Actress and Disney Artist Dawn Little Sky Passes at Away at 95
Dawn Little Sky, an actress whose long career included a stint at Disneyland and then working as an artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, has passed away at the age of 95.
As reported by The Wrap, Dawn Little Sky passed away on October 24. Little Sky's acting career in the 1960s and 1970s included projects like Gilligan's Island and Gunsmoke. She frequently worked alongside her husband, fellow actor Eddie Little Sky. Her career included appearing on The Magical World of Disney and a role in Disney's 1975 film The Apple Dumpling Gang.
However, beyond that, Little Sky had a deeper history with Disney going back to her time working at Disneyland in Frontierland. Then, most notably, she would then by hired at Walt Disney Studios, with The Wrap noting she was the first Native artist to color Disney animation cells.
Her acting roles became more infrequent after The Apple Dumpling Gang, because Dawn and Eddie moved back to South Dakota in the late 1970s, with Dawn using the skills that served her so well at Disney to teach art at the Little Wound School.
In a touching tribute to both Dawn and Eddie (who passed away in 1997) at Native Sun News Today, Ernestine Anunkasan Hopa wrote, of Dawn Little Sky, "She was the first Native American artist to color animation cells at Walt Disney Studios—a quiet revolution in a place that rarely made room for Indigenous women. Her work behind the scenes brought Indigenous creativity into one of the most influential artistic spaces in the country. It was meticulous work, often invisible to the public eye, but it mattered. It mattered because she was there, and because she brought her perspective to a medium that shapes how children see the world.
"On screen, Dawn appeared in Gilligan’s Island, Gunsmoke, Apple Dumpling Gang, Billy Two Hearts and The Great Sioux Massacre, often alongside her husband. Her roles were grounded and graceful, offering a rare portrayal of Native women— strong, present, and real. She didn’t play stereotypes. She played women with stories, with families, with voices. Her performances reminded viewers that Native women are not just part of the background—they are central to the story."
You can see Little Sky discuss some of her life and career in this 2022 interview on YouTube.