, Sellers had a vision which prompted him to study the traditional Sun Dance of the Plains Indians and implement its reintroduction to the Osage people. A ceremony of great religious significance, this ritual was designed as supplication to the Great Spirit in order to ensure the tribe's overall welfare. Traditionally, it also bestowed greater merit to individuals who underwent the physically harder aspects, which included four days of prayer and dancing while deprived of food and water. Sellers was said to have turned down an offer to appear in Kevin Costner's epic Dances with Wolves (1990) because he was not given the four days required to complete the Sun Dance ceremony. Larry Sellers presided over a non-profit organization for the preservation of the Osage language, and, from 2004, operated the Missionary Society for the Preservation of Traditional Values which aims to uphold and/or revive spiritual values and heritage. He latterly resided in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, a town named after a prominent 28th century chief and seat of the Osage tribal government. He passed away on December 9, 2021, at the age of 72.