Obituaries - April 1, 1999

Leonard Mountain Chief; Actor, Blackfeet Indian Elder

Leonard Mountain Chief, 59, Blackfeet Indian elder, motion picture character actor and champion fiddler. Mountain Chief appeared in 17 films and documentaries including “All the Young Men” in 1957, “War Party” in 1989 and Steven Seagal’s recent “Patriot.” A Montana rancher, Mountain Chief served three terms on the Blackfeet Tribal Council and as chairman of its Land Board and Gambling Committee. As a country music fiddler, he played in Hollywood and Nashville, toured Russia and performed with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. On Monday in Heart Butte, Mont., of a heart attack.