Lily Gladstone made history as the first Indigenous performer to win the best actress accolade at the Golden Globes for their role in the critically acclaimed Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Martin Scorsese-directed Killers of the Flower Moon – which Lily stars in alongside Hollywood heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro – is set in 1920s Oklahoma and based on the true story of The Osage Indian Murders. In the crime drama, Lily plays Mollie Kyle aka the wife of Ernest Burkhart (played by DiCaprio), a member of the Osage tribe.
After receiving a standing ovation at the Golden Globes award, Gladstone began their acceptance speech with a few words in the Blackfeet language, the 'beautiful community and nation' they grew up in, adding: 'I’m so grateful I can speak even a little bit of my language — which I’m not fluent enough in — up here, because in this business, Native actors used to speak their lines in English, and then the sound mixers would run them backward to accomplish Native languages on camera.'
Gladstone continued: 'This is a historic win, it doesn’t belong to just me, I’m holding it right now — I’m holding it with all of my beautiful sisters in the film, and my mother… I’m standing on all of your shoulders.
The actor dedicated their win to 'every little res kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves, in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust.'
Here's everything you need to know about the star...
Who is Lily Gladstone?
Lily is an American actor, born 2 August 1986, who made their film debut in 2012 in Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian.
After ten years of working in the industry, Lily’s talent is finally getting the recognition it deserves with a Critics Choice Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award triumph for their role as Mollie Kyle in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Has Lily Gladstone won an Oscar?
Lily was nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars, for their efforts in Killers of the Flower Moon. She lost out to Emma Stone, who honoured Lily in her speech.
Referencing their awards season journey, the actress said, ‘Lily, I share this with you. I'm in awe of you and it has been such an honour to do all of this together.'
What pronouns does Lily Gladstone use?
Lily uses She/They pronouns. Speaking about that decision, Lily has said, ‘In most Native languages, most Indigenous languages, Blackfeet [the tribe with which Lily was raised] included, there are no gendered pronouns. There is no he/she, there’s only they.
‘My pronoun use is partly a way of decolonising gender for myself.’
What ethnicity is Lily Gladstone?
Lily was raised on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana by a father of Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage and a white mother. As a result, Lily is of Piegan Blackfeet, Nez Perce and European heritage.
Who are Lily Gladstone’s parents?
Lily’s father is of Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage whilst their mother is white.
According to reports, Lily is also a first cousin, four times removed, of William Ewart Gladstone – a former British Prime Minister and one of their paternal great-great grandfathers was Red Crow – a Kainai Nation chief.
Is Lily Gladstone married?
Lily keeps their private life private and hasn’t ever spoken about their current relationship status in public.
What movies has Lily Gladstone starred in?
In 2023, Lily starred in both Fancy Dance and Killers of the Flower Moon. Prior to that they had smaller roles in The Last Manhunt and Quantum Cowboys.
What TV shows has Lily Gladstone starred in?
As well as a solid film career, Lily has made a name for themselves on the small screen starring in six episodes of Billions as Roxanne and two episodes of Reservation Dogs as Hokti. Her latest project Under the Bridge – a Canadian true-crime series - is set to be released this year.
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer on Grazia, specialising in TV and film meaning that you can count on Daisy for the latest (and best) recommendations.