American stand-up comedian who is best known for having written for part of the original series run of the show Roseanne. He is also known for his appearances on the Late Night circuit where he talked with Jay Leno and David Letterman.
He attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he majored in speech and drama. After his involvement with the Broom Street Theatre Group, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor and comedian. His first television appearance was on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977.
He is known for having been the first Native American comedian to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was also awarded the Native America on the Web honor for "lifetime of promoting positive images of Native Peoples and bridging cultural differences through the healing power of humor."
He was born in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 11, he returned to his families homestead on the Oneida reservation. He is of Oneida-Mohawk-Cree heritage.
He was interviewed about the American Indian Movement by activist Dennis Banks in a documentary A Good Day to Die.
