D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:29:15 PM Wikipedia source
D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (born September 19, 2001) is a Canadian actor of Oji-Cree descent. He is best known for his role as Indigenous teenager Bear Smallhill in the FX on Hulu comedy-drama series Reservation Dogs (2021–2023), for which he received several accolades, including a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Infobox
Born
(2001-09-19) September 19, 2001 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other name
D'Pharaoh McKay
Occupations
Actor model
Years active
2018–present
Height
1 m (5 ft 11 in)
Tables
Filmography: Film · Filmography › Film
2023
Only the Good Survive
Role(s)
Ry Coolidge
Notes
Dutch Southern
2025
TBA
Role(s)
A Long Winter
Notes
TBA
| Year | Title | Role | Director(s) | Ref. |
| 2020 | Beans | Hank | Tracey Deer | |
| 2023 | Fitting In | Adam | Molly McGlynn | |
| Only the Good Survive | Ry Coolidge | Dutch Southern | ||
| Hell of a Summer | Mike | Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk | ||
| 2025 | Warfare | Ray Mendoza | Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland | |
| Caught Stealing | Dale | Darren Aronofsky | ||
| TBA | A Long Winter | TBA | Andrew Haigh |
Filmography: Television · Filmography › Television
2019
2022
2021–2023
Role(s)
Reservation Dogs
Notes
Bear Smallhill
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2018 | Holly Hobbie | Chase Whaley | 3 episodes | |
| 2019 | Murdoch Mysteries | Tom Longboat | 2 episodes | |
| Creeped Out | Lucky | Episode: "The Takedown" | ||
| 2020 | Tribal | Mikey | Episode: "Runs with a Gun" | |
| 2022 | TallBoyz | Himself | Episode: "Papa You Are My Dad" | |
| 2021–2023 | Reservation Dogs | Bear Smallhill | Main role |
Filmography: Web series · Filmography › Web series
2022
Normal Ain't Normal
Role(s)
Wes
Notes
BuzzFeed web series
Episode: "Unlord the Land"
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
| 2022 | Normal Ain't Normal | Wes | BuzzFeed web series Episode: "Unlord the Land" |
· Awards and nominations
2022
Role(s)
Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series (Shared with the cast)
Notes
Reservation Dogs
Pena de Prata
Role(s)
Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Shared with the cast)
Notes
Won
2024
Role(s)
Nominated
2025
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | 37th Independent Spirit Awards | Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series (Shared with the cast) | Reservation Dogs | Won | |
| Pena de Prata | Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series (Shared with the cast) | Won | |||
| 2023 | 28th Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | 29th Critics' Choice Television Awards | Nominated | |||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| Rising Stars | Toronto Life Rising Stars 2024 | —N/a | Honored | ||
| 2025 | Forbes | Forbes 30 Under 30 | —N/a | Honored | |
| British Independent Film Awards | Best Ensemble Performance | Warfare | Won |
References
- Voguehttps://www.vogue.com/slideshow/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-reservation-dogs-style-star
- Reservation Dogshttps://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/reservation-dogs-fx-hulu-taika-waititi-sterlin-harjo-1235029493/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/critics-choice-awards-winners-list-full-2023-1235300137/
- The Morning Showhttps://deadline.com/2023/12/critics-choice-awards-2023-tv-nominations-list-1235652591/
- Reservation Dogshttps://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-and-features/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-is-crushing-it-on-reservation-dogs
- Reservation Dogshttps://www.timescolonist.com/canadian-reservation-dogs-star-on-increasing-indigenous-representation-in-the-u-s-1.24354721
- Reservation Dogshttps://nowtoronto.com/movies/news-and-features/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-is-crushing-it-on-reservation-dogs
- IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000659/2020/1/
- Colorado Springs Gazettehttps://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/taika-waititi-produced-indigenous-comedy-filled-with-unique-humor-tv-review/article_e120aa76-e7f8-11eb-b705-efc086a8edcf.html
- Reservation Dogshttps://deadline.com/2022/05/fx-summer-premiere-dates-reservation-dogs-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-the-old-man-the-bear-1235023384/
- Justified: City Primevalhttps://deadline.com/2023/05/fx-premiere-dates-justified-city-primeval-the-full-monty-reservation-dogs-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-1235366784/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2024-emmys-records-fun-facts-1235950703/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/emmys-nominations-2024-nominees-list-1235950616/
- CNNhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/09/16/style/dpharaoh-red-face-paint-emmys-intl-scli/index.html
- Reservation Dogshttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-red-hand-painted-face-2024-emmys-1236002695/
- Voguehttps://www.vogue.com/article/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-emmy-awards-mmiw-movement
- Hell of a Summerhttps://deadline.com/2022/07/dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-abby-quinn-pardis-saremi-join-hell-of-a-summer-1235071546/
- Harvey, Dennis. "Bloody Hell Review: A Teen Sex Comedy Thrown a Curveball by Mother Nature", Variety, March 14, 2023https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/bloody-hell-review-1235554331
- Only the Good Survivehttps://deadline.com/2022/08/sidney-flanigan-to-lead-indie-thriller-only-the-good-survive-1235084674/
- Warfarehttps://deadline.com/2024/03/warfare-ray-mendoza-alex-garland-cast-dpharaoh-woon-a-tai-1235869838/