Myrton Running Wolf, an assistant professor of race and media with the Reynolds School of Journalism at UNR, passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer.
Raised in northern Nevada, he was of Blackfeet descent. He was known for his large smile, sharp intellect and being both an accomplished actor and film director. His academic research focused on increasing the inclusion of marginalized populations in mainstream media.
A chapter he wrote in “Native Apparitions: Critical Perspectives on Hollywood’s Indians” and which he often talked about in interviews was titled Thank You, Adam Sandler & Co., for Giving Us a Native American Rosa Parks Moment, concerning depictions in the film The Ridiculous 6.
A short film he made which came out six years ago was called “Soldier” following two young Lakota sisters — escapees of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre — fighting to survive against the U.S. military.
It was filmed entirely on the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation and in the Toiyabe National Forest.
Several years ago, he had directed a video for an Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation which received widespread local praise.
Our community has lost an influential thinker and awe inspiring filmmaker.
Our Town Reno reporting, January 2025