Martin Sensmeier
as Montford Johnson
Martin Sensmeier is part of the Tlingit and Koyukon/Athabaskan tribe of Alaska. He was raised in a Tlingit Coastal community in southeast Alaska and grew up learning and participating in the traditions of his people, while carrying on the native subsistence lifestyle that has been sustained for thousands of years. He is an ambassador for both the Native Wellness Institute, where he advocates for wellness amongst native people of all nations, as well as The Boys and Girls Club of America.
While attending high school, he qualified as a welder and at age 21 he was hired as a roughneck on the Doyon Rig, drilling the North Slope in Alaska. Martin also attended the University of Alaska for two years before coming to Los Angeles to pursue his passion.
Martin’s breakout role came alongside Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt as the warrior Red Harvest in Antoine Fuqua’s “The Magnificent Seven” for Sony/MGM. Other credits include feature films “Encounter” and “Puberty,” opposite Abbie Cornish and Garrett Wareing and “Wind River” directed by Academy Award nominated Taylor Sheridan, starring opposite Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olson.
He starred in the leading role as Montford in “Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher,” a film based on the novel by Neil R. Johnson, which debuted on Netflix in 2021.
Martin has been featured in numerous television roles as well, reuniting with Taylor Sheridan for multiple episodes of “Yellowstone,” and as fan-favorite Sam in “1883.” Other recent works include staring in “9 Bullets,” “La Brea,” Frybread Face and Me,” “The Last Manhunt” and “Alaska Daily.”
Martin does numerous speaking engagements around the country sharing his experience as a First American actor.