Charlie Hill

Charles Allan Hill was a prominent stand-up comedian and actor of Oneida, Mohawk, and Cree descent, born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 11, he relocated with his family to their ancestral Oneida reservation in 1962. After graduating from West De Pere High School in 1969, Hill pursued higher education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, focusing on speech and drama. He became an active member of the Broom Street Theatre Group, which laid the groundwork for his future career.

Hill's aspirations led him to Hollywood, where he made his mark as a comedian. He first gained national attention in 1977 with an appearance on The Richard Pryor Show, making him the first Native American comedian to perform on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. His talent was showcased in various outlets, including appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman.

In addition to his television success, Hill hosted a special on Showtime featuring Native American comedians and was the focus of the PBS documentary On and Off The Res' with Charlie Hill (1999), directed by Sandra Osawa. He also appeared in the documentary A Good Day to Die, which profiles activist Dennis Banks, and acted in the 1984 film Harold of Orange.

Hill was a devoted family man, married to Lenora, with whom he had four children: Dine' Nizhoni, Nasbah, Nanabah, and Nabahe. After a courageous battle with lymphoma, he passed away on December 30, 2013, at the Anna John Nursing Home in Oneida, Wisconsin, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazer for Native American representation in comedy and entertainment.